On Sunday night, the Gators (5-3) celebrated their second road win of the year the same way as their first.
Freshman guard Mike Okauru received an inbounds pass 15 minutes into the first half and immediately knew what to do with the ball.
When Gorjok Gak walked onto the floor of the O’Connell Center, his first defensive play didn’t go as planned. Right away, the 6-foot-11 center fouled a driving MJ Walker, and Florida State extended its lead to 14-7.
Egor Koulechov’s tone of voice matched the way Florida played in an 83-66 home loss: soft.
As Funda Nakkasoglu missed a wide-open layup, she and teammate Haley Lorenzen shared a laugh. Her embarrassing miss didn’t matter, as the Gators (5-3) were just minutes away from sealing an 80-61 road victory over the Oklahoma Sooners (3-4).
In recent years, Florida State has wrangled Florida in multiple sports.
Six games into the season, Florida's offense is already garnering national attention.
Redshirt junior guard Funda Nakkasoglu drove to the paint from the right side of the three-point line. She beat her defender, cut inside the incoming forward and raised up for a layup attempt without opposition.
When Funda Nakkasoglu missed a three-pointer with 9:27 remaining in the second quarter, forward Haley Lorenzen used her 6-foot-3 frame to snatch an offensive rebound. She dribbled, retreated a few steps, and nailed a jumper from the elbow to extend a lead Florida would never give up.
Before the season began, UF coach Mike White questioned if the Gators can compete with “griminess” and resilience. The play of point guard Chris Chiozza has given him an answer.
On Nov. 20, former Florida Gator Bradley Beal made NBA history.
On Monday afternoon, Florida emerged from its locker room and took the court for practice. Dressed in their all-blue practice uniforms, the Gators shot around, with multiple players getting reps at the free-throw line and from behind the arc.
After a thrilling double-overtime win against No. 17 Gonzaga on Friday, the Gators played No. 1 Duke in the Phil Knight Invitational championship game on Sunday.
PORTLAND, Ore. — Marvin Bagley III had 30 points and 15 rebounds, and No. 1 Duke rallied late to beat No. 7 Florida 87-84 on Sunday night for the Motion Bracket championship at the Phil Knight Invitational tournament.
Tied at 97 nearly halfway through the game’s second overtime, Jalen Hudson paced himself, finding a crease on the left side early in the shot clock.
First it was Jalen Hudson splashing a three-pointer, then 90 seconds later, it was Egor Koulechov sinking his own.
Already up by 11 points with 5:02 to go in the first quarter, Delicia Washington snagged a rebound and called for her teammates to sprint up the court. She dished an outlet pass to Sydney Searcy, who promptly drained a three-pointer just six seconds after Washington came down with the ball.
With the final minute winding down in the game, Sydney Searcy hoisted a three-point attempt in the right-hand corner directly off an inbound pass, and swished it.
With less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter, Funda Nakkasoglu ran down the floor before taking the ball across the halfcourt line. She fell and remained down on the sideline for several moments. With coach Cameron Newbauer to her left, the junior transfer walked off the court gingerly and was replaced by freshman Tameria Johnson.
Throughout his news conference following the Gators’ loss to Florida State, UF coach Cameron Newbauer kept his head down as he assessed a 30-point home blowout.
Solutions by The State News
