Florida is in the midst of a difficult three-game losing streak, with the last two decisions coming after the Gators held a double-digit lead during the second half.
Florida dropped a heartbreaking 59-58 decision at home to No. 19 Kentucky on Thursday after erasing a 10-point first-half deficit and taking a 10-point lead with 5:29 remaining. Four days earlier in Athens, the Gators raced out to a big lead that swelled to 16 points as late as 14:17 against Georgia, but lost 70-64.
Florida travels to play LSU this afternoon with the goal of snapping the skid. The team will need 40 minutes of effort and focus to earn a win at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, a place where the Gators haven’t won in 15 years.
Florida is 1-6 when playing on an opponent’s home turf this season. The Gators had dropped their first five on the road before winning a 65-63 thriller at South Carolina on Jan. 9.
Gator junior newcomer Deana Allen is a native of Houma, La., located just 65 miles from Baton Rouge. Through six SEC games, Allen is averaging team-bests of 9.7 points and 5.5 rebounds, including her 14 point, 13-rebound performance against Georgia on Jan. 16. She followed with a team-leading 13-point effort against No. 19 Kentucky on Thursday.
Junior Jordan Jones has found her long-range shooting touch in six SEC games, hitting 41.7 percent (10-24) of her attempts. Jones leads the very balanced Gator scoring effort, recording 9.9 points per game, hitting a team-leading 39 three-pointers and playing 32.3 minutes per outing. Azania Stewart is Florida’s leading rebounder with 6.3 per game.
After dropping their first two SEC contests by close decisions, the Lady Tigers have won three of their last four games entering today’s outing. LSU dominated the second half of Thursday’s game 78-43 rout over Ole Miss.
LSU leads the SEC and ranks 23rd in the country for scoring defense, limiting foes to just 53.8 points per game. Sophomore Adrienne Webb is one of the SEC’s top 3-point shooters. She leads LSU with 13.6 points per game, followed closely by junior LaSondra Barrett, who contributes 12.6 points.
LSU holds a commanding 23-9 all-time lead in the 32-game series versus Florida, including an 11-3 record in Baton Rouge. The Lady Tigers have won the last four meetings and 10 of the last 11 against the Gators, as well as 13 of the previous 15 outings. Over the last 11 games, LSU has won those 10 games by an average of 22.6 points.
Florida’s most recent win in the series was the 79-78 stunner on Feb. 16, 2006, when the unranked Gators shocked the No. 2-ranked Lady Tigers, marking the highest-ranked opponent Florida has ever defeated.
