Gators Win Nail-Biter Over Florida State, 55-51, For First Win in Tallahassee Since 2002

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The No. 16/14 University of Florida men’s basketball team defeated in-state rival Florida State, 55-51, Sunday evening at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Fla. Florida’s triumph in the state capital was its first there since a 58-57 nail-biter on Dec. 6, 2002, while improving its all-time record to 40-22 against the Seminoles.

Florida bettered its mark to 5-1 on the young season, and in the process handed Florida State its first loss of the year (5-1). The game, which was within five points the last eight minutes of the contest, came down to free-throw shooting, with the Gators making all four of their attempts in the final two minutes. Florida shot 12-of-16 (.750) from the line in the second half, while the Seminoles sank just 4-of-7 (.571). The Gators ultimately made 11 more baskets from the charity stripe than their rivals (17-of-25 to 6-of-11).

Florida was led in scoring by sophomore guard Kenny Boynton (Pompano Beach, Fla.), who tallied 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Sophomore forward Erik Murphy (South Kingstown, R.I.) played clutch down the stretch, finishing with 10 points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting, along with six rebounds. Junior guard Erving Walker (Brooklyn, N.Y.) also chipped in with nine points, three rebounds and three assists.

With Florida clinging to a 53-51 advantage after a three-pointer by FSU’s Michael Snaer with 53 seconds left in the game, Murphy put back in a missed Boynton three-point attempt with 16 seconds left to give the game its final score of 55-51. The Orange and Blue built up the lead to 12 (41-28) with 14:30 left in the game, but FSU went on a 15-3 run over the next seven minutes to cut the Gators’ lead to just one at 44-43. The two schools traded baskets back and forth after that until Snaer’s three cut Florida’s lead to just a basket.

The Seminoles made their first three shots of the game to take an early 7-2 lead, but then missed 13 of their next 15 attempts as the Gators went on a 15-4 run to make the score 17-11 in favor of the Orange and Blue. Florida State cut the deficit to two at 19-17 with 6:24 remaining in the first half, but UF used an 11-4 run to close out the half with a 30-21 lead at the break. The two runs were due in part to UF shooting 47.3 percent from the field on 11-of-23 shooting in the first 20 minutes, while holding their rival to just 28.6 percent on 8-of-28 shooting.

Snaer led FSU with 15 points (5-of-8 FG), with all five baskets coming from beyond the arc (5-of-6 3FG).

Florida improved to 66-8 all-time under Billy Donovan in the month of November, including a 42-4 mark the last six years.

The Gators next travel to Orlando, Fla., to face Central Florida at the brand-new Amway Center on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The game, which is the first collegiate basketball game in the history of the venue, will air on FSN/FS Florida.

No. 16 Florida holds off Florida State 55-51

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Kenny Boynton scored 14 points and Erik Murphy added 10, including a decisive late field goal, as 16th-ranked Florida held off Florida State's late rally to beat the Seminoles 55-51 Sunday night.

Michael Snaer's fifth 3-pointer of the game cut Florida's lead to 53-51 with 51 seconds left before Murphy's putback with 16 seconds left.

The Gators (5-1) opened a 53-48 lead with 1:20 left on two free throws by Murphy coming just 17 seconds after two by Boynton.

Snaer scored 15 points for the Seminoles (5-1).

Florida State shot just 33.3 percent against the smaller, quicker Gators and their leading scorer on the season, Chris Singleton, was just 2 of 12 from the field.

Florida made 17 of 25 free throws while Florida State scored six points from the line. The Gators also had a 35-31 rebounding advantage.

It was the first real test of the season for Florida State, which won its first five games by an average of 22 points over inferior opponents. The Seminoles host third-ranked Ohio State on Tuesday in the ACC/Big Ten challenge. The Buckeyes handed Florida its only loss of the season, 93-75, Nov. 16 in Gainesville.

The Gators led almost from the start, taking advantage of poor Florida State shooting on its way to a 30-21 halftime lead. Murphy made a 3-pointer from the top of the circle with 3 seconds left before halftime.

Volleyball Earns Program's First-Ever NCAA No. 1 Seed

Riding a 22-match win streak and having earned the program’s first-ever No. 1 seed, the No. 1 University of Florida volleyball team is among the NCAA Tournament field of 64 for the 20th consecutive season and the 21st time in program history, earning a berth to volleyball’s version of the Big Dance, announced Sunday afternoon.

The Gators, who earned the tournament’s top seed, begin their title quest on Friday in Gainesville, playing host to South Carolina State in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Florida State and Georgia Southern will square off in the first match of the day on Friday. The second-round contest will be played Saturday. Official times and ticket information for the NCAA First and Second Rounds will be released later.

Florida (27-1, 20-0 Southeastern Conference, the 2010 SEC Champion, is coming off one of its finest regular seasons in program history. The Gators, who have held the No. 1 ranking in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll for a school-record seven consecutive weeks, on Friday became the first team in league history to post a 20-0 SEC record as the conference instituted a 20-match double-round robin format prior to the start of the 2006 season. It marked the 12th perfect SEC season in program history and the Gators’ first since 2003.

“I don’t think the selection announcement could come soon enough for these players,” Florida head coach Mary Wise said. “They’ve been looking forward to it and talking about it since our Friday-night match. To be the No. 1 seed is a reflection of our early non-conference wins and the fact that we went through a complete double round-robin – 20 matches – really without stumbling along the way. The committee gave us that No. 1 seed as a reflection of that in a year where there is so much parity that you could make a great argument for any one of seven or eight teams to be the No. 1 seed.”

This marks the 19th time in the last 20 years that the Gators have played host to opening-round contests. The four participating teams are vying for a berth in the Austin, Texas, regional, which will take place Dec. 10-11 at Gregory Gymnasium.  

Florida, which has been rated No. 1 in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) for the entire season, has extended its nation-leading streak of consecutive 25-win seasons to 20. The Gators, who have played perhaps the nation’s toughest schedule, boast a record of 10-1 against top-25 opponents this year.

The top-16 teams were seeded nationally and placed within four regions. In addition to Florida, the teams tabbed as the top four seeds were No. 2 Nebraska, No. 3 Stanford and No. 4 Penn State.

The Gators are 51-20 (.718) all-time in the NCAA Championship, including a 50-19 (.725) mark under Wise’s direction. Florida has advanced to NCAA regional action in 18 of Wise’s previous 19 seasons and has reached the national semifinal on seven occasions during that span.

In the 29-year history of the championship, 10 schools have been crowned champion, nine of which are among this year’s bracket, including three-time defending NCAA Champion Penn State.

Additional past winners making the field are Stanford (1992, 94, 96, 97, 2001, 04), Hawaii (1982, 83, 87), Long Beach State (1989, 93, 98), UCLA (1984, 90, 91), Nebraska (1995, 2000, and 06), Southern California (1981, 2002, 03), Penn State (1999, 2007, 08, 09), Texas (1988) and Washington (2005).

Six SEC teams made the 2010 field, including No. 11 seed Tennessee, Auburn, Kentucky, LSU and Ole Miss.  Seven additional teams from Florida’s 2010 schedule made the NCAA Tournament field, including the University at Albany, Colorado State, Florida State, Iowa State, Nebraska, Penn State and Texas. In total, 17 of the Gators’ 28 matches this season came against teams in the 2010 NCAA Tournament field.

Florida is led offensively by junior outside hitter Kelly Murphy (Wilmington, Ill.), who is the only player to rank among the SEC’s top-10 individually (all matches combined) in hitting percentage, service aces per set and kills per set simultaneously. Murphy leads the SEC with 0.39 service aces per set, while ranking fourth in hitting efficiency with a .370 clip and ninth in kills per set with 3.05.

“We know that everything we’ve been doing so far has been working towards something and we’ve achieved everything that we’ve set out to do so far this season,” Murphy said. “We know if we keep our focus and mindset that we’ve had from the beginning, we can achieve the goals that we set this season.”

Senior outside hitter Callie Rivers (Winter Park, Fla.) and junior outside hitter Kristy Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) follow with 2.58 and 2.49 kills per set, respectively. Rivers is second on the team with 2.26 digs per set and ranks third in the SEC with 0.31 service aces per set, while Jaeckel is 10th in the league with 0.26 aces per set.

Senior libero Erin Fleming (Orlando, Fla.) ranks eighth in the SEC with 3.59 digs per set, while freshman setter Chanel Brown (Tempe, Ariz.) dishes out a squad-best 5.63 assists per set.

Three Gators average better than 0.95 blocks per set, led by junior middle blocker Cassandra Anderson (Bakersfield, Calif.), who leads the SEC with 1.24 blocks per set. Senior middle blocker Lauren Bledsoe (Long Beach, Calif.) is fifth in the SEC with 1.09 blocks per set and also ranks third in the league with a .395 hitting efficiency. Sophomore right-side Tangerine Wiggs (Seattle, Wash.) chips in 0.97 blocks per set.

South Carolina State, which won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, is making the school’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. The Lady Bulldogs hold a record of 17-22 overall and finished with a 6-2 tally in MEAC play. South Carolina State captured the MEAC Tournament on Nov. 21 with a four-set win against Delaware State to earn the league’s NCAA automatic bid. After struggling to begin the season, the Lady Bulldogs have won nine of their last 11 matches.

South Carolina State was the MEAC’s leading blocking team (all matches combined), averaging 1.88 blocks per set. The Lady Bulldogs are led offensively by senior outside hitter Jarne Gleaton, who leads the MEAC with 3.46 kills per set and also adds 1.97 digs per set. Sophomore middle blocker Shabree Roberson and freshman middle blocker Desire Waller follow with 2.37 and 2.28 kills per set, respectively.

Junior setter Bria Brimmer leads the MEAC with 9.23 assists per set, while also ranking first on the team and eighth in the MEAC with 0.30 service aces per set. Sophomore libero Melissa Robinson is sixth in the MEAC in digs per set with 3.12, while Roberson is the team’s leading blocker with 0.94 rejections per set.

The pre-determined regional sites are Austin, Texas, University Park, Pa., Dayton, Ohio, and Seattle, Wash. The regional winners will advance to the semifinals and final hosted by the University of Missouri, Kansas City, and the Kansas City Sports Commission at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo., on Dec. 16 and 18.

For all of the latest information on Florida volleyball, please log on to www.GatorZone.com/volleyball. Follow Florida Volleyball on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GatorZoneVB and Coach Mary Wise on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GatorMary.

FLORIDA’S NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES

·          Florida has earned the program’s first-ever No. 1 seed to the NCAA Tournament.

·          The Gators are 51-20 (.718) all-time in the NCAA Championship, including a 50-19 (.725) mark under the direction of head coach Mary Wise.

·          Including the 2010 season, UF has made 20 consecutive and 21 overall NCAA Championship appearances (1987, 1991-2010).

·          The Gators have advanced to regional action in 18 of Wise’s previous 19 season and have reached the national semifinal seven times in the last 19 years, the last coming in the 2003 season when Florida finished as the NCAA runner-up.

·          Florida players have earned 35 NCAA All-Region Team honors, including five MVP selections. Elyse Cusack was named All-Gainesville Region in 2009.

·          The Gators will be hosting NCAA First and Second Round action for the 19th time in the last 20 years.

Florida assistant Dan McCarney accepts North Texas head job

The Denton Record Chronicle, which covers the University of North Texas, reported Saturday that the school has offered its vacant head-coaching position to Florida defensive line coach Dan McCarney.
ESPN reported late Saturday that McCarney has accepted the job. One source told The Palm Beach Post today that McCarney to North Texas is a “done deal,” and a second source confirmed that McCarney took the job.


After Saturday’s 31-7 loss to Florida State, Gators head coach Urban Meyer said he had not been informed of a North Texas offer for McCarney.

“No, not that I know of,” Meyer said. “I have not been made aware of that.”

Meyer’s comment did not rebut the Record Chronicle report. If the job was offered to McCarney on Friday or Saturday, it is conceivable that McCarney and Meyer had not spoken about it prior to the FSU game. All Meyer conveyed was that he did not know about a potential offer at that time.

McCarney has been at Florida the past three seasons. He was Iowa State’s head coach from 1995 through 2006 and went 56-85. He resigned after going 3-7 in 2006.

Here are the assistants who left last season and the new hires that replaced them:

Pos.	Coach	Went to	Replaced by
DC	Charlie Strong	Louisville	Teryl Austin
WRs	Billy Gonzales	LSU	Zach Azzanni
CBs	Vance Bedford	Louisville	Austin
RBs	Kenny Carter	Louisville	Stan Drayton

SEC Bowl projections: Florida vs. former coach Ron Zook in Gator Bowl

Florida ended the regular season 7-5 after losing decisively at Florida State on Saturday, and now the Gators’ best hope for a bowl game is the Gator Bowl.

Florida is higher than the seventh best team in the SEC, but will jump up to the conference’s No. 6 bowl contract because the SEC is likely to land two teams in BCS games.
If the Gator Bowl passes on Florida, it could be a precipitous drop. The Music City Bowl (Nashville) and Liberty Bowl might prefer nearby Tennessee or Kentucky over the Gators. That is unlikely, though, given how limited the Gator Bowl’s choices will be.
If the Gators go to the bowl named after themselves, they will face the fourth or fifth choice from the Big Ten. Illinois, Penn State, Michigan and Northwestern would be in contention to fill that spot.
At this point, bet on the on the Gator Bowl committee picking Florida vs. Illinois, which would pit the Gators against former coach Ron Zook. Zook coached the team from 2002 through ’04 before he was fired.
Here are the current bowl projections for the SEC:

Bowl	Date	Site	Contract	SEC Team	Projected opponent
Championship	1/10	Glendale, AZ	BCS #1 vs. #2	Auburn	Oregon
Sugar	1/4	New Orleans	SEC BCS vs BCS	Arkansas	UConn
Capital One	1/1	Orlando	SEC #2 vs. Big Ten #2	LSU	Michigan St.
Outback	1/1	Tampa	SEC #3/4 vs. Big Ten #3	S. Carolina	Iowa
Cotton	1/7	Arlington, TX	SEC #3/4 vs. Big 12 #2	Alabama	Okla. St.
Chick-fil-A	12/31	Atlanta	SEC #5 vs. ACC #2	Miss. St.	Florida St.
Gator	1/1	Jacksonville	SEC #6 vs. Big Ten #4/5	Florida	Illinois
Music City	12/30	Nashville	SEC #7 vs. ACC #6	Tennessee	Georgia Tech
Liberty	12/30	Memphis	SEC #8/9 vs. C-USA #1	Kentucky	UCF
BBVA Compass	1/8	Birmingham	SEC #8/9 vs. Big East #5	Georgia	USF

Florida’s last trip to the Gator Bowl was 1992, when it beat North Carolina State. Illinois has not played in the game.

No. 16 Florida Looks To End Road Woes Against FSU Sunday As 4-Point Underdogs

It is shaping up to be a big weekend in Tallahassee. The Florida State football team ended their 6-game losing streak to the Florida Gators on Saturday and on Sunday will look to continue their dominance on the hardwood as they face the Gators in Men’s College Basketball action.


Florida (4-1) enters the game as the 16th ranked team in the country, but has not had much success in Tallahassee as of late where they have lost four straight. They did hand the Noles a 68-52 loss last November at home, but have struggled on the road against FSU. This marks a big stretch for Florida State where they have to turn right around and face No. 3 Ohio State on Tuesday.

“We’ve just got to go out there and take advantage of this unique and special opportunity we have with the University of Florida coming in to play us on Sunday,” coach Leonard Hamilton said. “We can’t enjoy the luxury of looking past them to the second game. First things first.”

The Noles have jumped out to 5-0 to start the season and are led by Chris Singleton who has four straight double-doubles heading into Sunday’s showdown. He’s averaging 17.4 points and is shooting 54.9 percent from the field.

FSU is averaging 83.6 points per game while only allowing 60.4. To accompany Singleton, Florida State does have experience that will be huge. They have gotten great play from their big men and point guard Derwin Kitchens has been solid this season. But Sunday, they will face their toughest test of the season.

Florida will be playing in their first road game after coming off two lackluster performances at home. They beat Florida Atlantic 79-66 on Tuesday, but struggled two days earlier where they managed just a 61-55 win over Morehead State. Their only loss on the year is to Ohio State.

The Gators are averaging 79.4 points per game and have four players averaging in double figures. Sophomore guard Kenny Boynton leads this group with 15.6. They are allowing 65.8 points per game defensively and will be tested again by the Noles.

Florida State will enter the game as 4 point favorites according to NCAA Basketball sportsbooks.

Florida, Meyer get humbled in Tallahassee 31-7

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida coach Urban Meyer refused to point fingers - again.

This time, he didn't have to.

It was obvious what went wrong with the Gators. The three-quarterback system failed miserably, there were costly turnovers, a failed fake punt, a nonexistent pass rush and cornerback Moses Jenkins getting picked on left and right. The result was a 31-7 drubbing at Florida State that snapped Florida's six-game winning streak in the series and left the Gators with five regular-season losses for the first time since 1988.

"I can assure you we are going to rebuild this thing and build it up the right way and do it right," Meyer said. "Obviously we are down a little bit. I didn't believe we'd be that far down, but we are. How do you build a program up? You build it up with tough players, tough coaches and you have got to play better."

The Gators couldn't play much worse.

Andre Debose returned a kickoff 62 yards, setting up a 20-yard touchdown pass from John Brantley to Robert Clark on Florida's opening possession. But the next five drives were pretty much one mistake after another for the Gators (7-5).

Backup quarterback Jordan Reed fumbled to end one drive. Chris Rainey fumbled on the next. Meyer tried to stop the momentum by calling for a fake punt, but Chas Henry was stopped for a short gain on fourth-and-5.

"I just wanted to make something happen. It didn't happen," Meyer said. "It killed us."

The Seminoles turned the mistakes into 14 points and a 17-7 lead.

Things snowballed from there.

Florida punted, and Christian Ponder drove the Seminoles 73 yards for another score. Meyer responded by turning the offense over to Reed - but only briefly. After Reed led Florida to the Florida State 20, Brantley re-entered the game and promptly threw an interception.

"Turnovers, period, just killed us," said center Mike Pouncey, who left the game with a chest injury and will have X-rays back in Gainesville. "Every turnover we had hurts a lot. That one pretty much put the dagger in us."

Florida finished with 276 yards, only 89 in the second half.

Reed ran for 74 yards but left in the third quarter with a concussion. Rainey added 73 yards on the ground, and Jeff Demps chipped in 44.

But trailing big, Florida simply couldn't throw the ball. Brantley completed 6 of 12 passes for 52 yards. Reed threw four times for 12 yards.

"Just really ineffective in certain areas, really, really ineffective," Meyer said. "So if that's because of three quarterbacks, we'll blow that thing completely out of the water. If it's not, then that's our best opportunity to win right now."

The Gators lost for the fifth time in seven games, but they're still headed to a bowl - likely the Gator Bowl or maybe the Music City Bowl.

Meyer said he "wasn't going to get into" any potential coaching changes right now. He said the immediate goal is to do everything he can to win the bowl game and recruit "our tail off."

"The fix starts tomorrow," he said.

It's unclear how much house-cleaning Meyer will do. Offensive coordinator Steve Addazio has been under fire all season. His three-quarterback system and hurry-up scheme worked well against Georgia last month but has been inept in losses to South Carolina and Florida State.

The defense hasn't been a whole lot better, though it's been overshadowed by the offense's struggles.

The Seminoles clearly targeted Jenkins, who missed most of the season with an elbow injury. Jenkins got beat on several players early and was eventually benched.

"We did not play well on the back end," Meyer said.

Or anywhere else, really. The biggest question is how long will it take Meyer to get back to the elite level.

"These guys got to learn how to prepare, how to practice," Pouncey said. "We've got to get the right players playing the right positions and then just rebuild this program back to a winning program. ... He's a great coach. He's obviously going to get the right players in and he's going to turn this program around fast."

Meyer: "I can assure you we are going to rebuild this thing and build it up the right way."

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida coach Urban Meyer walked into the small interview room at Doak Campbell Stadium, took a seat in front of his captive audience, and immediately addressed the issue on everyone’s mind.

“I can assure you we are going to rebuild this thing and build it up the right way and do it right,’’ Meyer said. “Obviously, we’re down a little bit. I didn’t believe we’d be that far down, but we are.’’

Since taking over the Gators in 2005, Meyer had never walked off the field at the end of a Florida-Florida State game on the losing side – he was 5-0 in head-to-head meetings with former FSU coach Bobby Bowden. That changed early Saturday evening after Florida’s 31-7 loss to the Seminoles capped a 7-5 regular season, the most losses Meyer has endured in any season of his coaching career.

The Gators have an undetermined bowl game left on the schedule, but the real work will come on the recruiting trail the next couple of months.

“Recruit our butt off is what we’re going to do,’’ Meyer said.

After the way Saturday’s game played out, it was difficult to remember that the Gators led 7-3 in the first quarter following quarterback John Brantley’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Robert Clark on Florida’s first drive of the game.

However, Florida’s fortunes soon started to turn for the worse before an announced sellout crowd of 82,324 on a sun-splashed afternoon. Four of the Gators’ next five possessions resulted in turnovers – two fumbles, an interception and a fake-punt attempt that failed.

The first miscue was a fumble by third-string quarterback Jordan Reed that didn’t lead to any points. The Gators weren’t so lucky on their next drive when Chris Rainey fumbled after catching a screen pass from Brantley. Florida State’s Xavier Rhodes recovered at Florida’s 17.

Two plays later, FSU’s Lonnie Pryor scored on a 9-yard run and the Seminoles were on their way to snapping a six-game losing streak against the Gators in Jimbo Fisher’s first season at the helm. The win and a North Carolina State loss to Maryland on Saturday earned the Seminoles a trip to Charlotte next week to face Virginia Tech for the ACC Championship.

“The big thing was Florida,’’ Fisher said. “This is just a topping to a great day for us.’’

The game started to get away from the Gators on the drive following Rainey’s fumble. Down by three, the Gators faced a fourth-and-five from their 36 when punter Chas Henry took off running on a fake-punt attempt. Henry was stopped a short of the first, turning the ball over on downs.

On the very next play, FSU quarterback Christian Ponder hit Rodney Smith for a 39-yard touchdown pass and a 17-7 Seminoles lead.

Later in the second quarter, the Gators fell behind 24-7 when Ponder connected with Taiwan Easterling for a 15-yard score. Ponder finished 16 of 24 for 221 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile, Florida rushed for 212 yards but managed only 64 yards passing.

The Gators’ offense showed life on its final drive of the first half behind the running of Reed and Rainey. Starting at the 20, Reed carried three times for 29 yards and Rainey twice for 31, moving to FSU’s 20.

After a timeout, Brantley entered the game but his pass was picked off by Seminoles cornerback Michael Harris, ending the threat.

“It’s been tough,’’ Brantley said. “You never hope for a season like this. Things happen, and we’ve stuck together throughout it all.’’

The mood afterward was one of dejection and reflection for the Gators.

After winning a national title in 2008 and being ranked No. 1 most of the regular season in 2009, the 2010 season has been one of new challenges because of the loss of nine players to the NFL and several key injuries.

After a 4-0 start, the Gators lost five of their final eight games, marking the first time in 22 years they have suffered five losses in the regular season.

“It’s been a battle,’’ Meyer said. “Every day is a battle.’’

Despite the uncharacteristic down season, constant questions about the offense’s struggle to execute and the team’s attitude, the players put up a strong front following Saturday’s disappointing loss.

“This one hurts a lot because it comes at the end,’’ receiver Frankie Hammond said. “Losing a game like this makes you want to go back and watch film and see how you can improve.’’

Senior center Mike Pouncey was in physical and emotional pain. Pouncey was hit in the chest in the second half and left the game. He winced as he took a seat at the podium to answer questions from reporters.

After four years in the program, Pouncey understands the expectations that come along playing for the Gators. He knows five losses in the regular season are unacceptable.

But Pouncey remains proud of the way the Gators remained united amid a turbulent season.

“Through all the (adversity), the team kept fighting,’’ Pouncey said. “They could have easily given up, but everybody kept playing hard. Turnovers killed us this game. You hate losing, but through this whole season, we just kept fighting.’’

As for Meyer’s pledge to quickly return the Gators to among the nation’s elite, Pouncey expects it to happen.

“He’s a great coach and he is obviously going to get the right players in,’’ Pouncey said. “He is going to turn this program around fast.’’

How fast?

“The fix starts tomorrow with recruiting,’’ Meyer said.

WBB Wins Dead River Company Classic with 52-43 Victory over Navy

Azania Stewart was named the Most Outstanding Player and Jordan Jones earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team as the pair led Florida’s team effort in its 52-43 victory over Navy in the Dead River Company Classic championship game on Saturday afternoon at Alfond Arena on the University of Maine campus.

South Alabama defeated Maine, 66-55, in the consolation game.

Stewart totaled 24 rebounds during the two-game event, including a career-high 14 during Saturday’s win, while Jones scored 18 points, with 12 coming from beyond the arc in a pair of low scoring victories. Jones, who also was named to the Preseason WNIT All-Tournament Team, has a 3-pointer in nine consecutive games.

Freshman Jaterra Bonds (Gainesville, Fla.) led the Gators with 11 points on Saturday, as she hit 4-of-8 from the floor for Florida, which struggled with its shot for the third consecutive game by connecting on 32.3 percent (20-62).

In spite of the tough shooting night, UF head coach Amanda Butler was pleased the Gators (5-1) were able to come away with the win and earn the tournament title.

“We did what we came here to do and that was win a championship,” Butler said. “We didn’t anticipate it wasn’t going to be a pretty tournament for us, but at the same time, there were a lot of moments when we could have hung our heads and were pretty deep in a rut but still found a way to get ourselves out. I still feel like we put together two games that were tough. When you can win two basketball games and not play your best, then that makes you optimistic about the future.”

Florida held Navy without a field goal for the final 9:02 of the game, closing out the tight contest on a 13-2 run. The game featured 14 lead changes and seven tied scores.

All five of Florida’s games this season have been decided by 10 points or less and the Gators have won the rebounding battle in every game this season, including a 45-33 margin against Navy, which shot just 30.2 percent during the game and 23.8 percent in the second half.

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The Gators won the only other meeting in the series against the Midshipmen, 92-67 on Nov. 21, 1981, and was able to win its second Dead River Company Classic championship, as the Gators captured the 2000 title.

Florida didn’t get the energetic start it was hoping to begin the second half, opening with a quick turnover. The Gators recovered with a defensive stand and managed several offensive opportunities before turning the ball over again.

The first scoring for both teams came from the free throw line, with each hitting one.

Jordan Jones followed Jaterra Bond’s free throw with a three-pointer and gave Florida a four-point lead, its largest of the game to that point, but Cassie Consedine answered right back with one for the Mids, who closed within one point, 29-28, three minutes into the second.

Azania Stewart scored the next three points of the game and helped Florida retake its four-point cushion, 32-28, with 13:47.

Florida seemed to lose its composure along the way and foul trouble became an issue for the first time this season. Lanita Bartley (Jacksonville, Fla.) collected her third personal less than two minutes into the second half, and her replacement, Bonds picked up her fourth with 11:02 remaining in the game.

Bartley would later be whistled for her fourth with 7:54 to go.

She had been on the bench since collecting her third, with Bonds running the offense, but when she picked up her fourth, Bartley entered the game and immediately drove the paint and hit a runner that gave the Gators a 36-35 lead.

Navy came right back with four straight points and took a 39-36 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining.

Deana Allen (Houma, La.) then knocked down a three-pointer from the left corner and tied the game at 39-all, but Consedine answered right back with a long shot with 9:02 remaining and gave the Mids a 41-39 lead.

That, however, would be Navy’s last field goal of the game, as Florida ripped off a game-ending 13-2 run the rest of the way to take the victory.

Jones ignited the final 6:40 of the game, nailing her third three-pointer of the contest. After one Navy free throw, Jaterra Bonds followed with a trey of her own and gave the Gators the momentum, as Florida held a 45-42 lead and forced a shot-clock violation on the other end.

Florida wasn’t able to take advantage and Navy was able to knock down a free throw and was within two points with 3:13 on the clock.

Ndidi Madu (Antoich, Tenn.) came back 14 seconds later with a jumper and Allen added one free throw.

Stewart then knocked down a 15-footer at the 1:27 mark and Bartley polished off the game’s scoring with her driving layup with 54 seconds remaining, as the Gators claimed the win and the tournament title.

Bonds finished with a team-high 11 points, while Stewart contributed nine points and a career-high 14 rebounds, with nine coming on the offensive end.

Jones also tallied nine points, all coming from beyond the arc.

Audrey Bauer led all scorers with 13 points, while Angela Myers added 10 for Navy, which shot just 23.8 percent during the second half, when Florida outscored the Mids 27-19.

The first half was extremely close throughout, with the teams seemingly trading scorers almost every trip down the court. The initial 20 minutes featured 10 lead changes and three tied scores.

Navy managed the largest lead, taking a 24-20 advantage with 4:55 remaining in the half. Fortunately for he Gators, the Mids went cold from the floor and didn’t score again in the period, as Floida’s Jaterra Bonds hit a floater in the lane with 4:09 on the clock and Jordan Jones nailed a three-pointer at the 1:34 mark to end the first half scoring and gave the Gators a slim 25-24 halftime lead.

Those points by Bonds and Jones were the only ones the Gators were able to score consecutively during the first half, as Navy managed a 5-0 spurt twice that gave the Mids the lead on both occasions.

Navy also found its way to the free throw, hitting 6-of-10, while Florida didn’t attempt one, but did connect on 5-of-14 three-pointers, with Jones, Bonds and Lanita Bartley knocking down one and Lily Svete going deep twice.

The usually accurate Azania Stewart struggled with her shot during the opening 20 minutes, missing six of her seven attempts. She did, however, collect five rebounds as Florida held a 20-17 edge in the category. Stewart’s off-night contributed to UF’s 31.3 shooting percentage (10-32) during the opening frame, while the Mids were only slightly better at 36.4 percent (8-22).

Navy scored seven points off of seven Florida turnovers, while the Gators were unable to capitalize on any of the Mids miscues.

The Gators next return to action on Tue., Nov. 30, when the team plays host to Old Dominion (3-1) in the O’Connell Center with tip-off schedule for 7 p.m.

Gators Fall to Seminoles, 31-7

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The University of Florida football team capped its regular season with a 31-7 loss to Florida State in front of 82,324 fans that snapped the Gators’ six-game winning streak in the series and its three-game streak at Doak Campbell Stadium. The Gators led 7-3 early in the second quarter, but were unable to overcome four turnovers as the Seminoles scored 28 unanswered points to take control. Florida’s record dropped to 7-5 on the season and Florida’s record in rivalry games (Tennessee, Georgia, Miami, Florida State) is now 17-2 under head coach Urban Meyer.

Redshirt freshman Andre Debose (Sanford, Fla.) led the Gators with 125 all-purpose yards, including a 62-yard kickoff return that served as the catalyst for Florida’s first quarter touchdown. It is his third game with 125 or more all-purpose yards this season.

The Gators outrushed the Seminoles 212-112, spearheaded by redshirt freshman Jordan Reed (New London, Conn.) who carried the ball 12 times for 74 yards. Redshirt junior Chris Rainey (Lakeland, Fla.) ran for 73 yards, junior Jeffery Demps (Winter Garden, Fla.) chipped in 44 and freshman Trey Burton (Venice, Fla.) added 31 for the Orange and Blue.

Redshirt freshman linebacker Jelani Jenkins (Olney, Md.) led the Florida defense with a game-high nine tackles. It is his fourth game this season with at least eight tackles. Senior defensive end Justin Trattou (Ramsey, N.J.) collected six tackles with two for a loss while senior strong safety Ahmad Black (Lakeland, Fla.) had six tackles and a pass break-up. 

The Gators held Florida State leading rusher Chris Thompson to 42 yards on 17 carries for a 2.5-yard average. He entered the game averaging 7.8 yards a carry.

The Seminoles opened the scoring with a Dustin Hopkins 38-yard field goal on their opening drive. On the ensuing possession, the Gators responded, taking advantage of a 62-yard kickoff return by Debose that set them up at the Florida State 32. Debose’s return was his third this season in excess of 60 yards. Five plays later, redshirt junior quarterback  

John Brantley (Ocala, Fla.) found freshman Robert Clark (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) in the right flat on third-and-11 and Clark turned the short completion into a 20-yard touchdown reception, giving the Gators a 7-3 lead. It was Clark’s first career touchdown catch and it was also his longest reception of the season.

Florida State regained the lead by capitalizing on a second quarter fumble by Rainey, who appeared to be on his way to picking up a first down, when he lost the ball at Florida’s 17-yard line. Seminole running back Lonnie Pryor found the endzone two plays later from nine yards out to put FSU in front 10-7.

On the Gators’ next possession, a Jordan Reed 12-yard run was followed by three plays that left them five yards short of a first down. On fourth down, senior punter Chas Henry (Dallas, Ga.) attempted to run for a first down on a fake punt and was stopped a yard shy of the marker. It was the first time in nine fake punt attempts during Urban Meyer’s tenure that the Gators failed to pick up a first down. Christian Ponder hit Rodney Smith for a 39-yard touchdown on the next play from scrimmage, giving the Seminoles a 17-7 edge.

After a Florida three-and-out the following drive, the Seminoles embarked on a 12-play, 73-yard drive that culminated in a 15-yard strike from Ponder to Taiwan Easterling that extended FSU’s lead to 24-7 that completed the first half scoring.

Coming out of intermission, the Florida offense went three-and-out and Florida State put together a 10-play, 71-yard drive that ended with Ponder’s third touchdown pass—a 29-yarder to Willie Haulstead, as the Seminoles went ahead by 24.

Each team had three scoreless possessions to close out the game.