Gators Women’s Basketball: Senior Night Soured with Loss to Georgia

Florida women’s basketball finished its 2019 home schedule with a loss. The Georgia Bulldogs beat the Gators 69-57 on Senior Night. The team’s record in the O’Connell Center fell to 6-9 and its overall record fell to 6-22.

Game Recap

Georgia started things off strong, outscoring the Gators 20-8 in the first frame. However, in the second, third, and fourth quarters, the rival schools each put up 49 points.

Florida looked poised to take the night in the fourth quarter when Danielle Rainey went on a run to bring the Gators to within seven. That seven-point margin would last to about the 1:30 mark. Then, the Bulldogs went on an 8-3 run of their own to close out the night.

However, there was a silver lining for the Gators as red shirt junior Zada Williams had herself a career night. Williams shot 10-of-14 from the floor and put up 21 points in the loss. This game was her 11th this season in double-digit scoring.

Senior Showout

Red shirt senior Funda Nakkasoglu played her last game in a Gator jersey at home and she let the crowd know it. Nakkasoglu added 14 points in the loss, which is the 96th time the guard scored in double-figures in her career. The Australia native now has 1,993 career points, as well. If Nakkasoglu scores 2,000 career points, she will join a small group of Gator women’s basketball greats.

Coach Cam Newbauer had nothing but praise for the red shirt senior, saying “It’s hard to do what she has done in two years while at Florida. It’s superb and she’s done exactly what we’ve asked of her.”

Next Up

The Gators will finish out the regular season on the road against Vanderbilt. Florida might be in the running to pick up its first away win of the season, as Vanderbilt’s overall record is 7-21.

While UF may not punch a ticket to the NCAA Tournament, the team is getting ready for the upcoming SEC Tournament. Florida will play in the first round, which begins on March 6.