Sports | Basketball - The Independent Florida Alligator

Haley Lorenzen ended the game with 14 points on 55 percent shooting from the field, but could not come up with a bucket late in Thursday night's against Alabama.

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Florida drops to 0-2 in SEC play following close loss to ‘Bama

By Morgan McMullen | Jan. 4, 2018

Florida forward Haley Lorenzen called for the ball with just over five minutes left in the game. After setting a screen for a streaking teammate, Lorenzen posted up Alabama’s Ashley Williams, boxing her out beneath the basket before snatching an inlet pass from teammate Delicia Washington with both hands. She raised up for the layup, was fouled by Williams and ultimately landed a pair of late free throws to go up by two.

Egor Koulechov went 5-of-6 from three-point range and led the Gators with 19 points against the Aggies in College Station, Texas, Tuesday night.

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Gators beat Aggies behind barrage of three-point shots

By Andrew Huang | Jan. 2, 2018

Florida center Kevarrius Hayes threw down an emphatic putback slam after guard Egor Koulechov botched a layup attempt, sending the Gators’ bench to its feet and disappointed Aggies fans out of Reed Arena.

“They started to chip away at (the lead) and we started to collapse and cave in,” Florida coach Cameron Newbauer said after Florida's 84-55 loss to Auburn. "“We’ve just got to have more of a resolve about ourselves and someone has to pick us up.”

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Gators second half meltdown leads to first SEC loss of season

By Justin Ahlum | Dec. 31, 2017

With under four minutes left in the second quarter, Florida guard Funda Nakkasoglu was sent to the charity stripe for a pair of free throws. After Nakkasoglu buried one of her two attempts, the Gators slowly watched their eight-point lead slip away at the end of the half and went into the break ahead by one.

Florida guard Chris Chiozza scored 17 points in Florida’s 81-74 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday to open SEC play.

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Gators stave off late comeback from Vanderbilt to win SEC opener

By Jake Dreilinger | Dec. 30, 2017

With the Gators leading by four points with 43 seconds left in the game, Florida guard Chris Chiozza drove past Vanderbilt forward Clevon Brown from the top of the three-point line and converted a contested layup to seal the victory for UF.

Florida forward Haley Lorenzen scored 18 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in Florida's 85-51 victory over Delaware State on Wednesday.

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Florida thrashes Delaware State behind big day from Lorenzen

By Morgan McMullen | Dec. 27, 2017

With the final seconds winding down and the game well in hand, Florida guard Tameria Johnson ran down a Delaware State fast break attempt and poked the ball away. As she took it across half court, coach Cameron Newbauer signaled his offense to run one more play. But Johnson, looking over to her bench, lost the handle and was called for a backcourt violation. The freshman laughed it off, shook her head and jogged back for the final defensive possession of the afternoon.

Florida guard Chris Chiozza recorded 16 points, four assists, four steals and no turnovers on Friday in UF's 75-60 win over Incarnate Word at the O'Connell Center.

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Florida edges past Incarnate Word behind play of Chris Chiozza

By Skyler Lebron | Dec. 22, 2017

Chris Chiozza stripped the ball from Incarnate Word guard Keaton Hervey, spun to his left and fired a pass to teammate KeVaughn Allen.

Florida guard Paulina Hersler scored a game-high 19 points on Thursday to lead the Gators to a 71-51 win over Saint Joseph's at the O'Connell Center.

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Hersler leads Gators over Saint Joseph’s on Thursday

By Justin Ahlum | Dec. 21, 2017

With two and a half minutes left in the fourth quarter, Florida guard Paulina Hersler received a pass at the top of the key. She stepped back, jumped up and drained the three-pointer, giving the Gators a 24-point advantage, their largest lead of the contest.

Florida guard Chris Chiozza recorded 19 points, seven assists and three steals in UF's 72-63 win over James Madison on Wednesday at the O'Connell Center.

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Chiozza’s performance helps Florida defeat James Madison on Wednesday

By Jake Dreilinger | Dec. 20, 2017

Chris Chiozza stole the ball from a James Madison guard late in the first half, sprinted down the court and scored an uncontested layup.

Florida women's basketball coach Cameron Newbauer wasn't happy with his team after it recorded just two assists in the second half of its five-point loss to Chattanooga on Wednesday. "Playing all individual, selfish, one-on-one basketball," he said.

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Gators lose to Chattanooga following ‘selfish’ second-half play

By Morgan McMullen | Dec. 20, 2017

Dyandria Anderson hadn’t scored all game. Undeterred, the Florida guard drove down the right side of the court. With the Gators down by three and just under five minutes remaining in the contest, Anderson lurched hard into a trailing defender and drained a layup while drawing a foul. She then swished the free throw and tied the game up at 55 apiece.

Jalen Hudson scored 22 points on 7-of-18 shooting in the Gators' 71-69 loss to Clemson on Saturday in Sunrise, Florida.

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Despite 22 points from Hudson, Gators fall to Tigers in Orange Bowl Classic, 71-69

By Jake Dreilinger | Dec. 16, 2017

As a three-point jumper from Florida guard KeVaughn Allen clanked off the side of the rim, Clemson forward Elijah Thomas started sprinting down the court.

Florida guard Funda Nakkasoglu scored 17 points in Florida's 74-69 victory over Marshall on Sunday at the O'Connell Center.

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Gators hold off Marshall at home in five-point win

By Justin Ahlum | Dec. 10, 2017

With less than three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Florida guard Dyandria Anderson stopped her dribble and launched a cross court pass to teammate Funda Nakkasoglu. Nakkasoglu caught the ball, launched a three from the corner of the court and watched it fall through the bottom of the net.

Florida guard Chris Chiozza scored 15 points on Saturday in Florida's 66-60 win over Cincinnati at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

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No. 5 Florida outlasts No. 17 Cincinnati to snap losing spell

By Skyler Lebron | Dec. 9, 2017

Chris Chiozza signaled for his teammates to move away from the right side of the court with the game tied at 60.

Florida guard Jalen Hudson scored a season-low nine points in Florida's 65-59 loss to Loyola-Chicago on Wednesday. "This is as low as we can get," Hudson said.

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Sloppy play leads to third straight loss for No. 5 Gators

By Skyler Lebron | Dec. 6, 2017

Trailing by two with less than a minute remaining in the game, KeVaughn Allen drove down the court. The junior guard galloped to the right side of the lane, throwing up a layup that was tightly contested by a Loyola-Chicago defender.

Florida women's basketball coach Cameron Newbauer wasn't pleased with his team's high volume of turnovers in its 103-77 loss to No. 12 Ohio State on Wednesday. "Selfish basketball," he said. "It really bit us in the tail and then the wheels fell off."

SPORTS | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Florida falls to Buckeyes by 26 on Wednesday

By Justin Ahlum | Dec. 6, 2017

Halfway through the third quarter, Florida’s women’s basketball team felt momentum shifting in its favor.

Following Florida's 83-66 loss to FSU Monday night in the O'Connell Center, Mike White said the Gators struggled in transition defense, limiting turnovers and rebounding.

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After being bullied by FSU, Gators can bounce back tonight

By Jake Dreilinger | Dec. 5, 2017

Mike White sat silently in front of reporters Monday night, ruminating in disappointment.

Florida guard Dyandria Anderson, who set a new career high in points against Oklahoma, said while she and her teammates enjoyed arguably their best win of the season, they need to retain the lessons learned from it. “We can’t just forget about them," Anderson said.

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Gators look to win fourth in a row tonight vs. Ohio State

By Morgan McMullen | Dec. 5, 2017

On Sunday night, the Gators (5-3) celebrated their second road win of the year the same way as their first.

The freshman tandem of Mike Okauru and Deaundrae Ballard combined for 11 points and 10 rebounds in 31 valuable minutes of action during Florida's 83-66 loss against FSU on Monday in the O'Connell Center.

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Freshman guards lone bright spot in Florida’s loss

By Skyler Lebron | Dec. 4, 2017

Freshman guard Mike Okauru received an inbounds pass 15 minutes into the first half and immediately knew what to do with the ball.

Both Florida and FSU were called for a plethora of fouls in the first half — 22 to be exact — in the Gators’ 83-66 loss to their in-state rival on Monday night. Centers Kevarrius Hayes and Gorjok Gak couldn't create a presence under the basket, collected a combined six rebounds.

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'The epitome of soft': Gators fall to FSU for fourth consecutive year

By Jake Dreilinger | Dec. 4, 2017

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 led the team in rebounding during the 2017-18 season

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Column: The Gators were humiliated by Florida State — and that’s exactly what they needed.

By Matt Brannon | Dec. 4, 2017

Egor Koulechov’s tone of voice matched the way Florida played in an 83-66 home loss: soft.

Senior guard Dyandria Anderson led all scorers with a career-high 29 points on 8-of-11 shooting while going 6-of-7 from behind the arc in Florida's 80-61 win over Oklahoma on Sunday at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

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Gators dominate Sooners in biggest win of Newbauer era

By Justin Ahlum | Dec. 3, 2017

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).