This, That, & More on a Thursday:
This, That, & More on a Thursday:
UCF 67, Florida 49 Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center | Gainesville, Fla. NIT 1st Round Records: Florida 16-17 (9-9 SEC) | UCF 19-14 (8-10 American)
Notable
* Riley Kugel led Florida with 13 points and shot 3-for-6 from 3-point range and averaged 17.3 points over the final 10 games of the season.
* Kugel's 10-game double-figure streak to end the season tied Bradley Beal (2011-12) for the longest such streak by a Florida freshman this century.
* Kugel converted his first career four-point play and the first by the Gators this season.
* Will Richard grabbed a team-leading seven rebounds and added a pair of steals.
Head Coach Todd Golden On the turnovers...
"I thought our ball security was really bad, especially in the first half, and I thought that was what really set us back in a big way. Got off to a good start, but stopped taking care of the ball, allowed them to get some runouts and easy baskets. We were up 9-2, and then they were up 22-12, so a 20-3 run right there. I think a lot of it was spurred by those turnovers. Ball security has been an area that we've been elite in all year. It's given us a chance really every game that we've been in, for the most part, but tonight we had 13 in the first half and (were) just really uncharacteristic that way. That was the biggest thing early on, I thought that was an issue for us."
On what UCF's defense did that forced the turnovers...
"The ball screen coverage was bothering us, their hard shows, and it bothered us in the first half against Ole Miss, also. We did a better job in the second half of that game. But that got us playing on our heels, and I think a couple of those turnovers were given to (Kyle) Lofton that, a couple of them were him trying to hit the roller and us just not being able to come up with the basketball. Obviously, Kyle is a guy that we usually come in here and it's reversed and he has five assists and one turnover. Tonight, (that) obviously wasn't the case, and I think that was a big reason as to why we weren't very good. But their pressure on the perimeter and the way they stretched things out on screens bothered us...Credit to them in that regard. We were preparing for it, prepared for it, just didn't attack it very well."
On the team's energy...
"I thought our energy was OK - especially, we're pressing, trying to speed up the game a little bit - but not to the standard that we expect, necessarily. These games in the postseason, you know, you have a goal of making the NCAA Tournament for so long and it's something that you're focusing on and talking about. Obviously, when that doesn't happen, you have to find a way to rally. The way that we discussed it, the way we talked to our team about it was, any opportunity you get to play postseason, an opportunity like this, you can't take it for granted. I just didn't think we had our best tonight. This group has done a really good job since Colin's injury of rallying and competing and finding a way. I thought we did a really good job of that the last two weeks. We didn't do as good of a job tonight."
Freshman G Riley Kugel On the game...
"We just got out-competed. Not much to it, we were just out-competed."
On the turnovers...
"I don't really think it is 100% them causing it, it is half our fault. We just didn't come out how we were supposed to so that led to lazy passing and lazy dribbling. We just weren't there all the way today."
On getting excited for this game...
"I just treated it like a regular game. I didn't really think or dwell on the past or what happened in the past. For me personally I just felt like it was a regular game."
On the offseason and how they plan on approaching it...
"Compete and get after it. Go all out."
On playing against Taylor Hendricks...
"That's my boy. We have played against each other a couple of times in AAU. I always know he is a great player. I speak highly of him."
On Taylor Hendricks game...
"He is just amazing. Coming from two high school teams, playing against each other, and now he's top-20, top-15. It's just crazy, and he has a bright future ahead."
Sophomore G Will Richard On what contributes to coming out flat...
"Energy. Everybody has to be locked in and come out ready to play and I just felt like we didn't have it tonight."
On if there was a time they felt like this may not be their night...
"No, I wouldn't say that. We had a good shootaround this morning. I feel like we started out the game, the first two minutes we started off hot and that just died down and it went downhill from there."
On the offseason and how they plan on approaching it...
"Just attacking it hard, knowing that they are going to rely on us a lot next year. So just making sure we are leading and working hard every day. Getting each other better and making sure we set the tone."
On CJ Kelly...
"On the close outs we weren't hard enough on him. I feel like we let him get comfortable early on in the game. He had a good rhythm going on the rest of the game and we just didn't disrupt him enough."
No. 8 Gators Cruise Past Bison with Run-Rule Win
Rylee Trlicek hurled a perfect three innings as tonight's starter, while Skylar Wallace, Charla Echols and Olivia Gigante tallied multi-hit games against Bucknell.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The eighth-ranked Florida softball team downed Bucknell, 8-0 (6 innings), in a midweek contest Wednesday evening at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium.
The Gators (20-4) reached the 20-win mark behind solid pitching performances from Rylee Trlicek, Samantha Bender (1-0) and Olivia Gigante. Trlicek received the start in the circle and hurled a perfect three innings with five strikeouts before she gave way to Bender, who pitched the most effectively in relief for two innings, and then was relieved by Gigante for the final frame of action. Overall, the trio of pitchers held the Bison (7-14) scoreless for the one-hit, run-rule victory on just 59 combined pitches. It's also the fourth one-hitter of the season for the Orange & Blue. Offensively, Florida was consistent at the plate as the team produced 11 hits in the game. Leading the way was Skylar Wallace (2-for-3), Charla Echols (2-for-4) and Olivia Gigante (2-for-4), while Kendra Falby, Reagan Walsh, Sam Roe, Avery Goelz and Katie Kistler each tallied a hit in the game.
The Gators opened up the scoring in the 1st inning of action thanks to a one-out double by Wallace, which was then followed by Echols' RBI single up the middle. Walsh stretched out the lead to 2-0 later in the frame with her infield single to first that drove home Echols.
Florida scored two more runs in the 3rd inning to take a 4-0 lead over Bucknell. The rally started when Wallace drilled her sixth home run of the year to lead off the inning and Goelz expanded UF's lead via an RBI single up the middle that scored Trlicek, who pinch-ran out of the flex position for Gigante.
Two more runs were added to the Gators tally in the 4th inning to push the lead out to 6-0. Kistler led the frame with her second triple of the season and was brought home on Falby's fifth double of the year. Wallace notched another RBI when she plated Falby via an RBI groundout to second.
The Orange & Blue concluded the scoring in the bottom of the 6th inning for the run-rule victory. Wallace drew a one-out RBI walk to put a runner on for Echols, which set the table for her 37th RBI of the year when she smashed a double to right center field. Roe produced the game-ending hit later in the inning with a RBI double down the left field line that would score Echols from second base.
Florida now sets its sights on Southeastern Conference play as the team welcomes Missouri to Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium for a three-game series.
Notables:
* The Gators run-rule victory in six innings against Bucknell was the 15th run-rule victory of the year. The Orange & Blue's shutout was also the 10th of the year.
* Florida has outscored opponents 206-47 on the year and is averaging 8.58 runs per game.
* UF tallied 11 hits in tonight's game, which is the 13th time this season the offense has produced 10 or more hits in a game.
* Senior Rylee Trlicek received the start in the circle and hurled a perfect three innings on just 31 pitches.
* The Hallettsville, Texas native also struck out a season-high five Bison in the effort.
* Skylar Wallace went 2-for-3 in tonight's game with a home run and a double.
* The Woodstock, Ga. native has reached base safely over the last 20 games.
* Charla Echols extended her hit-streak out to nine games after she went 2-for-4 at the plate.
* The Newnan, Ga. native also extended her reached base safely streak out to 11 games.
* Olivia Gigante went 2-for-4 tonight for her second multi-hit game of her career.
Gator Women Earn All-American Honors on First Night of NCAAs. Nikonova, Bates, Mathieu, Cronk finish sixth in the 800 free relay
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The No. 6 Florida Gators swimming and diving team of Ekaterina Nikonova, Talia Bates, Tylor Mathieu, and Micayla Cronk started off the 2023 Women's NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships with a sixth-place finish, clocking a 6:57.22 in the 800 free relay to earn All-American status and 26 points following the opening night.
The time of 6:57.22 was just off the second-fastest time in program history that the same relay team put forth at last year's NCAA Championships (6:56.96).
Cronk's anchor split of 1:43.53 was the fastest split of the evening for Florida, pushing the Gators past Indiana for sixth. Nikonova started off the race with a 1:43.83, followed by Bates at 1:44.38, and Mathieu's third leg of 1:45.98.
Florida's 200 medley relay team of Aris Runnels, Nina Kucheran, Olivia Peoples and Katie Mack were disqualified following an early start. The team's 1:35.25 would've put them ninth.
The Gators will dive into individual events during tomorrow's preliminary session, starting at 10 a.m. Anna Auld, Tylor Mathieu, Hayden Miller, Emma Weyant and Mabel Zavaros will all compete in the first race of the morning, the 500 free.
Zoe Dixon and Kathleen Golding will swim in the 200 IM, followed by appearances from Cronk and Mack in the 50 free.
Maha Amer will compete in the 1-meter springboard following the swim events. Amer claimed silver in the event at last month's SEC Championships.
Both sessions, and every session for the rest of the 2023 Women's NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, will be streamed on ESPN+.
Thursday - Prelims at 10 a.m. | Finals at 6 p.m.
500 Free 200 IM 50 Free 1-Meter Diving 200 Free Relay
Friday - Prelims at 10 a.m. | Finals at 6 p.m. 400 IM 100 Fly 200 Free 100 Breast 100 Back 3-Meter Diving 400 Medley Relay
Saturday - Prelims at 10 a.m. | Finals at 6 p.m. 200 Back 100 Free 200 Breast 200 Fly Platform Diving 400 Free Relay