Florida at Vanderbilt

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Interstat) — The surging Vanderbilt Commodores look to rebound from a rare setback when they host the struggling Florida Gators in a Southeastern Conference women’s basketball matchup Sunday at Memorial Gymnasium.

Vanderbilt (20-2, 7-2 SEC) saw a seven-game winning streak snapped in an 83-75 road loss to Mississippi on Friday. Prior to that, their only defeat was a 103-74 rout at top-ranked South Carolina on Jan. 25. The Commodores have been dominant at home, winning all 10 contests in Nashville this season by an average margin of 36.2 points.

They are led by standout guard Mikayla Blakes, who is averaging 24.4 points over her last seven games. She erupted for 38 points and seven assists in a win at Mississippi State on Jan. 15 and scored 32 in a victory over LSU on Jan. 4.

Florida (13-10, 2-7) arrives mired in a slump, having lost six of its last seven games. The Gators are coming off an 88-68 home loss to Texas on Thursday. Their conference wins came against Missouri and at Kentucky.

The Gators will rely on forward Me’Arah O’Neal, who scored 17 points against Texas and had a 23-point outing at Kentucky. However, consistency has been an issue, as she was held to just three points in a loss at LSU on Jan. 26.

Vanderbilt won both meetings last season, including a 72-69 victory in Gainesville. The Commodores’ high-powered offense, averaging 84.2 points per game, will test a Florida defense that has allowed 80.2 points per game during its 1-6 skid.

Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. EST Sunday.