No. 23 Florida's leading scorer, Christinaki, quits team

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) Florida's leading scorer has quit the team.

Sophomore Eleanna Christinaki, who averaged 17.6 points while starting the first nine games of the season, left the 23rd-ranked Gators (7-3) after refusing to accept a suspension. Christinaki and freshman Delicia Washington were suspended for the first half Sunday against North Carolina A&T for what coach Amanda Butler called ''a little discipline from some behavior that is not becoming of a Gator and not part of our culture.''

Washington played the second half in Florida's 67-38 victory at Gulf Coast State College. Butler said Washington handled it ''very maturely, very much like a woman.'' The coach said Christinaki ''quit on her team,'' but that other players dealt with her absence well.

''Our team handled that with just a great deal of pride, a great deal of grace and effort and energy,'' Butler said.

A native of Athens, Greece, Christinaki was named to the All-Southeastern Conference freshman team last season. She was second on the team in scoring and led the Gators in assists and minutes played. Christinaki's bio was quickly removed from the team website.

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