The University of Florida women’s basketball team was less than a second away from upsetting DePaul, but dropped a hard-fought 74-73 decision in the semifinals of the Preseason Women’s NIT played at McGrath Arena in front of 2,520.
Kayla Lewis’ (Decatur, Ga.) tip-in at the buzzer was ruled to have come after the horn sounded and since there wasn’t an official monitor for the referees to review, the game ended and the Gators (2-1) came up short of snapping the Blue Demon’s 58-game home-winning streak against non-conference opponents.
DePaul star Keisha Hampton made one free throw with 1:21 and tied the game at 73. Florida didn’t help itself on the ensuing offensive possession and turned the ball over. The Blue Demons then had two offensive rebounds with its next chance and didn’t convert a field goal, but Hampton found her way to the line, where she made one of two and gave the hosts a 74-73 lead with six seconds remaining.
Florida’s Lanita Bartley (Jacksonville, Fla.) dribbled the length of the court and was fouled within six feet of the basket. Unfortunately for the Gators, the officials didn’t rule that she was shooting when she was fouled and since that was just DePaul’s fifth foul of the half, Bartley wouldn’t get a chance at the free throw line with 0.6 on the clock. Jordan Jones’ (Suwanee, Ga.) toss from the baseline to Lewis was perfect, but the shot took just a hair too long and the bucket was waved off.
“I’m very, very proud of my team and how they responded to the adversity at the end of the game, how they battled and competed and put themselves in the position that they did to win the game,” UF head coach Amanda Butler said. “We’ll learn from this, get better and improve. We’ll take a lot of confidence from what we were almost able to complete tonight because I think DePaul is a very, very good team.
“DePaul is an NCAA Tournament team and I think we’re an NCAA Tournament team,” Butler said of the Blue Demons who are unofficially ranked No. 26 in the Associated Press poll. “Playing a team like DePaul will help us learn how to be an NCAA team. I have to credit DePaul for its fight. I was really, really proud of how our team executed in the last six seconds of the game. I couldn’t ask of anything more from them.”
The Blue Demons advance to Sunday’s WNIT championship game, where they play Purdue, which defeated South Dakota State, 73-40, in its semifinal contest in West Lafayette.
The Gators conclude their participation it he Preseason WNIT and return to Gainesville, where they next play host to North Florida on Tues., Nov. 23 in the O’Connell Center. The game, which is a doubleheader with UF’s men’s team, will tip-off at 4:30 p.m.
Tickets for the women’s game can be purchased at the Gator Ticket Office or on game day at the O’Connell Center ticket window beginning at 3:30 p.m. until halftime of the game: $5 for reserved seats; $4 for adult general admission; $2 for youth 17 and under and FREE for UF and Santa Fe students.
Florida (2-1) was its own worst enemy to begin the second half, committing three quick turnovers, as DePaul went on a 8-2 run and take its first lead of the game. The Gators called a timeout, but racked up more miscues – seven within the first 4:31 of the second half.
Jones gave the Gators some life with a three-pointer from the left corner that tied the game at 50-all, but Maureen Mulchrone canned one for the hosts and UF trailed again by three.
The Gators refused to let down, and put together a 6-0 swing that gave them a 56-53 lead, as Azania Stewart (Wood Green, England), Brittany Shine (Sacramento, Calif.) and Jennifer George (Orlando, Fla.) each tallied scores. The teams traded buckets for the next few minutes and with UF holding a one-point lead, put together another 6-0 run and held a 66-59 lead with 8:27 remaining.
DePaul then staged what proved to be a game-changing march, scoring eight straight points during the next minute and a half to take a 70-69 advantage with 5:13 on the clock.
Bartley hit a jumper to put the Gators back in the lead, before Felicia Chester hit one of two free throws and the game was tied for the fourth time.
Lewis calmed nailed a three-pointer with 3:14 remaining that gave UF another lead, but a DePaul jumper and one free throw by Hampton with 1:21 on the clock set up the final game series.
Jones led four Gators in double-figures with 14 points, as she converted 4-of-9 three-pointers. Stewart was one rebound shy of her second consecutive double-double, adding 10 points and nine rebounds. Lewis tallied 10 points and seven rebounds, while Bartley added 10 points and a game-high six assists with a pair of steals for Florida, which shot 46.8 percent from the floor and held a 40-31 rebound advantage, but committed 24 turnovers.
Hamptons finished with a game-high 19 points, converting 8-of-10 from the free throw line, while Sam Quigley and Anna Martin both tallied 16 points for DePaul, which won its last 119 games at home by an average of 20.2 points.
Both teams ripped out of the gate, as the Gators assumed a quick 10-2 lead and were hitting 77.8 percent of their shots by the first media timeout, holding a 17-10 lead. The Blue Demons were almost as efficient, knocking down 57.1 percent on 4-of-7 from the floor that included a pair of three-pointers.
Florida cooled off, however, and DePaul continued its current pace, marching off a 6-0 run to cut the Gator lead to one, 17-16. Azania Stewart’s offensive putback ended the streak, before the Blue Demons hit a runner in the paint to again get within one.
Jaterra Bonds (Gainesville, Fla.) then nailed back-to-back three-pointers both from the right side and the teams traded duces with Florida holding a 27-20 lead.
DePaul staged a 7-0 run and tied the game with a transition layup with just over eight minutes left in the opening half, forcing the Gators to call a timeout.
Florida steadied itself, as Lewis connected on a 10-foot jumper from the left side and Stewart converted a pair of free throws.
Hampton answered with a three-pointer for the Blue Demons, as the teams again traded scored over the next two and half minutes, capped by Jones’ third three-pointer of the period that gave UF a 38-33 lead with 3:33 on the clock.
Hampton provided two from the line and Anna Martin’s layup brought the home team within one, 38-37, with 3:01 to go.
Junior newcomer Deana Allen (Houma, La.) halted DePaul’s mini-run with a 6-foot bank shot after a tough pass from Bartley. Hampton canned another trey for her 15th point of the half and tied the game with 2:07 left in the half.
Allen struck again with a layup with 31 seconds remaining and Lily Svete (Granger, Ind.) worked the Gators’ final possession to perfection, nailing a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer that gave Florida a 45-40 lead entering the locker room.
Florida’s improved toward the end of the first half, as the Gators hit 51.4 percent from the floor, hitting 6-of-12 from the three-point arc.
Jones led the way with 11 points, canning three treys, as nine different Gators got into the scoring column. Florida also dominated the boards, holding a commanding 21-12 lead, with another balanced effort, as Stewart and Svete collected a team-best four. Lanita Bartley dished six assists with just two turnovers in the opening half, as Florida did turn the ball over 14 times.
