The
University of Florida women’s basketball team regrouped from Sunday’s
heartbreaking setback at Vanderbilt and earned a 61-57 victory against No.
18/15 Georgia in front of a season-best crowd of 3,049 at the Stephen C. O’Connell
Center Sunday afternoon when it was Senior Day.
Junior
forward Jennifer George (Orlando, Fla.) led the Gators in scoring for
the second consecutive game, netting nine of her 15 points and pulling down
five her of six rebounds in the second half when the Gators (17-10, 7-7 SEC) shot
44 percent (11-25) from the floor and outrebounded the Lady Bulldogs (20-7, 9-5
SEC) by seven. Lanita Bartley (Jacksonville, Fla.) added 11 points and
four rebounds to the mix, as she converted 9-of-10 free throws, including all
four attempts from the line in the final eight seconds to seal the victory.
Freshman Andrea Vilaró Aragonés (Barcelona, Spain) chipped in a
career-best 10 points off the bench, while pulling down a career-high-tying
four rebounds.
The
Gators were coming off a tough six-point loss at No. 24 Vanderbilt, when the
Commodores tossed in a wild three-point shot at the buzzer that sent the game
into overtime, while it was discovered too late that 14 seconds had not run off
the clock during the final 75 seconds of regulation.
“Obviously
I’m just really, really proud and happy for our team,” said UF head coach Amanda
Butler, who won her 95th game on the Gator sideline. “One of the things we
talked about a lot was that we were prepared for this game. What we talked
about, even after our disappointment the other day (Thursday’s loss at
Vanderbilt), was that they get what they deserve and that is absolutely what
happened today. This team and in particular, these seniors, got what they
deserved. When you look at this game statistically, I think that’s who we are:
the way we shot the ball, winning the rebounding battle, the consistency and
balance and all those kids of things. The most important part of that, the part
that I’m most proud of is that they made that happen.
“A
lesser team would have folded under what we have experienced in the past two
days and coming off the disappointment we have,” Butler continued. “It’s
fitting. It’s also that we had a great opportunity against a team like Georgia
and that brings the attention to this team that they deserve.”
Each
of the last seven meetings between the two teams has been decided by single
digits and Sunday’s contest was every bit as intense, featuring 15 lead changes
and nine tied scores.
After
Khaalidah Miller’s jumper game Georgia a six-point lead – it’s largest of the
game – with 3:33 remaining in the first half, Florida answered with the final
eight points of the half and took a 27-25 lead entering the locker room.
Jordan
Jones
(Suwanee, Ga.), one of five Gator seniors who were honored in a postgame
ceremony, began the second half with a three-pointer and gave Florida what
would be its biggest lead of the game, 30-25, with 19:32 remaining.
From
there, it was a possession-by-possession game and the lead changed hands eight
times and score was tied on six occasions.
In
what was her best offensive game of her young career, Vilaró Aragonés drained
a three-pointer with 9:39 remaining and extended Florida’s lead to four, 46-42.
Georgia,
which had entered the game on a four-game win streak, scored the next four
points and tied the game for the ninth game. Jones nailed her second trey of
the half and kept the Gators in the lead, but the Bulldogs came right back and
eventually tied the score at 51 with 6:29 remaining.
Bartley
added a layup and swung the lead back in Florida’s favor, but Jamine Hassell
followed with a jumper and another lead change, 54-53, with 2:47 on the clock.
George
countered with a jumper in the paint and gave the Gators a 55-54 lead and added
another 1:20 later that put Florida ahead by three with 1:09 remaining.
Georgia
missed on its ensuing offensive possession and George hauled in the miss for
her team-leading sixth rebound of the game, helping Florida outrebound the
Bulldogs, 42-32.
Georgia
wasn’t able to connect on another shot and was forced to foul Bartley with
eight seconds remaining the Gators holding a three-point lead. The Gator senior
calmly nailed both, before Meredith Mitchell sank a three-pointer for the
Dawgs, who were back within two with four ticks left. Bartley again was fouled
and made both ends of the one-and-one to give Florida a four-point lead and
seal the victory.
The
Bulldogs were led by Jasmine James’ 15 points, while Anne Marie Armstrong added
12 points and a game-high seven rebounds.
