The Gator women’s basketball team continued Florida’s recent run
of success against Ohio State – this time in the NCAA Tournament played at the
Stroh Center on the campus of Bowling Green State University in front of a
predominantly Buckeye fan base that helped sellout the venue.
Florida took the lead from the start and never relinquished it in
the first meeting between the two schools in women’s basketball, as the Gators
earned the 70-65 victory and advanced to the second round for the eighth time
in program history.
The Gators (20-12) hit nine 3-pointers and outrebounded the
Buckeyes 46-35 in their first trip to March Madness in three seasons.
“Just really, really proud of all aspects of this ball game,
starting out with preparation,” UF head coach Amanda Butler said. “I think that our team
has experienced a lot of emotions this past week from the excitement of being
in (the NCAA Tournament) to then having such a tough draw and then generating
the confidence that they did in practice, you know, which obviously culminated with
today's performance. There was a lot of determination and hustle, which I think
are the defining qualities of this team. I’m just really, really proud of the
way they played for 40 minutes, even some of those minutes didn't go quite so well,
I thought we were resilient and just wouldn't give in or give up and fought the
good fight all the way to the end.”
Nine of the 10 players who appeared in the game scored for
Florida, led by 16 points from Jennifer George (Orlando, Fla.),
including a basket with 45 seconds remaining to put Florida ahead by four,
67-63, after Ohio State trimmed the Gators’ lead to 65-63.
Florida led 39-31 at halftime behind a strong defensive effort and
good ball management. Florida committed just four turnovers in the first 20
minutes while forcing nine. The Gators also hit seven-of-17 3-pointers in the
first half, including a pair from starting guards Jaterra Bonds
(Gainesville, Fla.) and Lanita Bartley (Jacksonville, Fla.).
Bartley finished with 15 points and four rebounds and did a nice
defensive job along with Bonds and senior guard Jordan Jones (Suwanee,
Ga.) on slowing down the Ohio State backcourt of Samantha Prahalis and Tayler
Hill.
Prahalis finished with just nine points, including a scoreless
second half, while Hill scored 23. They entered the game each averaging more
than 20 points, the only teammates in the country who could say that.
The
second half was full of streaks, as OSU began the second half with a 4-0
scoring run, closing the Florida lead to just four at 39-35. Jones opened up
second-half scoring for the Gators with a layup and then found Bartley outside
the arc for a trey, taking a 44-35 lead early in the second half. The Buckeyes
scored five unanswered to close the gap at 44-40.
The
Orange and Blue continued to push, as Bartley had a fastbreak layup and then
found Jones open outside the arc to extend the Gator lead, 49-40. The teams
battled for points, as Allen and Madu each found the basket, 52-43. Ohio State
started to gain momentum again, but Madu hit her first trey of the afternoon –
the sixth different Gator to do so - to stop the run and push Florida ahead,
55-48. A George layup extended the Gator lead back to 10, 59-49, with 7:07
remaining in the game.
The
Buckeyes continued to have an answer on offense, scoring four fast points to
cut the lead to six, 59-53, but the Gators continued to push back, as Allen
answered Adams’ layup with one of her own, 65-57, with just under four to play.
OSU then
began a 6-0 scoring run and held the Gators without a bucket for nearly three
minutes, as UF committed four straight turnovers. A layup by George ended the
drought, 67-63, with 45 seconds remaining in the contest. Two made free throws
by Bonds pushed the Gators ahead, 69-65, but a trey by OSU’s Stokes kept things
interesting as the Buckeyes pulled within four, 69-65, with just 6.7 seconds to
play. Bonds was fouled driving down the lane and made the back end of two free
throws to seal the victory for the Gators.
Jones
was big on the boards, leading the Gators in rebounds (career-high eight) for
the first time this season and just the second time in her Florida career.
The
Gators jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead less than two minutes into the contest,
courtesy of Bonds and George, who combined for all nine of UF’s early points.
Florida
continued to surge, as Bartley hit one of her two first-half treys with 14:23
remaining in the first half, leading 17-9. Ohio State scored five straight,
including a jumper from Prahalis, to pull within three, 17-14. An unexpected
three-pointer from freshman Andrea Vilaró Aragonés (Barcelona, Spain)
put the Gators back out in front, 20-14, and an over-the-shoulder layup by Ndidi
Madu (Antioch, Tenn.) extended the UF advantage to eight, 22-14.
Lily
Svete (Granger,
Ind.) hit a trey of her own off a dish from Bonds and Svete’s defensive board
gave Bartley an opening in the paint, putting the Gators ahead by 10, 27-17.
Bonds
hit a three to give Florida its largest lead of the contest at 30-17, while
Bartley continued her hot streak, nailing a 3-pointer from well beyond the arc
to give the Orange and Blue a 33-21 lead with 4:44 remaining in the half.
After
Bartley’s bucket, the teams traded baskets down the stretch, as both sides went
to fighting for points in the paint after hitting 3-pointers early in the half.
In the first half, Ohio State outscored Florida in the paint, 16-14, while the
Gator bench came out strong, leading the Buckeyes, 10-2.
The
victory over the Buckeyes marked the 20th win of the season, giving the Gators
their 12th 20-win season in program history, as well as the third in five
seasons under UF head coach Amanda Butler, who earned her 98th win for
the Orange and Blue and became the winningest coach in UF history through her
first five years.
Since 2006, the Gators have defeated Ohio State in football twice
– the 2007 BCS National Championship Game and 2012 Gator Bowl – and Florida’s
men’s basketball team defeated Ohio State for the 2007 national title.
The Gators advance to face top-seeded Baylor on Tuesday, with the
time of the contest to be announced on Sunday evening.
