Five
Gators produced a double-figure scoring effort and Florida contained a
dangerous three-point shooting team to earn a 80-63 win against Northern Iowa on
Saturday in the second day of action at the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout
at the South Point Arena in Las Vegas.
The
Gators (5-1) won their third consecutive game by hitting 51.6 percent (33-64)
of its shots from the floor and a steady 10-of-14 from the free throw line. Florida
also limited the Panthers (2-3) to a 31.8 percent (7-22) mark from the
three-point arc and held a 38-30 rebounding edge. The Gators forced 16
turnovers and converted those into 13 points.
Florida
did committed 15 miscues, but UNI managed only four points off them. The Gators
also held a 10-0 margin in fastbreak points.
“I
thought this was a really solid team win,” UF head coach Amanda Butler
said. “There are certainly areas where we have to improve. I thought we could
have done a better job of defending the drive, but all and all we beat a very
good team that poses some unique challenges to us, especially on defense. We
had some spurts when we looked great and other spots that we have to fix. But
again, that’s why you play such a challenging schedule this early in the season
so you can find out what you do well and what you can’t do well yet so you
still have practices to fix it.”
Freshman
Carlie Needles (Highlands Ranch, Col.) scored a team-best 14 points, on
5-of-8 shooting that included a 3-of-6 effort from the three-point arc, while freshman
January Miller (Orlando, Fla.) scored a career-high 12 points, hitting
6-of-8 form the floor and collecting four offensive rebounds.
Senior
Naismith Player of the Year Candidate Jennifer George (Fresno, Calif.)
scored 12 points with five rebounds despite foul trouble for the entire game.
Sophomore Kayla Lewis (Decatur, Ga.) was close to a double-double with
11 points and a team-leading eight rebounds and junior Jaterra Bonds
(Gainesville, Fla.) added 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, while dishing five
assists.
For
the fourth time this season, freshman Sydney Moss (Union, Ky.) flirted
with a triple-double, as she recorded eight points, seven assists and six rebounds
along with four steals.
“I
thought Kayla really stepped up from how she played yesterday (against N.C.
State) and really made some plays in important moments,” Butler praised. “January
Miller gave us some great minutes again today and did a fantastic job on the
boards.”
UNI
scored the first points of the game, but Florida answered with a 9-2 run and
held an early 9-4 lead, as Lily Svete (Granger, Ind.) hit a
three-pointer to begin the Gator scoring, followed by Bond’s layup after a
steal and outlet from Moss and a pair of inside jumpers from George, who picked
up two fouls during the opening 5:32 and went to the bench for the majority of
the half.
The
Panthers regrouped after the media timeout with George on the bench and scored
the next seven points to take an 11-9 lead that forced Florida to call a
timeout to settle, which it did by ripping off a 6-0 run to take a 21-14
advantage.
Jacqui
Kalin halted the run with a three-pointer, but Lewis hit one free throw and
Bonds converted a jumper and Florida regained a seven-point advantage.
UNI
hit two free throws before Mercer canned two for the Gators and Moss collected
a steal after a great defensive stand and went the length of the court for the
layup.
UNI
regrouped with the next four points and was within five, 28-23, with 2:15 to
play in the first half, but that’s the closest it would get for the remaining
of the game, as Miller putback an offensive rebound for her first points of the
game and started a 10-0 run, with the final eight of those points closing out
the first half where the Gators held a 36-23 lead.
The
teams traded basks for the next few minutes of the second half, before the
Gators staged an 8-1 run over the next three minutes and assumed a 50-31 lead
with 14:17 remaining. Lewis scored four points, Bonds two and Vicky
McIntyre (Omaha, Neb.) a field goal, as all nine Gators who dressed for the
game scored.
Florida
never looked back the rest of the contest and maintained a double-figure lead,
increasing their margin by as many as 20 points on three different occasions.
Kalin
led the Panthers with 14 points and three assists.
