Jaterra
Bonds
(Gainesville, Fla.) scored a game-high 18 points and helped the Gators present
their lone senior Jennifer George (Fresno, Calif.) a win in the final
regular-season home game of her career, as Florida defeated Arkansas 69-58 on
Thursday in the O’Connell Center.
The
visiting Razorbacks tied the game with 4:27 remaining in regulation, but UF closed
out the game on a 14-3 run to clinch its second straight victory.
Freshman
Sydney Moss (Union, Ky.) also finished in double-figures, registering 14
points with seven rebounds and six assists, while sophomore Kayla Lewis
(Decatur, Ga.) scored 11 with eight rebounds and a pair of blocks.
George
recorded
her ninth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds, in
addition to three assists, three blocks and two steals.
“I am
happy for so many reasons,” head coach Amanda Butler said. “It seems to
always come down to some big battle between us to settle up seeding and gain
momentum for the next game and the SEC Tournament."
UF finished
29-of-58 from the field, making exactly half of its shots. It marked the best
shooting performance in nearly a month when the Gators shot 58.3 percent from
the field against Alabama on February 3.
Tonight’s
game was Senior Night, marking the team’s final game at the O’Connell Center
for the 2012-13 regular season. UF’s lone senior, George, certainly made
it memorable and was later honored in a postgame ceremony.
“Jennifer
played like a senior, especially down the stretch and really anchored us in the
paint and gave us confidence that whatever was going on, it was going to go
Florida's way,” Butler said. “That's what a senior does, especially in her last
opportunity to play in front of her fans on her home court."
Florida (17-12,
6-9 SEC) began the game a perfect 3-for-3 on its first three attempts from the
field. Two free throws from Bonds gave the Gators an 8-3 at the 15:49 mark of
the opening frame.
With
13:36 remaining in the first half, Arkansas’ Dominique Wilson closed UF’s lead
to 11-8 following a three-pointer. Back-to-back buckets by Moss and Bonds gave
the home team a 15-8 advantage with 13:05 left in the half.
Over the
ensuing minutes, the two teams would exchange baskets. That trend continued
until the visiting Razorbacks went on a 4-0 run, cutting UF’s lead to two
points with 7:57 remaining.
After a
Moss lay-up, Arkansas (17-11, 5-10 SEC) was trailing by one point following a
three pointer by Quistelle Williams. The teams exchanged baskets before a Bonds
old-fashioned three-point play gave the Gators a 28-24 lead with 4:12 left in
the frame. The Gainesville, Fla. native is 11-13 on the additional free throw
on three-point plays this season.
Florida
closed out the half on an 8-0 run, including the Bonds’ three-point play
previously mentioned. Bonds had five of the eight final points of the period,
while the senior George contributed three points on the run. The host team took
a 33-24 lead heading into the locker room.
As a
team, the Gators made half of their shots from the field in the first half. It
marked the team’s best field goal percentage for the opening frame since UF
shot 61.5% from the field against Alabama on February 3.
Bonds
recorded 13 points in the opening frame. The junior was able to record her
team-leading 20th double-figure scoring game this season in just 20 minutes of
play. In her final game at the O’Connell Center, George tallied seven points in
the first half.
A George
basket to open the second half extended the Gators’ run to 10-0. Eventually, a
free throw by Arkansas’ Sarah Watkins would break the UF scoring streak at the
17:42 mark. For a stretch of 7:15 the visiting Razorbacks were held scoreless.
A Kayla
Lewis (Decatur, Ga.) three-point play at the 15:00 mark of the second half
gave the Gators a 40-28 lead. Arkansas would respond with a lay-up and a free
throw on the next two possessions to cut the Florida lead to nine with 14:50
remaining. With shot clock expiring on the ensuing home possession, Bonds let
one fly from beyond the arc to restore UF’s 12-point lead.
Once
again, a Razorbacks lay-up would cut into the lead. A Carlie Needles (Highlands
Ranch, Colo.) three-point bucket would extend the team’s lead to 46-33 with
13:04 left in regulation.
Following
an Arkansas free throw, a Lewis lay-up and Moss free throw would give Florida a
49-34 lead with 11:46 remaining. It marked the team’s largest lead of the game.
In addition, it was UF’s largest lead since they led Alabama by 34 points on
February 3.
The
visiting Razorbacks would not give in though. Arkansas went on a 9-0 run over
the next 2:22. Lewis would break the streak with a lay-up at the 9:13 mark.
After a Razorbacks free throw, she would hit another one to give the host team
a 53-44 edge with just over seven minutes remaining.
Another
Arkansas run would cut the UF hold to 53-51 with 5:14 left in regulation. A
Bonds jumper from just outside the low block would break the streak and give
the Gators a four-point lead with 4:53 left.
In less
than 30 seconds, Arkansas would tie up the game. A Watkins lay-up, Florida
turnover, and Keira Peak lay-up would knot the score at 55-55 at the 4:27 mark.
The
Gators would not let the game stay tied for long. On the following possession,
the rookie Moss hit a driving lay-up to give the home team a 57-55 lead with
3:55 remaining,
Following
a Christin Mercer (Douglasville, Ga.) steal on Arkansas’ next possession,
George, hit a jumper to put Florida back up four.
Arkansas’
Calli Berna would trim the deficit to three with a free throw. George would not
be denied on her night. She hit another shot to put Florida up five. Freshman January
Miller (Orlando, Fla.) then drilled a three-pointer with 1:37 left to give
Florida a 64-56 advantage.
After a
missed shot by the visiting team, Moss gave the Gators a boost the old
fashioned way, as the rookie hit a lay-up, fouled, and made the ensuing free
throw with 55 seconds left in the game.
Arkansas’
Watkins tipped one in to make it a 67-58 game, but Miller put the icing on the
cake for the Gators. UF would break an Arkansas press the next possession and
Miller sank a fast break lay-up with 29 seconds remaining.
