Neiron Ball Named Finalist for Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion Award

Redshirt sophomore linebacker Neiron Ball (Jackson, Ga.) has been named one of seven finalists for the Uplifting Athletes Rare Disease Champion Award, announced by the organization on Monday. 

Ball returned to the field this season after being diagnosed with a rare condition known as arteriorvenous malformation (AVM) in the spring of 2010. AVM is a condition where blood vessels in the brain become tangled and rupture.  Ball underwent numerous surgeries and a lengthy recovery but overcame the odds as he played in 11 games for the Gators in 2012, making two starts. He recorded 10 tackles, 0.5 sacks, an interception, pass breakup, two quarterback hits and recovered two fumbles.

The award is presented annually to recognize a leader in the world of college football who has realized his or her potential to make a positive and lasting impact on the rare disease community.  More than 30-million Americans are affected by rare diseases.

The 5th annual award winner will be determined by an online vote beginning Monday, January 7th and ending January 31st at 11:59 p.m. EST. The 2013 Champion will be announced February 1st.  The winner will be presented the Rare Disease.  To read about each finalist’s personal story and connection to the rare disease community, as well as to cast your vote for this year’s champion, log onto: www.upliftingathletes.org/vote. 

UF basketball up to No. 11

Florida moved up two spots to No. 11 in the latest Associated Press’ college basketball poll Monday.

The Gators (10-2) host Georgia on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the SEC opener and are expected to be without senior forward Erik Murphy (12.1 points, 4.7 rebounds per game), the team’s second-leading scorer. Murphy has a painful rib injury that kept him out of Sunday’s win at Yale.

Meanwhile, unbeaten Duke and Michigan hold the top two spots in for the fourth straight week.

Duke received 62 first-place votes Monday from the 65-member national media panel, with Michigan getting the other three.

Louisville overtook unbeaten Arizona to be ranked third. Completing the top 10 are Indiana, Kansas, Syracuse, Minnesota, Gonzaga and Missouri.

 
No. 23 Wichita State and No. 24 UNLV are back in the rankings. Oklahoma State and Pittsburgh dropped out from last week. Wyoming, the other unbeaten Division I school, remains unranked.

Jenkins jumping to NFL

Much to the surprise of the Gators coaching staff, linebacker Jelani Jenkins has decided to leave Florida early for a chance at the NFL, a source close to the football team has confirmed.

Jenkins missed two games with a broken thumb this year and also was out for the Sugar Bowl after having surgery on his foot. Despite being told by the NFL he will not be selected in the first three rounds of the draft, Jenkins chose to put his name into the mix.

He joins Matt Elam, Sharrif Floyd and Jordan Reed as players who are entering the NFL Draft as juniors. Reed, ironically enough, was benched during the Sugar Bowl because of a lack of hustle, according to a source.

Defensive tackle Dominique Easley, who said at the Sugar Bowl he would have a decision to make, has told coaches he plans to stay at UF.

UF women rally past visiting LSU

UF overcame a nine-point, second-half deficit as well as the loss of senior star Jennifer George to injury to post a thrilling 77-72 victory over visiting LSU before a season-high crowd of 1,575 Sunday at the O'Connell Center.

The win, Florida's 15th in a row at home and seventh straight Southeastern Conference victory in the O-Dome dating back to last season, improved head coach Amanda Butler's squad to 12-4, 1-1 while the Tigers slipped to 10-5, 1-1.

“I think we beat a very good team; that's the first thing I'd like to make real clear,” said Butler, who picked up career win No. 150 as well as win No. 110 at UF.

“LSU has a great squad and is a postseason team. It was important for us to get them here and take care of our business on our own court.”

The Gators came out strong, with George scoring the first seven points of the game as UF streaked to an early 10-2 lead, but the Tigers rallied behind the play of senior guard Bianca Lutley from Pensacola and 6-foot-5 junior center Theresa Plaisance to take a 44-36 halftime lead.

Junior point guard Jaterra Bonds keyed an 11-4 UF run to open the second half, capped by her 18-foot jumper to cut the Tigers' lead to one, 48-47, with 16:38 remaining, and from there the two teams traded punches.

LSU led by as many as nine, 58-49, on a Lutley jumper with 11:46 left before George, Bonds and redshirt sophomore Kayla Lewis responded by igniting a 13-4 Gator run that knotted the score at 62-all with 6:09 left.

A minute later, George, who had already recorded her 26th career double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds), grabbed a loose ball and was fouled hard under her own basket, falling awkwardly on her right arm. After some delay, she was helped to the locker room and did not return to action with an undisclosed shoulder injury.

Her teammates, however, refused to be denied. Bonds scored seven of her game-high 19 points over the final four minutes, and 5-foot-6 redshirt freshman Carlie Needles came up with her first career block on a potential game-tying 3-pointer from LSU's Adrienne Webb with 12 seconds left and UF up 73-70.

Needles not only blocked the shot, but gained possession of the ball, was fouled and sank both free throws to put the Gators up by five.

“Coach always tells me out on the 3-point line to stay up on my feet, and I really didn't even try to block it,” Needles said. “I was just trying to get up, and not letting her get that three was a big stop for us.”

Webb hit a baseline jumper with four ticks remaining to make it 75-72, but Bonds was fouled on the ensuing inbounds play and drained both free throws with 3.4 seconds left to seal the deal.

“It feels great, especially with all the adversity that we had,” said Bonds. “Even when George left, we were still able to grind it out together and finish.”

Lewis had 10 points and six rebounds for UF, which shot 26-of-56 from the floor (46.4 percent), was 20-of-24 (83.3 percent) from the charity stripe and outrebounded the taller Tigers by a 39-32 margin.

LSU placed four players in double figures led by Plaisance (17 points) and Lutley (16).

“To Florida's credit, I felt like they executed better down the stretch,” said LSU head coach Nikki Caldwell. “Even when we got a lead, they didn't give in. They stayed together, they created the hustle plays that they needed and they were able to come away with the win.”

The Gators take on Mississippi State (8-7, 0-2) Thursday night in Starkville before returning to Gainesville for a three-game SEC homestand beginning with a nationally televised game (ESPNU) against No. 12 Tennessee (11-3, 2-0) Sunday at 11:30 a.m.

Boynton breaks out in UF win

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Through all of his struggles, Florida senior Kenny Boynton said, in the back of his mind, he knew the shots would eventually fall.

“It was just of me taking good shots instead of thinking about my percentage,” Boynton said.

Boynton matched a career-high with 28 points, leading the Gators to a 79-58 win over Yale on Sunday afternoon before a half-Yale, half-Florida crowd of 2,532 at the John J. Lee Amphitheater. No. 13 Florida (10-2) closed out its non-conference schedule on a strong note, led by the record-setting day from Boynton.

Boynton went 8-of-10 from 3-point range, passing former Gator sharpshooter Lee Humphrey (288) for most 3-pointers in UF history. Boynton’s 289th career 3-pointer extended UF’s lead to 65-41 in the second half and his 290th with 2:45 left put the Gators up 77-54.

Boynton said he met Humphrey briefly during workouts last summer at the UF practice facility. Humphrey was a key shooting cog in UF’s back-to-back national title teams in 2006 and 2007. Humphrey still holds the record for most 3-pointers in NCAA Tournament history (55).

“It’s an honor,” Boynton said. “He was a great shooter. He has two national championships under his belt, so he’s a winner. That’s something I would still like to accomplish before my career is over.”

Boynton had showed signs of breaking out of his slump by going 3-of-7 from 3-point range against Air Force. Before that, Boynton went through a stretch of making just 4 of 32 3-point attempts.

On Friday, Florida coach Billy Donovan talked about Boynton needing to mix up his game more in an effort to keep opposing defenses guessing. Boynton’s first two shot attempts were drives to the basket. He made just one 3-pointer in the first half before catching fire in the last 20 minutes.

Boynton hit back-to-back 3-pointers during a 12-0 run in the second half that extended UF’s lead to 47-23. From there, Boynton made his next four 3-point attempts to break Humphrey’s record.

“He created space for himself, and what happened was he was able to get into a rhythm shooting the basketball,” Donovan said. “The ball had a lot more arc than it did in previous games.”

While Boynton showed signs of life, it was a disappointing afternoon for another UF senior. Forward Erik Murphy sat out the game with bruised ribs he suffered Friday in practice. Murphy will have X-Rays on Monday to see if the ribs are broken.

Donovan said Murphy won’t practice on Monday or Tuesday and is doubtful for Wednesday’s Southeastern Conference opener against Georgia. The Yale game was supposed to be a homecoming game for Murphy, whose hometown of South Kingstown, R.I., is 84.5 miles from Yale’s campus.

“I played with broken ribs as a junior and it’s tough because it’s hard to breath, you don’t sleep well, it’s hard to reach and stretch,” Donovan said. “Erik was feeling a little better and he tried to work out in the shootaround on Sunday and within 10 to 15 minutes he was feeling miserable.”

With Murphy out, junior forward Will Yeguete stepped into the starting lineup and provided a lift with 14 points and 9 rebounds.

“We feel like we have 7 or 8 different guys on this team who can start,” Yeguete said. “I just tried to play as hard as I could.”

Said Donovan: “Will was back to himself again. He was able to get all of 14 points around the rim. He was active for us.”

Florida’s press flustered Yale throughout the game. The Gators scored 19 points off 16 Yale turnovers. Mike Rosario, playing about 80 miles from his hometown of Jersey City, N.J., had 13 points and 3 of UF’s 10 steals.

All in all, it was a good final tuneup for the Gators heading into SEC play. Florida junior point guard Scottie Wilbekin had a career-high 10 assists, spreading the wealth throughout UF’s offense. Defensively, UF held an opponent under 60 points for the first time since beating Southeastern Louisiana, 82-43, on Dec. 19.

Yale at one point trailed just 26-23, but the Gators ended the first half on a 9-0 run and started the second half on a 12-0 run to break the game open.

“I’m not concerned with our won-loss record at this point as much as are we progressing and playing to the best of our ability,” Donovan said. “I think we made some strides tonight.” 

Jacoby Brissett to transfer from UF

GAINESVILLE — Jacoby Brissett will take another shot at being a starting quarterback, though it will not be at Florida.

Brissett, a true sophomore from Dwyer High School, has informed the Gators that he will leave the program and is in the process of picking a new school, a source said. UF coach Will Muschamp must approve any destination on his list.

By leaving now, Brissett can go through spring practices with his new team. He must sit out the upcoming season and can return as a red-shirt junior in 2014.

A spokesperson for Florida did not return a message seeking comment.

There appeared to be no future for him in Gainesville with fellow sophomore Jeff Driskel firmly planted as the starter. Brissett played sparingly this year, only earning a true start when Driskel was sidelined by a sprained ankle. He technically started the season opener when the two were tangled in a quarterback competition, though he exited after the first snap and played less than one quarter.

In six games this season, he completed 23 of 35 passes for 249 yards with a touchdown pass. He also ran for a touchdown.

Driskel went 10-2 as the starter. He completed 63.7 percent of his attempts, averaged 137.2 passing yards per game and threw for 12 touchdowns against five interceptions. He also rushed for 683 yards, not counting sacks.

Brissett leaves the Gators with a promising résumé and no baggage. Despite getting little opportunity to play this season, his coaches and teammates praised him throughout the year for accepting his back-up role and continuing to work hard.

“Jacoby has been great,” Muschamp said in November. “And Jacoby is a guy that we have a lot of confidence in.”

When the team was in New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl last week, offensive coordinator Brent Pease said, “He’s prepared like he’s going to have an opportunity to play. He’s professional about it.”

After the Sugar Bowl, a 33-23 loss to Louisville, Brissett said he was undecided on his plan. His high school coach, Jack Daniels, believed he intended to stay at UF through spring.

Daniels advised him to transfer, but he struggled with the thought of leaving the Gators.

“You grow relationships for two years with some of these people you’re around every day, and it’s hard to leave them,” Brissett said.

It is not immediately clear where he wants to go. When he first considered the possibility of transferring, his top choices were West Virginia, Louisville, Arkansas and North Carolina State.

West Virginia was among the finalists to sign him out of high school. So was Wisconsin, which recently lost coach Bret Bielema to Arkansas. North Carolina showed interest in him in football and basketball. If he goes to Louisville, he will reunite with former Dwyer teammates Robert Clark and Gerald Christian.

At Florida, Brissett’s greatest performance was against Louisiana-Lafayette on Nov. 10, when Driskel was hurt in the third quarter. The Gators were losing 20-13 before Brissett led them to the tying touchdown with 1:14 left. They won 27-20 on a blocked punt that Jelani Jenkins returned for a touchdown in the final seconds.

Brissett’s initial choice to sign with Florida two years ago was gutsy. The Gators already had Driskel -- the top-rated quarterback recruit in the country -- enrolled and ready for spring practice. Despite that, as well as his mother publicly disapproving, Brissett chose UF.

From that moment, it seemed inevitable that one of them would force the other out.

Driskel had a head start by arriving as an early enrollee in January 2011, but Brissett overtook him by mid-season. When starter John Brantley, a senior, went down for two games due to an ankle injury, Brissett started at LSU and Auburn. He remained the No. 2 quarterback the rest of the year with Driskel behind him.

After the season, though, Muschamp reset the race. He and Pease said they were even all the way through the first game of the season before turning to Driskel full-time in Week 2.

Brissett’s departure leaves the Gators with three scholarship quarterbacks heading into next season. Skyler Mornhinweg will be a red-shirt freshman, and Tyler Murphy will be a red-shirt junior. 

Neither of them threw a pass this year.

Florida also is in line to add Max Staver, a high school player in Brentwood, Tenn. Staver is committed to the Gators and expected to sign next month.

No. 3 Florida Gymnastics Wins Season Opener versus Ball State

The No. 3 Gator gymnastics team (1-0, 0-0 SEC) opened the 2013 season Friday with a win over Ball State (0-1, 0-0 MAC) in front of a Stephen C. O’Connell Center crowd of 3,768. The Gators matched their third-highest season opening total, 196.575, to take the win over the Cardinals, who earned a 190.55.

Florida’s Event Winners Friday

Vault

Ashanée Dickerson

9.925

Bridget Sloan

9.925

Uneven Bars

Kytra Hunter

9.900

Balance Beam

Mackenzie Caquatto

9.875

Floor Exercise

Kytra Hunter

9.900

All-Around

Ashanée Dickerson

38.90

It was a strong opening for the Gators, but the team showed that there will be areas to polish as the season progresses. And that is perfectly fine with Florida head coach Rhonda Faehn. Tonight was a chance to see how newcomers would perform in the collegiate arena. Only one of Florida’s freshmen competed Friday - Bridget Sloan. And it was an opportunity to see how the team reacted to a competition setting after months of pre-season training.

“I wasn’t looking at the scores.  I was more concerned with how Bridget would do.  I know she’s incredibly talented and she has this competitive experience, but she’s in a completely new environment,” Faehn said. “I was really pleased with how the team did and the energy that they had.”

With Sloan’s opening competitive routine, she also set another first. Thirty World Championships’ all-around crowns have been awarded since 1938. Sloan is the first World all-around titlist to compete as a collegiate. The six-time (and current) member of the U.S. Senior National Team won the 2009 World title and was the youngest member of the U.S.’s silver medal Olympic team in 2008.

She stuck her vault to earn a 9.925 and shared the evening’s event title with senior All-American Ashanée Dickerson. Even if she didn’t win, Sloan would have categorized tonight a success because of the experience of sharing the competition with the team she’s been training with since fall.

“It was a shock. I had no idea what it was going to be like on the competition floor, because when you’re in the stands it looks like ‘oh that’s so much fun’ but when you’re out there it’s a blast. I know I’ve never had that much fun at a meet. I really enjoyed every minute of it and I wished I could do it again and just have home meets all the time,” Sloan said. “Having that team behind you - it’s just awesome. It was absolutely incredible and I loved it.”

The shared vault title pushed Dickerson’s career total of vault wins to 15. Dickerson also won the evening’s all-around at 38.90. The win raised her career total of event titles to an even 60, which continues to place her fifth on Florida’s career list.

Florida’s first to claim the NCAA all-around title, Kytra Hunter, added two more event titles to her career tally with identical marks of 9.90. The score equaled her best on bars set in 2012 NCAA Championships’ semifinal competition and she used the mark to anchor Florida’s floor set for the sophomore’s eighth title on the event.

Hunter wanted to use tonight to get a feel for competition again and to get ready for Florida’s road opener at No. 8 LSU next Friday.

“My main focus was to get out there and get my nerves out. We have a road meet next week and we need a good road score,” Hunter said. “I think the lineups the coaches put out were perfect for us considering we were coming back from break and had a short amount of time to train with the team. I think we did excellent job tonight.”

A Gator who was thrilled to be in the opening meet lineup was junior All-American Mackenzie Caquatto. The opening few meets of her last two seasons saw her sitting out due to injury. Last year, she only competed on bars during the season due to a severe injury suffered in the fall of 2011. She sprained both ankles at the U.S.’s final camp as she was looking to earn her second consecutive World Championships roster spot.

Tonight, Mackenzie took the evening’s balance beam title at 9.875. It was her first appearance in UF’s beam lineup since the 2011 NCAA Championships.

“I didn’t realize it, but Macko said to me ‘you realize this is the first time in three years that I’m actually competing in the first meet,’ because the last two years she has been injured,” Faehn said. “So that was a big thing; for her to be able to compete and to compete well on bars and beam in the very first meet in the ye

2013 Gator Gymnastics Season Opens Friday versus Ball State

No. 3 preseason Florida opens the program’s 41^st season Friday with a home dual meet versus Ball State. Meet time is set for 7 p.m. at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The Gators are 44-8 in home openers and started the 2012 home season with a 196.175-191.875 win over Illinois-Chicago.

Friday’s Meet Info:
Preseason No. 3 Florida (0-0-0, 0-0 SEC) versus Ball State (0-0, 0-0 MAC) Date & Time: Friday, Jan. 4 at 7 p.m. ET Site: Stephen C. O’Connell Center (10,126) Television: none Series Record (all-time): UF leads 2-0. Last meeting, Florida defeated BSU 197.55-191.35 (2010 home dual) Internet: video stream available on GatorVision; live stats available on GatorZone.com Tickets: $4 for adults; children 17 & under and UF students with Gator1 cards are admitted free. Contact the UF Ticket Office site for more information. Parking Shuttle: A complimentary parking shuttle transports fans from the UF Commuter Lot on Gale Lemerand Drive to the O’Connell Center. More information at GatorZone.com/Gameday
The Gators will autograph team posters following Friday’s meet.
Promotions: Gator Gymnastics Autographs - the entire Gator team will sign team posters post-meet; Buy One, Get One free admission – print out coupon at GatorZone.com to get two adults in Friday for the price of one. Click her for a complete list of promotions for Friday’s meet.
	Florida Gymnastics Florida Gators
	@GatorZoneGym @GatorZoneNews
	@UFCoachRhonda

Following Friday’s meet, the 15-member Gator team will autograph posters. Tickets for Friday’s meet are $4.00 for adults, while children 17 and under and UF students with Gator1 cards are admitted free. Visit the Florida Gators Gymnastics page to get a 2-for-1 admission coupon.

A complimentary parking shuttle is available for all Gator gymnastics meets. Park at the UF Commuter Lot on Gale Lemerand Drive to board the bus which drops patrons off at Gate 2 of the O’Connell Center. Parking shuttle and other Gator gymnastics event information can be found by visiting the Gator Gymnastics Game Day page.

Can’t be at the O’Connell Center Friday? Watch a live video stream of the meet on GatorVision. Visit the GatorVision site for pricing information and to sign up for a subscription.

This is the third meeting overall between the two teams, with the last coming in a 2010 triangular meet in Gainesville. Florida took the triangular team title with a team total of 197.55 and Ball State was third at 191.35. A pair of then-Gator freshmen shared the 2010 triangular all-around title at 39.475 – Ashanée Dickerson and Marissa King. Joining the pair in a four-way tie for first at 9.875 in the floor exercise competition was another Gator freshman, Randy Stageberg.

Last season, Florida was second in the 2012 NCAA Championships’ Super Six team final. Alabama (197.85) edged Florida (197.775) by just .075 in a thrilling NCAA Super Six team final. UCLA took third at 197.75. The tenth difference between teams No. 1 – 3 was the closest NCAA Championship team final in the 31-year history of the meet. Freshman Kytra Hunter won NCAA titles in both the all-around and vault. She is the first Gator to win the NCAA all-around title and also the first UF gymnast to claim multiple NCAA event titles in a single year. She is the third Gator to win the NCAA vault crown (Susan Hines in 1997 and 1998; Marissa King 2011).

The Gators return five gymnasts in 2013 (Mackenzie Caquatto, Dickerson, Hunter, Alaina Johnson and King) who own a total of 29 All-America honors. The Gators won the Southeastern Conference and NCAA Raleigh Regional Championship team titles last year. In 2013, Florida returns 22 of 24 routines it competed in the 2012 NCAA Championships.

The Gators’ 15-member roster includes four talented freshmen, including one who joined the team for the 2013 spring semester. Bridgette Caquatto, Bianca Dancose-Giambattisto and Bridget Sloan trained with the Gators this fall. Both Caquatto and Sloan have represented the U.S. at several international meets. Sloan, the youngest member of the U.S.’s 2008 silver-medal Olympic team, claimed the 2009 World Championships’ all-around crown. She and Caquatto both were part of the U.S.’s 2011 Pan American Games gold-medal team. Caquatto also took Pan Am gold for the all-around and uneven bars. Sloan and Dancose-Giambattisto both competed at the 2010 World Championships as Dancose-Giambattisto was part of Canada’s team. Joining the Gator freshmen class for the spring semester is Morgan Frazier. She was a part of the Orlando Metro club team and has competed at the Junior Olympic Level 10 Championships.

Gators Drops Tough Decision at No. 6 Kentucky, 76-69

Junior Jaterra Bonds scored a season-high 21 points, freshman January Miller scored career-best 17 points and senior Jennifer George posted her 25th career double-double but Florida fell just short at sixth-ranked and preseason Southeastern Conference favorite Kentucky, 76-69, on Thursday in the league opener for both teams.

The Gators (11-4, 0-1 SEC) was within two points, 60-58, with 6:03 remaining but went cold from the floor, missing their next six shots and the Wildcats (13-1, 1-0 SEC) took advantage by scoring six straight points and led 66-58 with 3:18 remaining.

Kayla Lewis ended the run with an inside jumper, but the teams traded scores and Florida’s deficit alternated between six and eight points for the next couple of minutes and couldn’t string back-to-back scoring opportunities until Bonds converted two free throws and George hit an inside bucket with 21 seconds remaining that brought the Gators within four, 72-68.

UK made 4-of-6 free throws in the final 20 seconds to secure their 30th consecutive win in Memorial Coliseum, as well as its program-record 12th straight overall.

“I thought our players fought really, really hard and in the second half did a great job of taking care of the basketball,” UF head coach Amanda Butler said. “We won the rebounding battle and got ourselves to the free throw line like we wanted to and had some really good individual performances.

“January Miller had a career-high, Jaterra was money from the free throw line so there were a lot of positives for us,” Butler continued. “You have to give Kentucky a lot of credit. This building is really hard to win in and I thought we put up a great fight. There are a lot of positives for us to move forward into our next battle.”

Bonds tied a program-record by hitting 11-of-11 free throws en route to her game-high offensive output, while Miller hit 5-of-7 from the floor, including 2-of-3 three-pointers with 5-of-6 from the line. George recorded 14 points, a game-high 11 rebounds with a game-high three steals for the Gators, who committed just three turnovers in the second half after 16 in the opening 20 minutes of the game. Florida held a 40-36 rebounding edge in the game.

UK entered the game leading the nation in turnover margin at +12.9, having forced at least 21 turnovers in every game this year while averaging 15.8 per game. The Wildcats committed 16 miscues overall, but just four in the second half.

“I don’t want this to sound like I’m not giving Kentucky credit because they are a great team. I really felt like in the beginning of the game we had a lot of nerves,” Butler said. “We made some rushed decisions that we did a better job of being in control of in the second half. We talked about composure all week long and got to that point but we had to fight to get there.”

A’dia Mathies, last year’s SEC Player of the Year and the preseason favorite this season, scored 20 points for Kentucky to lead four Wildcats in double-figure scoring. Junior transfer DeNesha Stallworth posted 17 points and 10 rebounds for UK, which shot 43.5 percent overall and hit 9-of-23 three-pointers.

Kentucky scored the last five points of the first half and carried that momentum into the second where they scored the first seven points and took a 46-35 lead.

Florida calmly answered with the next six points that started a 12-2 run and the Gators were within one point, 48-47, with 13:29 remaining.

Bria Goss, last year’s SEC Freshman of the Year, halted the run with a jumper and Jennifer O’Neill followed with a pair of three-pointers that had the Wildcats lead back to nine with 9:55 on the clock.

Vicky McIntyre hit two more free throws for Florida before O’Neill hit a deep jumper and again UK’s lead was at nine points, 58-49, with 9:21 remaining.

January Miller drove hard to the hoop and was fouled and converted two free throws before nailing her second three-pointer to spark a 6-0 spurt that had Florida within two, 58-56, with 6:54 remaining.

DeNesha Stallworth hit a jumper, but Jennifer George answered with a tough inside shot and Florid was again within two points, 60-58, with 6:03 on the clock.

Florida went cold from the floor, missing its next six shots, as UK scored six straight points and led 66-58 with 3:18 remaining.

Kayla Lewis ended the run with an inside jumper, but the teams traded scores and Florida’s deficit alternated between six and eight points for the next couple of minutes.

To the disappointment of a huge hometown crowd that made the trip from nearby Union, Ky., freshman Sydney Moss, UF’s second-leading scorer this year, was whistled for her fourth personal foul with 10:21 remaining and struggled all night in what was her toughest collegiate showing to date.

The Gators committed a turnover on their first two possessions and Kentucky took advantage both times with buckets.

Florida managed a shot on its next two offensive trips down the court, but missed and the Wildcats collected the rebound.

After two more UK points from the free throw line, Jaterra Bonds finally got the Gators on the scoreboard with an eight-foot jumper from the side 2:50 into the game.

The Wildcats came back with a three-pointer and stretched their early lead to seven points, but Florida regrouped with the next four, as Christin Mercer connected on a tough inside jumper and Bonds converted a pair of free throws and brought the Gators within three.

Kentucky scored the next four points and held again held a seven-point spread and the teams traded scores for the next two minutes before UK’s A’dia Mathies, the 2012 SEC Player of the Year, stepped with a three-pointer and an inside bucket and gave the Wildcats an 11-point lead, 23-12, with 11:30 remaining in the first half and Florida called a timeout.

The Gators refused to fold and rallied with a 9-0 run, as January Miller sparked the march with a pair of run-out layups in a 28-second span. Bonds then converted her seventh three-point play of the year and followed that with mid-range jumper and Florida was within two, 23-21, with 7:30 to play.

DeNesha Stallworth halted the run with a three-pointer from the top of the arc and hit a bucket inside before Samarie Walked sank two free throws to cap a 7-0 run and had UK back out in front, 30-21.

Jennifer George got on the board with her first bucket at the 5:48 mark to stop the spurt, as Mathies hit another jumper for the nine-point lead with 5:32 on the clock.

Miller struck for the Gators with a six-footer from the side and Kayla Lewis put in an offensive rebound and the Gators were within five. After a Mathies bucket, Vicky McIntyre nailed two free throws, as did George and Bonds and had Florida within one point, 34-32, with 2:53 remaining in the first.

Both teams missed shots on their respective next offensive possessions, before George put back an offensive rebound and gave Florida its first lead of the game, 35-34, with 1:37.

Kentucky came right back 27 seconds later with a jumper from Bria Goss, forced Florida’s 16th turnover of the period and capitalized when Kastine Evens drilled a three-pointer with 31 seconds remaining to close the first-half scoring and the Wildcats leading 39-35.

The Gators hit 43.3 percent (13-30) from the floor, while UK nailed 48.3 percent of its shots. Bonds and Mathies led their respective teams with 13 points each during the first 20 minutes of action.

Jordan Reed to Declare for 2013 NFL Draft

University of Florida redshirt junior tight end Jordan Reed (New London, Conn.) announced on Friday that he will enter the 2013 NFL Draft and forgo his final year of eligibility with the Gator football program. Reed joins junior defensive back Matt Elam (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) and junior defensive lineman Sharrif Floyd (Philadelphia, Pa.) in stating their intentions to begin a professional career.

“It’s been a dream for all three of these players to pursue a career in the NFL and now they are all getting a chance to realize that dream,” said head coach Will Muschamp. “We are very thankful for their contributions to the Florida football program over the years and we wish them the very best of luck in the pursuit of their dreams.”

“We will support them 100 percent and I look forward to them continuing to be a part of our program. I have encouraged each of them to return to Gainesville to complete their degree – as I’ve told all of our players – there will be a day when their football careers are over. Matt, Sharrif and Jordan all received high marks in the draft evaluation process.”

Chosen first-team All-SEC by the Associated Press and a second-team selection by the league’s coaches, Reed was the Gators’ top receiver in 2012, registering team highs in receptions (45), yardage (559) and average yards per game (43.0). His 12.4-yards per reception was second on the Orange and Blue, as was his total of three touchdown catches.

“I’ve enjoyed four good years at Florida, but I feel that now is the right time to pursue my dream of playing in the NFL,” said Reed. “I appreciate the support from all the coaches and staff here, and I’ll always be a Gator.”

One of the top defenders in the SEC, Elam was a first-team All-American from Associated Press, CBSSports.com, Sporting News and Sports Illustrated and was a second-team honoree by Walter Camp this season. He led the Gators with four interceptions and was second on the team with 76 tackles, 58 of which were solo. Elam had 11 tackles for loss, five pass breakups, two sacks and forced one fumble.

“I’ve had three great years here at the University of Florida,” Elam said. “I’ve had a lot of advice during the process and I feel like it’s the right decision for me and my family.”

Floyd earned first-team All-American recognition from Sporting News and was a third-team recipient from the Associated Press. He recorded 46 total tackles on the year for the Gators and led the team in tackles for loss with 13 for a loss of 52 yards. Floyd also had six quarterback hurries, three sacks, two blocked kicks and one forced fumble.

“I sat down and talked to a lot of people about my decision and I’m going to go in the draft this year,” said Floyd. “All my focus was on my team and on this season. Now it’s time to move on. The coaches supported my decision and I’m ready.”