It took all of a regulation and an extra period before Steffi Sorensen made a mark on the stat sheet, but when she did, it was worth remembering. Having missed all six of her three-point attempts in regulation and the first overtime, Sorensen hit three in a row to start the second overtime to give the Florida women’s basketball team a 71-68 win over the Auburn Tigers in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.
Winning in two overtimes was quite an accomplishment considering that at halftime, a Florida victory seemed a certainty.
In the first half, the Gators held a 33-15 lead over the defending SEC champion Tigers, the fewest points the Gators have allowed in a game since holding Alabama State to 15 back in 2006. The Gators committed only six turnovers while forcing 15 Auburn miscues and holding Auburn’s top scorers, center KeKe Carrier and guard Morgan Toles, to a combined seven points.
In the second half, however, the turnovers turned in the other direction, and Auburn slowly chipped away at the Gators’ lead. The comeback was methodical. The Tigers traded baskets with the Gators in the first ten minutes, got their deficit within single digits with 10:13 left on the clock, and were playing a one-possession game with five minutes left.
With 11.5 seconds left, Sorensen had a chance to clinch the game, but she missed a free throw, leaving the lead at three. Auburn called a timeout with 6.7 seconds left on the clock.
With three seconds left, Auburn’s Nicole Thomas kissed a 3-pointer off the glass from the corner, and sent the game into overtime, tied at 52-52.
Auburn’s KeKe Carrier, following her slow first half, came alive in the second half and overtime. At the end of the first half, she had a chance at the line to ice the game. Auburn was clinging to a 58-56 with 18.5 seconds left, but both of her free throws rimmed out.
On the other side of the court, Florida center Azania Stewart was fouled, and with 12.1 seconds left, hit both of her free throws, ending the first overtime at 58-58. The momentum of those free throws carried Florida into the second overtime.
“That’s money,” Stewart said. “I’ve been working on it, and I haven’t missed, and I plan not to. It was a great feeling. I just wanted to win so bad. Great feeling, great feeling.”
Then came Sorensen. She threw up the first three with the confidence of a shooter on a streak. A minute and a half later, she nailed the second one. A minute later, with the shot clock running down and a defender in her face, she hit her third, bringing Florida to a 67-60 lead.
“I was getting some open looks,” Sorensen said, “and I wasn’t hitting them, which is something that I have been used to all season. There’s either two ways you can go about it, you can stop shooting and play scared, or you can keep shooting — that’s what I did. I knew I had to step up because I was not gonna lose that game, and I knew I wasn’t playing well, and I knew I was letting my team down. It was a prime opportunity to get it going. It was now or never.”
Auburn coach Nell Fortner called a timeout, and Sorensen leapt and met two of her teammates for a chest bump over the Gators’ logo in the center of the court.
After the game, Fortner and Carrier appeared at the podium for Auburn’s portion of the postgame press conference.
Carrier ended the game with 24 points, 12 rebounds and not an ounce of oxygen left in her lungs — she had played 31 minutes.
“She was pretty tired,” Fortner said, “but that’s not anything new or different.”
Stewart played 40 minutes, which she didn’t know until she asked reporters.
“You shouldn’t have told her,” Florida coach Amanda Butler said.
“I was cramping,” Stewart said, “but we just needed the energy. I wanted to keep the team’s spirits high, and you know, Steffi hitting three threes in a row, we had to keep that energy up. If I have to play 40 minutes, if that’s what I’ve got to do, then so be it.”
FLORIDA 71, AUBURN 68, 2OT
At Gainesville, Fla., Stephen C. O’Connell Center
AUBURN (58) – Jordan Greenleaf 3-10 0-0 6, KeKe Carrier 9-13 6-11 24, Morgan Toles 6-15 2-6 14, Parrisha Simmons 0-4 0-2 0, Alli Smalley 2-13 4-4 9, Nicolle Thomas 1-7 2-2 5, Blanche Alverson 4-13 0-0 10, Pascale West 0-1 0-0 0. TOTALS 25-76 14-25 68.
Field-goal shooting: 25 of 76 for 32.9 percent. 3-point shooting: 4 of 16 for 25 percent (Alverson 2-6, Thomas 1-2, Smalley 1-7, Toles 0-1). Free-throw shooting: 14 of 25 for 56 percent. Rebounds: 58 (Carrier 12, Greenleaf 10). Assists: 10 (Greenleaf 3). Blocked shots: 5 (Carrier 3). Steals: 8 (Greenleaf 2, Simmons 2). Turnovers: 20 (Thomas 6, Toles 5). Total fouls (fouled out): 23 (Smalley). Records: 9-6 overall, 0-2 SEC.
FLORIDA (71) – Sharielle Smith 4-8 1-2 10, Azania Stewart 6-11 9-9 21, Lonnika Thompson 3-9 3-4 12, Steffi Sorensen 3-9 0-1 9, Jordan Jones 2-12 1-2 6, Tessah Holt 0-1 0-0 0, Ndidi Madu 0-1 0-0 0, Susan Yenser 0-2 0-0 0, Trumae Lucas 1-4 0-2 2, Jennifer Mossor 1-4 0-0 3, Jennifer George 4-5 0-0 8. TOTALS 24-66 14-20 71.
Field-goal shooting: 24 of 66 for 36.4 percent. 3-point shooting: 9 of 33 for 27.3 percent (Thompson 3-7, Sorensen 3-9, Mossor 1-2, Smith 1-3, Jones 1-9, Lucas 0-1, Yenser 0-2). Free-throw shooting: Florida 14 of 20 for 70 percent. Rebounds: 46 (Stewart 11, Smith 5, Sorensen 5). Assists: 16 (Stewart 4). Blocked shots: 8 (Stewart 5). Steals: 10 (Stewart 2, Holt 2). Turnovers: 20 (Thompson 4, Sorensen 4, Jones 4). Total fouls (fouled out): 25 (Stewart). Records: 9-6 overall, 2-0 SEC.
Halftime: Florida 33, Auburn 15. Regulation: Florida 52, Auburn 52. First overtime: Florida 58, Auburn 58. Second overtime: Florida 71, Auburn 68. Officials: Lisa Mattingly, Joe Cunningham, Roy Gulbeyan. A—1,307.
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
For the latest standings, click below:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/conferences/standings?year=2010&confId=23
Thursday, Jan. 7
Florida 71, Auburn 68, 2OT
Tennessee 79, South Carolina 62
Georgia 61, Kentucky 60
Mississippi 70, Alabama 56
Louisiana State 65, Arkansas 38
Mississippi State 90, Vanderbilt 76
Sunday, Jan. 10
Florida at Georgia, 6 p.m. (ESPNU)
Vanderbilt at Kentucky, 1 p.m. (BBSN)
Tennessee at Mississippi State, 2 p.m. (SECN)
South Carolina at Alabama, 3 p.m.
Arkansas at Mississippi, 3 p.m.
Auburn at Louisiana State, 3 p.m. (FSN)
Thursday, Jan. 14
Tennessee at Florida, 7 p.m. (CSS)
Kentucky at South Carolina, 7 p.m.
Alabama at Auburn, 7 p.m.
Georgia at Vanderbilt, 8 p.m. (FSN)
Mississippi State at Arkansas, 8 p.m.