TALLAHASSEE — In another classic battle between the two intrastate women’s basketball rivals, Florida made more field goals and outrebounded its taller foe, but 25th/23rd-ranked Florida State escaped with the 74-72 decision at the Donald L. Tucker Center in front of 3,368 Seminole fans.
The Gators (10-4) took a 70-68 lead with 2:38 remaining when Jordan Jones nailed her fourth three-pointer of the game. Florida came up with a defensive stop on the other end, but Lanita Bartley couldn’t add to the lead, as Cierra Bravard converted a three-point play for the Seminoles (10-3) and gave the home team a 71-70 lead with 1:24 on the clock.
Freshman Jaterra Bonds converted a slashing layup with 59 seconds remaining, but Bravard stepped up at the free throw line again and knocked down two that swung the lead for the 11th time in the game, this time with 30.8 seconds left, 73-72.
Florida had one final possession and Bonds missed the first attempt. Deana Allen collected the rebound in traffic and tried to put up a shot, but couldn’t get a good look, as Courtney Ward was fouled and made one free throw with 00.1 second remaining to provide the final scoring.
“We had a couple of ways that we wanted to score, but we forced up a bad shot,” UF head coach Amanda Butler said of the team’s final possession. “We were fortunate enough to come up with the rebound and we tried to call a timeout, but it didn’t work out so we forced up another bad shot.
“I’m really proud of our team’s fight and effort,” Butler said. “It was a great basketball game for the basketball fans in this state. They got to see two teams play hard. I feel bad for our kids because they played so hard and battled. A lot of the statistical categories went in our favor, but we have to give Florida State a lot of credit for their composure at the end of the game.”
Jones, who had missed the last two games because of injury, scored a team-high 14 points with four assists and two steals for Florida, which hit 30-of-62 from the floor, including 8-of-15 from the three-point arc. The Gators also held a 39-31 rebound advantage against the taller Seminoles, who made 15-of-20 free throws compared with Florida’s 4-of-6 effort.
Bonds finished the game with 11 points and a game-high seven assists, while Allen added 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting in 15 minutes of action. Azania Stewart collected a team-high nine rebounds, while holding FSU’s leading scorer and rebounder Bravard in check for the majority of the contest.
“We got some great individual efforts from players like Deana Allen, who gave us a great spark,” Butler praised. “Jaterra Bonds stepped up and hit some tough shots. Jennifer George (8 points, 7 rebounds) played fantastic minutes and just made plays when we needed them the most.”
Ward scored a game-high 20 points with four assists and four steals to lead FSU, which hit 28-of-63 overall and 3-of-13 from long range.
“Courtney Ward is the best point guard we have faced so far and hopefully the best one we’ll play all year. She did a great job of running her team,” Butler said.
Florida State ripped out of the halftime locker room with a 12-4 run and built a 51-41 lead with 17:12 remaining. The Gators, meanwhile, turned the ball over three times during those opening minutes of the second period
Florida regrouped and scored nine straight points to spark a 20-5 run that saw scoring from six different players and took a 61-56 lead with 9:04 remaining.
The Gators were able to maintain the advantage for the next few minutes, still carrying a five-point edge with 6:01 on the clock, 65-60.
That’s when the Noles scored five consecutive points and took a 68-67 lead with 3:05 remaining after the Gators turned the ball over twice during the mini spree.
Florida ended the game with 18 turnovers that FSU converted into 21 points. In all, there were 11 lead changes and 11 tied scores.
The Gators now turn their focus entirely to Southeastern Conference action. Florida begins league play on Sun., January 2, when the team hosts No. 22/24 Arkansas in the O’Connell Center with tip-off scheduled for 1 p.m.
“Outrebounding them was one of our goals,” Butler said. “As we head into league play, rebounding is so important and we have to take that accomplishment with us as we head into league play.”
The early action was fast and the shots clean, as Florida shot 62.5 percent (5-8) and jumped out to a 12-8 lead in the first four minutes of the game, when FSU hit 60 percent (3-5).
The Gators actually opened with a 10-3 run, as Bonds, Ndidi Madu, Stewart and Jones each accounted for field goals.
The Seminoles stormed back and evened the game with a 9-2 spree. Jones then knocked down a pair of free throws, UF’s lone attempts of the half, and Deaundra Young sank an eight-foot jumper and had the Gators in the lead, 16-12.
FSU followed with six consecutive points, capped by a three-point play from Cierra Bravard with 11:31 on the clock.
Florida countered with tough action on the offensive boards, where Bartley squirted inside and corralled a missed shot and found Jones on the perimeter, where she canned a trey and tied the game at 19-all with 10:20 to play.
The teams matched scorers, before FSU’s Courtney Ward completed a three-point play and Natasha Howard added a bucket.
Brittany Shine countered with a three-pointer for the Gators, but Chelsea Davis converted an inside shot.
Bartley added another three-pointer for the visitors, but Alexa Deluzio scored the next five points and gave the hosts a six-point lead, their largest of the game to that point, with 4:41 remaining in the half.
Florida regrouped and Jennifer George found her way to the score sheet, as she tallied four and Deana Allen added two points, as the Gators again tied the game at 33-all with 2:43 on the clock.
After two free throws from FSU, Allen struck again and Young nailed a turn-around bank shot from six feet out and had the Gators in front 37-35 with 1:11 to play.
FSU tied the score on its next possession and Florida called a timeout to set up a play with 37 seconds remaining. The Gators, however, turned the ball over and the Seminoles capitalized and headed into the locker room with a 39-37 advantage.
Nine of the 10 Gators who saw action during the first half scored, paced by Jones’ eight points. Florida shot 46.9 percent (15-32) during the opening stanza, while committing just five turnovers.
FSU was led by Ward’s 10 points, as the Noles hit 47.1 percent from the floor (16-34) and had just six turnovers, in the first half that featured seven tied scores and five lead changes.