Gator Country

Gators redshirt freshman guard Carlie Needles scored 11 points in Florida's three-point overtime loss to Tennessee on Sunday. / Gator Country file photo by Curtiss Bryant

The Florida Gators women’s basketball team almost proved it could hold its own without senior All-American Jennifer George out on the court for the last 29 minutes Sunday, but ninth-ranked Tennessee sank 4-6 free throws in overtime to earn a 78-75 win in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

“I’ve got to give Tennessee a lot of credit for a hard fought and well-played game,” Florida coach Amanda Butler said. “They did a great job and in certain points of finding weaknesses and attacking them. I love our fight. I love this team, and I told our team that we’re on a little journey right now. We’ve got a growth process going on and part of that growth process is sometimes coming up a little bit short.”

The statistics speak for themselves when measuring how close the game was: the score was tied six times, twice being in overtime and there were seven lead changes, including three in overtime. The largest lead of the night was only nine points by Tennessee early on in the second half.

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