NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Once again, another poor first half did in the Florida Gators women’s basketball team.
Slumping Florida lost for the fifth time in its last six games when it couldn’t overcome a 17-point halftime deficit. Angie Bjorklund scored 25 points to lead No. 19 Tennessee past No. 21 Florida, 71-67, Friday night to advance to the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament.
The loss dropped Amanda Butler’s team to 23-7. The Gators were once 22-2 following a 66-57 victory in Gainesville on Feb. 8. Now all Florida can do is wait to see if it receives an NCAA bid. Those bids will be extended a week from Monday.
The Gators did manage to cut the lead down to three but Florida’s Marshae Dotson fouled Tennessee’s Kelley Cain, who had rebounded teammate Shekinna Stricklen’s airball. The hard foul nearly caused a fight on the floor, and when things calmed down, Cain hit both free throws with 3:26 remaining to start off a 7-0 run that put the game out of reach for the Gators.
Stricklen scored 18 points and Cain added 10. Sha Brooks led Florida with 22 but made just 8 of 19 shots from the field and also had six turnovers. Dotson added 20 on 8-of-11 shooting. Steffi Sorensen added 10 points for the Gators but she made only 3 of 11 shots from the field, including 2 of 10 from beyond the 3-point line.
The victory sends Pat Summitt’s Volunteers (22-9) into the semifinals Saturday to play No. 1 seed Auburn. Tennessee shot 53.2 percent (25 of 47) while holding Florida to 42.1 percent (24 of 57). The Lady Vols also outrebounded Florida 31-22.
Bjorklund, who was held scoreless in Tennessee’s first-round victory over Alabama Thursday night, scored 13 points in the first half as Tennessee took a 38-21 halftime lead. Bjorklund finished 9-of-15 from the field, including 6-of-10 from the 3-point line.
Bjorklund sank an early 3-pointer to break a 9-9 tie and put the Lady Vols ahead to stay. Later, with Tennessee ahead 30-21, she scored eight straight points to make it a 17-point game at halftime.
Bjorklund’s 3-pointer in the second half made it 54-43, and after Florida scored five points on one possession to cut the lead to six, Bjorklund made a wild shot off the backboard followed by an open 3 for a 59-48 advantage.
Florida answered with a 9-1 run, capped by Dotson’s basket after an offensive rebound. But the Gators turned the ball over twice in a row after Cain’s free throws, and Brooks fouled out while chasing down Glory Johnson after Tennessee broke the Florida press.