DULUTH, GA –– The University of Florida women’s basketball team lost to Auburn 74-61 in the first round of the 2010 Southeastern Conference Tournament held at The Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth.
The seventh-seeded Gators (14-16) were able to control the 10th-seeded Tigers taller frontcourt, but Auburn’s backcourt sizzled from the floor and led the way with a 51.9 percent (27-52) shooting effort.
“You have to congratulate Auburn on a fantastic performance. They did a great job from the beginning of the game,” UF head coach Amanda Butler said. “There were more physical than us and dominated some statistical areas, like rebounding. They had some tremendous individual performances. This is obviously a very disappointing loss for us, a
disappointing exit. We had higher hopes of our performance today.”
Auburn’s Allie Smalley led all scorers with 29 points, as she hit 10-of-14 from the floor, including a 5-7 effort from the three-point arc. Jordan Greenleaf contributed 15 points and a game-high 13 rebounds to lead the Tigers’ 41-30 rebounding advantage over the Gators. Blanche Alverson tallied 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists, as she hit three treys as part of AU’s 8-14 long range shooting mark.
Steffi Sorensen scored 12 of her team-high 14 points in the first half for Florida, which hit 36.1 percent (22-61) from the field during the game. Sharielle Smith added 11 points, Jennifer George contributed seven points and a team-high five rebounds, while Jennifer Mossor dished a career-high six assists.
Florida next awaits word on its postseason fate, with selections for a couple of different tournaments being announced on Monday, March 15.
Sophomore Azania Stewart saw action for the first time since the Feb. 11 game against LSU when she played just seven minutes. UF’s 6-4 center missed the final five games of the regular season with a stress fracture in her foot.
Stewart hit the first bucket of the second half and Florida was within four points, 32-28.
Auburn (15-15) came right back with the next five points to take a nine-point lead, its largest of the game, with 18:02 to play.
The teams traded scores for the next three minutes until Auburn connected on consecutive possessions after a defensive stop and took an 11-point led, 47-36, with 13:44 remaining.
Smith got on the board with a three-pointer and followed with a six-footer in the paint, before Sorensen followed with a driving layup that brought the Gators within four, 47-43, at the 11:36 mark.
Blanche Alverson halted UF’s 7-0 run with a three-pointer, but George completed a three-point play and kept the Gators within four points, 50-46.
Auburn rallied and put together an 8-2 spree and pulled away for a 10-point advantage with just over seven minutes remaining.
After a scoring exchange, Smith and Stewart hit back-to-back buckets and Florida was within six points, 60-54, with 5:45 to play. Auburn, however, wouldn’t let the Gators get any closer, as the Carrier and Smalley hit buckets to again take a 10-point lead.
Florida made one final attempt, using a 4-1 run to cut the deficit to seven points with 1:31 to play, but Auburn made 9-of-10 free throws the rest of the way en route to the win.
Florida started cold from the field, missing each of its first four shots, as well as six of its first eight from the floor, but hung in there in there despite Auburn’s quick start, as the Tigers jumped out to a 7-0 lead on 3-of-5 shooting.
Trumae Lucas got the Gator offensive rolling with a driving layup at the 16:11 mark of the game and sparked an 8-0 run. George followed with tough bucket inside, Lonnika Thompson then stole the ball and hit the layup, before she nailed a deep jumper with her toe on the three-point arc and helped the Gators take an 8-7 lead with 13:30 to play in the first half.
Auburn came right back with eight consecutive points, thanks to three-pointers from Alli Smalley and Blanche Alverson.
Steffi Sorensen stopped the run with a trey from the right side and hit another after a Tiger two-pointer, as the teams traded buckets.
The undersized Gators then attacked the Tigers’ much taller frontcourt, as George hit a hook shot around 6-7 KeKe Carrier and drew a foul. On UF’s next possession, Ndidi Madu drove the lane hard and while she missed the shot, she was fouled by Carrier, who was whistled for her third with 8:14 left in the opening frame. Madu’s two
free throws pulled UF within one, 19-18.
The Tigers countered with their guard play, as Morgan Toles slashed to the basket on consecutive possessions. Sorensen nailed her third trey of the game, but Auburn continued its hot shooting trend and scored tallied the next six points, the last coming at the 4:55 mark of the half.
Neither team scored until Sorensen knocked down her fourth three-pointer of the half with 1:35 left. Smalley came right back with one for the Tigers, but Smith ended the period’s scoring with an eight-footer in the lane, drawing the Gators within six points at the half, 32-26.
Auburn hit 53.8 percent (14-26) during the opening half, while Florida just 35.7 percent (10-28). The Tigers also held a 19-13 rebounding advantage.
Sorensen and Smalley led their respective teams with 12 points apiece.