Special report on the Florida Gators women’s basketball team:
NORMAN, Okla. – Senior Dyandria Anderson scored a career-high 29 points, Delicia Washington posted a double-double and presented first-year Florida head coach Cameron Newbauer with his first signature victory after a resounding 80-61 win at Oklahoma at Lloyd Noble Center Sunday afternoon.
The Gators, who did their part in representing the league at the week-long Big12-SEC Challenge, handed the Sooners their largest non-conference home loss since 2004.
Anderson scored 17 of her game and career-high 29 points during the first half when she hit 4-of-5 three-pointers and led Florida to a 33-23 lead, eventually converting 6-of-7 from long range in addition to 8-of-11 overall and 7-of-9 from the free throw line.
Washington finished with 11 points and a career-best 15 rebounds for her second double-double of her career, which does not include the triple-double she posted earlier this season.
Funda Nakkasoglu posted 24 points, as she and Anderson took turns from beyond the arc with the Gator junior converting 4-of-9 from deep and 6-of-7 from the line. It was her 32nd career game scoring in the 20s.
Senior Haley Lorenzen was guided tightly inside all evening but came up with 11 rebounds along with seven points, as five of her board were on the offensive end that helped Florida score 14 of its points.
How it Happened
The lead changed hands five times and the score was tied three additional times during the first quarter, when Florida (5-3) held a 16-13 edge when the horn sounded.
Oklahoma (3-4) began the second quarter with a 4-1 spurt and tied the game for a fourth time, now at 17 with 8:44 remaining. Anderson responded with back-to-back three-pointers. Ana Llanusa came off the bench for a three that brought the Sooners back within three, 25-21, but that’s the closest they would get for the rest of the game, as Nakkasoglu’s driving layup sparked a 10-2 run and the Gators jumped out to a 35-23 lead just 52 seconds into the third quarter.
The teams traded buckets for the next seven minutes before Shaina Pellington, who finished with a team-high 22 points, scored four straight and cut UF’s lead to seven, 47-40, with second seconds remaining in the third.
Paulina Hersler, who scored nine points for the Gators, was fouled attempting a three-pointer and knocked down a pair from the line to start the fourth quarter’s scoring.
Nakkasoglu followed with a three the lead was back to double-figures.
The teams again exchanged scores before LaNesia Williams hit a three for OU. Washington came right back for the Gators and nailed one in front of their bench.
The Sooners weren’t finished yet, and scored the next four points and were within eight, 57-49, with 5:54 to play.
Hersler responded with a brilliant up-and-under post move and Nakkasoglu followed with a traditional three-point play.
OU scored the next four points and were within nine, 62-53, and 4:09 on the clock, however, that’s when Anderson struck again from deep and Nakkasoglu hit a jumper that ignited a game-ending 18-8 run for the final 19-point margin in the first meeting between the two programs.
Numbers of Note
* Florida’s 12 made 3-pointers were one shy of tying the Lloyd Noble Center record for opponent 3-pointers (13, Iowa State, Jan. 29, 2005)
* Florida held the 56-31 rebounding advantage
* The Gators outscored OU 33-21 in the fourth quarter, when they hit 58.8 percent (10-17) from the floor, 4-of-6 three-pointers (66.7 percent) and 9-of-12 free throws (75 percent). The Sooner were 10-27 overall from the floor, 1-7 from the arc and 0-4 from the line in the final frame.
Gators vs. Sooners: The Series & More
* Sunday was the first meeting between the two programs.
* The only other time the Gators played a game in the Sooner State was on Dec. 2, 1983, when Florida won at Tulsa, 70-52.
Quotes from the court – Coach Cameron Newbauer
“From a defensive and rebounding standpoint, we really executed the game plan. We outrebounded them by 23. We kept their big-time players – (Vionise) Pierre-Louis to four points and three rebounds. We had a game plan and our players stuck with it. Talk about resilience – we win on the road with 21 turnovers, kept our heads up and kept our eyes on the rim. Hats off to our players, especially our seniors. Dyandria Anderson – 29 points, eight rebounds and four assists. I love this for her and Haley and Paulina. Our kids have worked hard for this.”
What’s Next for the Gators
* Who: Florida (5-3) hosts No. 8 Ohio State (8-2)
* Where: Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center (10,151) * Gainesville, Fla.
* When: Wed., December 6 * 5:30 p.m. ET
* What: Game 1 of a Gator Basketball Doubleheader, with the men’s team hosting Loyola at 8 p.m.