A lot of grit and some heavy contributions from the bench helped the No. 15/19 (Associated Press/USA Today coaches) Florida Gators women’s basketball team earn a 75-54 victory over Southeastern Conference rival Mississippi before 4,623 fans, the eighth-largest crowd ever to see a women’s basketball game at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
“Today was a fantastic team victory,” said Florida coach Amanda Butler, who team improved to 4-1 in the SEC and 18-2 overall. “We had such great balance with our minutes, rebounds, points and most of all our playmaking.”
Steffi Sorensen and Trumae Lucas scored 13 points each to lead four Florida players in double figures. Seniors Sha Brooks and Marshae Dotson added 11 points each, with Brooks passing Brandi McCann (1998-02) for sixth place on the all-time Florida women’s scoring list. Brooks now has 1,589 points.
The Gators dominated on the boards with a 48-38 edge led by junior forward Sharielle Smith’s 10 rebounds and nine by Sorensen. That allowed Florida to have a 36-24 edge on points in the paint. Led by Lucas, the Florida bench outscored the Ole Miss reserves 31-10. Florida, which outshot Mississippi 41.5 percent to 30.5 percent, also forced 22 turnovers with its press, 14 of the turnovers coming on steals.
“Florida was just tougher than us,” said Mississippi coach Renee Ladner, a former Florida assistant. “I don’t know how many minutes or hours we’ve spent practicing to beat the press, but we came out tonight and were shell-shocked by their pressure.”
Florida jumped to an early lead behind Dotson, who scored the team’s first nine points as the Gators ran out to a 37-19 halftime lead – their largest halftime lead in an SEC game this season.
“We always preach coming out strong and landing that first punch,” Butler said. The Florida coach was pleased with the fast start but pointed to her team’s punishing defense as the key to victory.
“I have such confidence in our bench and that allows us to be aggressive and press,” Butler added. “If Sha gets two or three fouls early, we know we’ve got players who can step up and play well.”
The Rebels used a 13-0 second-half run to close a Florida lead to 60-50. But coming out of a 30-second timeout called by Butler, Lucas hit a 3-pointer from deep in the corner and Florida held Mississippi scoreless for almost 2½ minutes while pushing its lead back to 21 points.
“I knew that they were going to keep pressing on the wings and that we had to stay aggressive,” Lucas said. “Sha penetrated with the ball then found me outside and I knocked it down.”
Before the game, there was a moment of silence to honor the passing of North Carolina State’s long-time coach Kay Yow, who died Saturday morning after a long battle with cancer.
The Gators continue in SEC play this Thursday at 7 p.m. at home against Kentucky. The game will be televised on FSN South, FSN Southwest and Sun Sports.