STARKVILLE, MS — Sophomore Trumae Lucas came off the bench to score seven points during an 8-2 run late in the game to spark the Florida Gators to a come-from-behind 55-52
victory against Mississippi State on Sunday afternoon in a Southeastern Conference women’s basketball game at Humphrey Coliseum.
The victory, which was Florida’s first against Mississippi State in Starkville since Feb. 9, 2006, snapped a two-game slide and denied the Lady Bulldogs a 4-1 Southeastern Conference start that would have been their best in program history.
Florida trailed by as many as six points, 38-32, with less than 12 minutes to go but rallied thanks to Lucas’ heroics and hitting 6-of-8 free throws in the final 1:32 to seal the victory and improve to 10-8 overall and 3-2 in SEC action.
Sharielle Smith led the Gators scoring effort with 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting, while collecting seven rebounds. Azania Stewart contributed 11 points and five boards, while Steffi Sorensen tied her season-high of 12 rebounds, while adding eight points. Lucas finished with eight points, as did Jordan Jones, who also dished a team-high four assists and extended her three-point shooting streak by hitting a trey in her 18th consecutive game, tied for the fifth longest streak in UF history.
“We played with tremendous toughness today for all but maybe a four-minute span when we lost it and Mississippi State made a run,” Florida coach Amanda Butler said. “I have to commend our team, though, because we got it back. Toughness is Trumae Lucas coming off the bench after sitting for six or seven minutes and playing with confidence. Toughness is Steffi Sorensen getting 12 rebounds. It was great toughness across the board.”
The 52 points scored by MSU is the fewest Florida has allowed in an SEC game since the Gators held Vanderbilt to 51 back on Jan. 24, 2002, in a 62-51 UF win, while Florida’s 55 points on Sunday were the fewest it has scored in an SEC victory in program history.
The Gators also became just the second team this season to defeat the Lady Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum, as MSU (12-6, 3-2 SEC) fell to 9-2 at home, its only other loss coming against Tennessee on Jan. 10.
“It was great defense,” Butler said of the win. “This Mississippi State team is very good and to hold them to 52 points is amazing. They are a great shooting team, but when they missed today, we went and got the ball.”
Sunday was the first of two regular-season meetings between the two teams, with the Feb. 7 game played in Gainesville.
Unlike the first half when neither team could find the bottom of the basket, both teams came out sizzling in the second, with MSU scoring the first four points of the period to erase the Gators’ three-point halftime lead and take a 24-23 lead.
Florida tied the score with one free throw from Azania Stewart, but Mary Kathryn Govero knocked down her second three-pointer of the period and gave MSU a 27-24 lead.
The teams then traded two-point baskets for the next four minutes, before the Bulldogs added a free throw into a run and took a four-point lead, their largest to that point of the game.
Lonnika Thompson converted one of two from the line, but MSU followed with a basket from Chanel Mokango and UF’s deficit was at five, 34-29.
Sharielle Smith made up some ground with a three-pointer from the right side, but the Bulldogs turned to their inside game and got four quick points to take a six-point advantage and forced UF to take a timeout with 11:50 remaining in the game.
Florida came back with a short bucket from Stewart and after MSU missed a pair of free throw attempts, Sorensen canned a three-pointer from the left side that brought UF within one point, 38-37.
Alexis Rack, the SEC’s top three-point shooter, came right back with a trey for MSU and the deficit went back to Jordan Jones, also one of the league’s most potent long-range shooters, drove to the basket and hit a sweet layup, before Ndidi Madu followed with an offensive rebound put-back and tied the score at 41-all with 7:42 remaining.
After the teams exchanged one free throw apiece, Trumae Lucas hit an eight-foot running jumper that gave UF a 44-42 lead with 5:39 to play. Rack came right back with a similar shot of her own and the game was tied for the fourth time in the half.
Lucas drove the lane again and converted a tough layin and was fouled, converting a three-point play that built a 47-44 advantage with 3:50 to go.
MSU turned the ball over on its next possession and Lucas struck again, hitting a nine-footer and extended UF’s spree to 8-2, with seven points
from Lucas.
Another MSU turnover gave the ball back to the Gators, who missed a shot, but Sorensen collected a steal. UF unfortunately couldn’t make the Bulldogs pay and missed again. With a couple of second chance opportunities, MSU’s Govero finally picked up a loose ball and hit a 14-footer from the baseline to cut UF’s lead to three, 49-46, with 2:05
remaining.
That’s when Florida stepped up at the free throw line, where Smith hit 3-of-4, Sorensen hit 2-of-2 and Lucas hit 1-of-2 in the final 1:34 to seal the victory.
Rack tried to pull the comeback and nailed a pair of three-pointers in the final 8.7 seconds, but it wasn’t enough as the Gators calmly closed out the game at the free throw line.
Rack led all scorers with 16 points, while Armelie Lumanu added 10 points and a career-high 14 rebounds for MSU, which shot just 32.8 percent from the floor during the game.
Florida didn’t shoot much better at 34.5 percent, but did have a 46-35 rebounding advantage during the game, which helped off-set 21 turnovers.
Neither team came out sharp in the first eight minutes of the game, combining for 15 turnovers. Florida hit just 2-of-10 shots from the floor, while MSU managed just 2-of-11, including 1-of-5 from long range as the Bulldogs held a 5-4 lead.
Steffi Sorensen snatched up five rebounds during the first four minutes alone, and came out of a timeout and quickly nailed a three-pointer from the left side that gave the Gators a 7-5 advantage. Her bucket started more efficient play from both squads, as MSU came right back and scored the next four points to take a 9-7 lead.
Jordan Jones then sank a deep three-pointer and the Gators held tough on defense. Jennifer Mossor was able to drive the lane on offense and convert the layup that gave UF a 13-9 lead. Azania Stewart followed with a dribble-drive and extended the lead to six points and kept the momentum with the Gators.
But when the Gators missed a handful of short shots, MSU made them pay, as Diamber Johnson nailed a three-pointer and Alexis Rack hit two free throws, bring the Bulldog crowd to its feet.
Mossor stopped the run by hitting one free throw, but MSU sank a shot inside to tie the game at 16-all.
Florida came back with in the paint from Azania Stewart and Sharielle Smith converted a short shot thanks to an assist from Jones.
MSU’s Rack knocked down her first of the half and the Dawgs got one free throw that tied the game again at 20-all with 42 seconds.
Jones converted for the Gators on their next offensive possession, hitting a trey from the top of the arc and MSU couldn’t connect on the last set of the half, as Florida took a 23-20 halftime lead.
The teams combined for 24 first-half turnovers, with the Gators accounting for 14 of those. Neither team shot well during the opening frame, but recovered a bit from their respective slow starts, with UF hitting 30 percent (9-30) and MSU 25 percent (7-28).
Sorensen’s eight rebounds led UF’s charge on the glass, where the Gators held a 26-17 advantage.
The Gators continue their two-game SEC road swing on Thursday, when the team travels to Tuscaloosa to play Alabama, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (6 p.m. CT). The radio in Gainesville on WBXY-FM (The Star 99.5) and through the internet at http://www.GatorZone.com, the official website of the Florida Gators. There will not be television coverage of the game.
FLORIDA 55, MISSISSIPPI STATE 53
At Humphrey Coliseum, Starkville, Miss.
FLORIDA (55) – Steffi Sorensen 2-7 2-2 8, Sharielle Smith 4-6 4-6 13, Azania Stewart 5-10 1-2 11, Lonnika Thompson 0-2 1-2 1, Jordan Jones 3-11 0-0 8, Tessah Holt 0-0 0-0 0, Ndidi Madu 1-2 1-2 3, Susan Yenser 0-0 0-0 0, Trumae Lucas 3-8 2-3 8, Jennifer Mossor 1-7 1-2 3, Jennifer George 0-2 0-0 0. TOTALS 19-55 12-19 55.
Field-goal shooting: 19 of 55 for 34.5 percent. 3-point shooting: 5 of 21 for 23.8 percent (Sorensen 2-7, Jones 2-7, Smith 1-1, Thompson 0-1, Lucas 0-1, Mossor 0-4). Free-throw shooting: 12 of 19 for 63.2 percent. Rebounds: 46 (Sorensen 12, Smith 7). Assists: 10 (Jones 4, Thompson 3). Blocked shots: 5 (Smith 2, Stewart 2). Steals: 5 (Smith 2). Turnovers: 21 (Stewart 4, Lucas 3, Mossor 3, Jones 3). Total fouls (fouled out): 13 (none). Technical foul: Madu.
MISSISSIPPI STATE (52) – Chanel Mokango 1-4 1-2 3, Mary Kathryn Govero 4-11 0-0 10, Alexis Rack 5-19 2-2 16, Diamber Johnson 4-10 0-0 10, Armelie Lumanu 4-11 2-6 10, Rima Kalonda 0-0 1-2 1, Danielle Rector 1-2 0-2 2, Bethany Washington 0-0 0-0 0, Ashley Jones 0-1 0-0 0, Channa Campbell 0-0 0-0 0. TOTALS 19-58 6-14 52.
Field-goal shooting: 19 of 58 for 32.8 percent. 3-point shooting: 8 of 26 for 30.8 percent (Rack 4-13, Johnson 2-4, Govero 2-7, Lumanu 0-1, Jones 0-1). Free-throw shooting: 6 of 14 for 42.9 percent. Rebounds: 35 (Lumanu 14, Mokango 7). Assists: 10 (Rack 5, Lumanu 4). Blocked shots: 5 (Mokango 4). Steals: 10 (Lumanu 5). Turnovers 18 (Lumanu 7, Rack 4, Johnson 3, Mokango 3). Total fouls (fouled out): 15 (none). Technical: Rack.
Halftime: Florida 23, Mississippi State 20. Officials: Barry Roberts, Roy Gulbeyan, Jennifer Rezac. A—1,892.
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
For the latest standings, click below:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncw/conferences/standings?year=2010&confId=23
Sunday, Jan. 17
Florida 55, Mississippi State 52
Kentucky 88, Alabama 63
Georgia 73, Arkansas 63
Mississippi 80, Louisiana State 71
South Carolina 63, Auburn 49
Tennessee 64, Vanderbilt 57
Thursday, Jan. 21
Florida at Alabama, 7 p.m.
South Carolina at Louisiana State, 7 p.m.
Arkansas at Kentucky, 7 p.m.
Tennessee at Georgia, 7 p.m. (FSN)
Vanderbilt at Auburn, 8 p.m. (CSS)
Mississippi State at Mississippi, 8 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 24
South Carolina at Florida, 1 p.m. (SUN)
Mississippi at Georgia, 1 p.m. (CSS)
Auburn at Kentucky, 2 p.m. (SECN)
Arkansas at Alabama, 3 p.m. (FSN)
Mississippi State at Vanderbilt, 3 p.m.
Tennessee at Louisiana State, 6 p.m. (ESPNU)
Thursday, Jan. 28
Auburn at Tennessee, 7 p.m. (CSS)
Mississippi at South Carolina, 7 p.m.
Alabama at Vanderbilt, 8 p.m.
Kentucky at Louisiana State, 8 p.m.
Georgia at Mississippi State, 9 p.m. (FSN)
Sunday, Jan. 31
Florida at Mississippi, 3 p.m. (FSN)
Tennessee at South Carolina, 2 p.m. (SEC)
Louisiana State at Alabama, 3 p.m.
Vanderbilt at Arkansas, 3 p.m.
Kentucky at Mississippi State, 3 p.m.
Georgia at Auburn, 6 p.m. (ESPNU)