Junior guard
Brandi McCain (Silsbee, TX/Silsbee) scored 26 points and dished out six assists to lead the Florida Lady Gator basketball team to a 98-85 victory over the Premier Players in its exhibition opener at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center Tuesday night.
The Premier Players (1-3) jumped out to an early lead, scoring the game's first four points, but the Lady Gators came back to grab the lead at 5-4 on back-to-back baskets by senior guard
Tombi Bell (Miami/Miami Norland), who finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Florida then pushed its lead out to as much as 25 points in the first half at 46-21. An 18-8 run by the Players to close out the first half cut the Lady Gators' lead to 54-39 at the break.
"I really liked the way our team played really solid basketball in the first half," UF head coach
Carol Ross said. "Tombi Bell and Brandi McCain set a great tone on both ends of the floor and fueled our first half."
"It felt great to be back out on the court again," said McCain, who missed 19 games last year because of injuries.
Florida got its lead back out to 20 points in the second half at 65-45, and later at 68-48 and 71-51 before the Premier Players went on a 15-4 run to cut the lead to single digits at 75-66 at the 11:07 mark on two free throws by former Lady Gator Tonya Washington. Florida then pushed its lead back out to 17 at 87-70 on a basket by McCain with about 7:00 left. The Players cut the lead to eight points later in the half, but the eight-point deficit was as close as they could get as the Gators pulled out the 98-85 victory.
"We didn't protect our lead as well as we should have and that's something we will work on in practice," Ross said. "We have to avoid the lulls we had tonight."
For Florida, McCain was followed by freshman guard
Tara Taylor (Huntsville, Ala./Butler) with 18 points and Bell with 17 points. Sophomore center
Jameelah Trimble (Opa-Locka, Fla./American Senior) surpassed her entire 1999-2000 season total with 11 points on the night, while also grabbing 11 rebounds. Senior center
Tamara Stocks (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington) added 10 points for the Lady Gators. Freshman
Vanessa Hayden (Orlando, Fla./Boone) scored eight points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots in her debut.
Trisha Stafford led the Premier Players with 20 points and nine rebounds. Washington added 12 points wiht six rebounds.
The Lady Gators return to action on Sunday, Nov. 12, when they play host the Basketball Travelers in the team's final exhibition contest of the season. The game is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
