Junior guard
Brandi McCain (Silsbee, Tex./Silsbee) scored 21points to lead the 10th-ranked Florida Lady Gators (16-2) to a 88-56 victory over the Providence Friars (7-9) at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center Thursday night. The win was Florida's 13th consecutive home victory.
"It was good to be back home," said Florida head coach
Carol Ross, whose team was playing just its second home game of the calendar year. "It was a great way to start our four-game home stand - with a win against a Big East opponent. We hope to defend our home court in the upcoming games and it is going to be tested."
The Lady Gators took control of the game early, jumping out to an early 10- point lead (18-8) at the 13:47 mark in the first half on a free throw by freshman center
Vanessa Hayden (Orlando, Fla./Boone). Providence couldn't get closer than 10 points for the rest of the game as the Lady Gators pushed their lead to as much as 20 points at 41-21 and 43-23. Florida took a 45-28 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Florida broke the game open in the second half, opening with an 11-0 run to increase its lead to 56-28. The Lady Gators led by as much as 36 in the second half as they cruised to the 88-56 victory.
"Coach Carol Ross has a great program with great balance," Providence head coach Jim Jabir said. "They have great guard play and are huge inside."
The Lady Gators used their inside game to out-rebound the Friars 53-25 while out-scoring PC 44-14 in the paint. UF shot 45.8 percent during the game, including a 55.2 percent clip in the second half. The Lady Gators also held a huge advantage at the free throw line, converting 31-of-44 compared to PC's 13-of-16 performance.
McCain was followed in scoring by Hayden, who tallied 19 points and a game- high 13 rebounds.
Tamara Stocks (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington) added 17 points, hitting 9-of-12 from the free throw line. Senior
Misty Knight (Savannah, Ga./Beach) came off the bench to record several career-highs that included eight points and seven rebounds while playing 26 minutes.
Providence was led by Kristin Quinn who scored 15 points, while Jen Gombotz chipped in 10 points for the Friars, who shot just 34 percent from the floor.
Florida will be back in action on Sunday, Jan. 28, when it hosts SEC foe South Carolina. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
