Junior guard
Brandi McCain (Silsbee, Tex./Silsbee) scored 30 points to lead the 10th-ranked Florida Lady Gators to a 91-53 victory over the South Carolina Lady Gamecocks at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center Sunday afternoon. Florida improved to 17-2 overall and 5-1 in the SEC with the win, while USC fell to 8-12 overall, 3-4 in SEC play. The victory was UF's 14th consecutive win at home and its eighth this season.
"It's so important to win every game you can in the Southeastern Conference so this was a good victory for our team today," UF head coach
Carol Ross said.
The game was close through most of the first half, with neither team able to build a lead of more than five points until the Lady Gators went on a late 12-0 run sparked by a block from
Vanessa Hayden on USC's Ines Ajanovic. Hadyen swatted the shot, caught the rejection and sailed it down court to
Brandi McCain, who completed a driving layup and converted the three-point play after being fouled on the shot. USC turned the ball over on its next possession and
Tombi Bell countered with a three-pointer.
Naomi Mobley then added a pair of free throws to give the Lady Gators a 32-18 lead with 3:46 remaining in the half. Florida built the lead to 20 points at halftime (43-23).
"The first half was pretty tight and then we became more aggressive rebounding the ball," Ross said. "Brandi (McCain) wasn't hitting early, but her shots looked good so I knew it was only a matter of time before they starting falling."
Florida picked up right where it left off to begin the second off as the Lady Gators opened the half with another 12-0 run to increase their lead to 55-23. Florida went on to push its lead to as much as 47 points at 86-39. The Lady Gators cruised the rest of the way to the 91-53 victory.
Florida shot 47.3 percent for the game, while holding South Carolina to a 29.0 percent effort during the game, including a 23.3 percent mark during the first half. The Lady Gators also won the rebounding battle, 54-39.
"We played South Carolina only a week ago and we made great strides defensively since that game," Ross said. "I liked how our players responded to the challenge."
Last Sunday Florida defeated South Carolina 97-85, as the Lady Gamecocks shot 51.7 percent from the floor.
Florida freshman center
Vanessa Hayden (Orlando, Fla./Boone) collected her seventh double-double this season by scoring 19 points with 11 rebounds. Senior forward
Tamara Stocks (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington) added 14 points for the Lady Gators.
Shannon Segres led South Carolina with 13 points and Teresa Geter added 12 points for the Lady Gamecocks.
Florida next plays on Thursday, Feb. 1, when it hosts the No. 5-ranked Georgia Lady Bulldogs at the O'Connell Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
