The No. 14-ranked University of Florida women's basketball team won its Southeastern Conference opener with an 82-70 victory over No. 17 Mississippi State at Humphrey Coliseum. The victory improved the Lady Gator's overall record to 12-1 this year, while the Lady Bulldogs fell to 9-3.
"This game was every bit the battle I knew it would be," UF head coach Carol Ross said. "The first SEC game for everyone is huge and this was an especially big win for us because it came on the road against a top-25 ranked team. We scrapped and got the job done. Brandi McCain set a great tone for us in the second half defensively because she kept Cynthia Hall from penetrating. That helped take the pressure off our post players, who had a lot to handle with LaToya Thomas and Jennifer Fambrough."
After Tombi Bell hit two free throws to give UF a 65-54 lead with 8:32 remaining in the game, the Lady Bulldogs went on a 9-2 run to cut UF's advantage to four, 67-62, with 5:32 to go. Sherisha Hills finally ended MSU's run with a seven-foot jumper, but MSU hit a pair of free throws to keep UF's lead at four.
The Lady Gator's then returned to their inside game, as post players Naomi Mobley and Vanessa Hayden scored eight of UF's 10 points over the next four minutes to build the lead back to nine points with under one minute remaining.
"I thought rebounding, free throws and how we pressured their guards were going to be a big factor in tonight's game for us," Ross said.
Florida outrebounded MSU 49-39, as Naomi Mobley and Vanessa Hayden led the way for the Lady Gators snaring a combined 22 boards. Both ended the evening with double-doubles, as Mobley netted 16 points and Hayden added 10.
Mobley was one of three Lady Gators who scored 16 points in the win, with Tombi Bell and Brandi McCain each adding 16 points. Monique Cardenas also tallied 14 points.
MSU's Jennifer Fambrough led all scorers with 27 points and 13 rebounds, while LaToya Thomas recorded 22 points with 11 boards. Cynthia Hall tallied 10 points for the Lady Bulldogs, who shot just 31.3 percent in the second half and 35.9 percent in the game.
The Lady Gators shot 46.3 percent from the floor during the game, hitting 31-of-67.
Florida turned to its inside game to begin the second half, as post players Tamara Stocks and Naomi Mobley accounted for all of the Lady Gators' points during an opening 8-2 run to give UF a 49-34 lead with 16:47 remaining in the game. MSU answered with a 7-3 run to close within 11 points, 52-41. Brandi McCain then sunk a three-pointer, but the Lady Bulldogs countered with a 7-0 run to get within seven points with 11:56 left. Tombi Bell hit one free throw and McCain added another trey and then a pair of free throws as UF jumped back out to a 13-point lead, 61-48, with 11:09 remaining. But Florida couldn't pull away, as MSU scored four consecutive points to bring UF's lead under double-digits.
Florida opened the game with a 9-2 run as four different players connected on shots. Mississippi State's Keisha Stringfellow then hit a soft jumper and Meadow Overstreet followed with a three-pointer to cut UF's lead to two. The Lady Gators countered with a 7-0 run as Tamara Stocks and Monique Cardenas added buckets capped by a trey from Brandi McCain to build a 16-7 lead with 14:42 remaining in the first half. Both teams traded baskets before the Lady Bulldogs notched a mini 6-2 to bring the score to 19-16. Vanessa Hayden and Tombi Bell added a pair of buckets for UF, but MSU's wouldn't let the Lady Gators pull away and countered with four straight points to keep UF's lead at three, 23-20, with 9:19 left in the opening half.
Bell then scored four straight points to ignite a 12-2 run over the next four minutes as UF led 35-22 with 5:04 remaining. But the Lady Bulldogs rallied with a 9-2 run of their own to pull within seven. Hayden converted a power layup and was fouled. She missed the ensuing free throw, but Naomi Mobley collected the offensive rebound and put it back in to give the Lady Gators a 41-30 lead with 55 seconds left in the half. UF had the ball for what seemed to be the final possession but turned the ball over and MSU made the Lady Gators pay as LaToya Thomas hit a pair of free throws with less than one second remaining as UF went into halftime with a 41-32 lead instead of a double-figure advantage.
UF carried the nine-point lead into the locker room thanks to its work in the paint, where the Lady Gators outrebounded MSU 25-15.
Florida continues its three-game SEC road trip on Sunday, Jan. 7, when the Lady Gators travel to Lexington to play the Kentucky Wildcats at 2 p.m.
