Florida Gators
Colorado
Women's Basketball Runs Past #14 Buffaloes, 61-50
Saturday, December 22, 2001 | Women's Basketball
Hayden's ninth block, coming on a Elisha Bohman attempt with :36 to play, set a school record, topping Quintella Bonner's eight against Alabama on Jan. 22, 1979 and her own eight-block performance vs. South Florida on Dec. 8 of this year in Tampa. The sophomore center from Orlando was one carom shy of her career high with 17 rebounds and chipped in 24 points. Her defensive presence also helped force CU into a 16-for-60 (26.7%) shooting performance with six of their 16 hits coming from outside the three-point arc.
"She started out a little rough," UF head coach Carol Ross said of Hayden, who missed her first three shots. "She missed a couple of chippies and wasn't really into it early. But, she really patrolled that paint. The middle was hers and no body was coming in there. She really had both of Colorado's big girls completely bamboozled. So much of their offense runs through (the paint). We really set the tone of the rest of the game in the first half."
"The difference tonight was definitely our centers versus their center," CU head coach Ceal Barry said. "Hayden dominated under the net and that made the game. It was very frustrating not to score in the post. They have a great inside-outside combo in Hayden and [Brandi] McCain. You can't ignore McCain but it takes two people and you still can't stop Hayden."
Both teams got off to a sluggish start, combining to miss their first nine field goal attempts before CU's Britt Hartshorn worked her way to the glass for a bucket at the 17:13 mark. The Buffs would open up a 7-2 lead behind strong offensive rebounding but poor shooting and turnovers led to the Lady Gators capturing a 8-7 lead at 12:50 on a Hayden putback of a errant Tishona Gregory jumper. CU stood at 2-for-14 from the floor before Jenny Roulier knotted the score at 10-10 by draining a three at the 11:10 mark.
Florida's defense began to assert itself and Hayden caught fire as UF went on a 10-0 run to open up a 20-10 lead. Hayden opened the game 0-for-3 from the floor but hit five of her next six to fuel the Lady Gators while her presence in the middle altered many CU shots. The Buffs battled back to draw within five at 22-17 with 3:04 left in the half but got no closer than five prior to the break when UF led 27-19.
Although CU hit three of its first six three-point attempts, the Buffs opened the game 1-for-18 from within the arc, the lone basket being Hartshorn's at the 17:13 mark until Hartshorn hit a four-foot jumper at the 3:04 mark.
UF reversed its early rebounding deficit to hold a 25-16 edge at the break, compensating for a 12-for-33 (36.4%) performance shooting the ball. After the cold start Hayden would have 12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots by the half, ensuring her eighth double-double in 11 games this year.
The second half followed the same trends early with the Lady Gator defense and Hayden setting the tone. UF took a 39-28 lead when Trish Patterson banked a free throw in off the glass to complete a three-point play at the 14:59 mark. After the ensuing official timeout, the Buffs scored five straight points on a Mandy Nightengale three pointer and a layin by Hartshorn to cut their deficit to four at 38-34.
But, after a 30-second timeout Courtney Cooper hit a 10-foot jumper for the Lady Gators. Hayden blocked her sixth shot of the game, this one off of Bohman at the top of the key. A possession later, Cooper scored on a fast break to give the Lady Gators a eight point lead at 42-34 with 12:48 to play. UF would later extend its lead to a then-game high 11 at 47-34 when Brandi McCain drained a three from the corner at 10:53.
CU cut the lead to seven at 47-40 after a 6-0 run after the McCain three keyed by four points from Linda Lappe, playing in her first game of the season. Hayden would help push UF to its biggest lead of the night with her school-record tying eighth block, a swat of Tera Bjorklund just inside of 6:00. Hayden fished UF's offensive possession with a short jumper to put the Lady Gators up 52-40. CU never threatened down the stretch as the Lady Gators cruised to the 61-50 final, UF's 35th win over a ranked team in Ross' tenure in Gainesville.
The Lady Gators will now break for the holidays before returning to action on Dec. 28 when they host the State Farm Classic at the O'Connell Center. Howard will face Kent State at 4:30 pm followed by host UF and Duquesne at 7:00 pm. The Buffs are off until Dec. 29 when they will face LSU at the United Spirit Arena in Lubbock, Texas.
