Brandi McCain and Vanessa Hayden each scored 18 points as the No. 16 Florida Lady Gators defeated Duquesne 80-51 Friday in the second game of the 12th Annual State Farm Classic at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
With the win, Florida moves to 9-3 and has won its fifth straight and is 5-0 at home this season. Duquesne falls to 4-6 overall.
In the first game of the tournament, Valerie Zona scored a career-high 28 points, leading Kent State over Howard 96-86. Five Golden Flashes scored in double figures in the win. Courtney Kirk led Howard with 21 points. The 182 points scored marks the most points combined in the history of the tournament.
The Lady Gators will face Kent State Saturday in the championship game of the tournament televised live on the Sunshine Network. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Howard will face Duquesne in the consolation game at 4:30 p.m.
Florida put together back-to-back runs of five and seven points, respectively, to quickly take a 14-4 lead with 14:18 remaining in the first half. Brandi McCain's three-pointer with 5:27 left in the first half put the Lady Gators ahead by 15 at 32-17, their largest lead of the half. The two teams traded baskets over the remaining five and a half minutes, with Florida taking a 35-23 lead into the locker room at the break.
"I thought we came out the first five minutes ready to go," said Head Coach Carol Ross. "I wasn't really happy at halftime - I thought we lost some of our intensity. But we came back in the second half a little more ready."
Florida saw its largest lead of the game in the second half when the Lady Gators led by 34 with 2:15 remaining in the contest. Duquesne's 51 points was the third fewest allowed by Florida this season. The Lady Gators shot 60 percent in the second half, connecting on 18 of 30 attempts to close out the contest.
"I think the difference in the game was their fast-break points," said Duquesne Head Coach Dan Durkin. "I saw more fatigue on both teams. Maybe it was due to the break, but this is definitely one of our weakest shooting nights."
All five starters for Florida scored in double figures, and the Lady Gator bench provided some quality minutes in the win. Joining McCain and Hayden with double-figure points were Courtney Cooper (13), Monique Cardenas (12) and Tishona Gregory (10).
"It was good to see our starters with some good, solid numbers, but it was also good to see our bench produce," said Ross.
McCain extended her school-record streak of consecutive games with a three-pointer (27) when she connected on a trey in the first half. In addition, Hayden equaled her career-high in free throws made (eight) and has recorded a blocked shot in 29 straight games.
Florida shot 40 percent (14-35) from the field in the opening stanza while the Dukes shot 33 percent on 10-of-30 shooting.
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