Junior All-American Vanessa Hayden (Orlando, FL) led a balanced scoring attack, pacing the University of Florida women's basketball team to a 70-59 victory over USF on Sunday in front of 3,073 at the O'Connell Center.
Hayden, who contributed 13 points and 13 rebounds in addition to six blocks, recorded her second double-double of the year and the 28th of her career.
Sunday's victory was UF's 12th consecutive over USF (0-2) and marked the Gator's 40th straight win over a team from the Sunshine State. Florida puts that intrastate streak on the line again on Tue., Nov. 26, when the Gators (2-0) play host to rival Florida State (2-0) at 7 p.m.
Florida built a 32-24 halftime lead and carried that momentum into the second half, allowing only three USF baskets in the first 11 minutes, as the Gators went on an 8-0 run to establish a 23-point lead (58-32) with 9:02 remaining in the game.
But the Bulls stormed back behind a furious 19-4 run to close the gap to eight (62-54) with 2:37 left in the game. Freshman Dalila Esha (Tallahassee, FL) converted a driving layup to stop the run and give the Gators a 10-point cushion for the remainder of the game. In the final 1:31 of the contest, UF went 6-for-6 from the free throw line to secure the victory. The Gators hit 21-of-28 free throws for the game, while the Bulls sank 20-of-32.
USF struggled from the floor, shooting a mere 24.7 percent (18-of-73), including a 22.5 percent effort in the second half.
Freshmen Sarah Lowe (Wynnewood, PA) and Danielle Santos (Marietta, GA) chipped in 10 points apiece. Fellow freshman Bernice Mosby (Brooksville, FL) flirted with a double-double for the second straight game, contributing nine points and eight rebounds.
"You have to give USF a lot of credit because they were a team that would not go away," Peck said. "I also have to give our team a lot of credit for the tenacity that they showed. Sarah Lowe picked up two early fouls and we did not have Tara (Taylor), Tishona (Gregory) or Courtney (Cooper) available to help us out, but our bench stepped in and made a difference. Everyone contributed and gave us sparks at different times which helped us keep our lead."
The Gators steadily pressed through the opening minutes, using a 10-0 run to pull away from the Bulls 19-9, after both teams fought through an evenly balanced start. Hayden (Orlando, Fla.) led all scorers in the first-half with 10 points while grabbing seven rebounds. Sophomore Tamia Williams (West Palm Beach, Fla.) had four of Florida's seven steals in the first half while scoring seven points, ending the game with nine points, four steals and three assists.
Sarah Lochmann was the lone Bull scoring in double-figures, tallying a game-high 26 points with 14 rebounds.
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