Florida Gators
08 Stockholm - BBall Travelers (EXH)
Women's Basketball Wins Exhibition Opener, 88-58
Thursday, November 7, 2002 | Women's Basketball
Five Gators scored in double figures and used a 25-4 run mid-way through the second half to defeat 08 Stockholm 88-58 in the exhibition debut for first-year University of Florida women's basketball head coach Carolyn Peck.
Offensively, the Gators were led by junior center Vanessa Hayden (Orlando, FL), who finished the night with 16 points and seven rebounds. Sophomores Tara Taylor (Huntsville, AL), Tishona Gregory (Romulus, MI) and Tamia Williams (West Palm Beach, FL) and freshman Dalila Eshe (Tallahassee, FL) all scored in double figures, contributing 14, 10, 13 and 10, respectively.
All 11 players who suited up played at least 11 minutes, with 10 Gators contributing offensively. On the defensive side of the ball, Florida scored 32 of its points off of 33 Stockholm turnovers.
"I think that with the style of defense we play, there is no way that you can play just five people for 40 minutes," Peck said. "To have the confidence we have in this team that we can put anybody out there, and they're ready to rotate defensively, I think that that helps us stay fresh on the floor. We've done lots of conditioning in practice to help us all be prepared for today."
The Gators were extremely aggressive offensively, earning 40 trips to the free throw line and converting 30 attempts.
The Gators next host Premier Players on Monday, November 18th at 7 p.m. in their final exhibition game. The 2002-03 season officially opens on Friday, November 22nd, when Florida entertains Lamar at 7:00 p.m. in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
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