The University of Florida women's basketball team's 81-77 loss to N.C. State on Saturday in the consolation game of the GlaxoSmithKline Invitational could be extremely costly. UF's All-American center Vanessa Hayden left the game with 18:34 remaining after suffering an injury to her left ankle.
Hayden had been the Gator's leading scorer in the game with 12 points and four rebounds in 14 minutes of work at the time of her injury and helped Florida (5-3) build a 38-29 lead. The momentum clearly shifted in N.C. State's favor at that point.
"I think it energized and gave N.C. State hope," UF head coach Carolyn Peck said. "But I don't think it effected our effort. N.C. State played a phenomenal game tonight and Kaayla Chones is a phenomenal player. Once we lost our phenomenal player (Hayden), we just couldn't find an answer for Chones."
Chones finished with a game-high 24 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the floor, helping the Wolfpack shoot 63.0 percent in the second half and 46.4 percent during the game. NCSU shot 24-of-34 from the free throw line, making several key hits in the final minutes of the game to secure the win.
Florida freshman Bernice Mosby scored 20 of her team-high 22 points in the second half, all coming after Hayden's injury. She also added seven rebounds in 28 minutes of action. Freshman Sarah Lowe contributed 11 points with nine assists, while sophomore Tamia Williams added 11 in a losing cause for the Gators, who turned the ball over 21 times and were outrebounded 40-39. Freshman Dalia Eshe was UF's leading rebounder, grabbing 10 with eight points.
Lowe was named to the GlaxoSmithKline All-Tournament Team, joining Houston's Chandi Jones (MVP) and Shondra Bush, Washington's Giulianna Mendiola and Loree Payne, and N.C. State's Chones.
Bernice Mosby made two free throws on the Gator's ensuing possession after Hayden's departure, but N.C. State (3-4) scored the next seven points to cut the gap to four, 40-35, with just under 17 minutes remaining in the game.
The teams traded two-point baskets for the next three minutes until N.C. State's Billie McDowell knocked down a pair of three pointers to shrink UF's lead to three, 53-50, with 10:35 remaining.
Both squads again countered offensively, as UF couldn't pull away and N.C. State couldn't get any closer than three points. But with the Gators leading 61-54 with 8:40 on the clock, the Wolfpack's Amy Simpson ripped off the next six points and Amelia Labador canned a trey from the top right of the arc to give NCSU a 62-61 lead with seven minutes remaining. But Dalila Eshe hit an 8-footer as the Gators regained the lead. Mosby added one free throw, but so did the Wolfpack, before Tamia Williams hit a deep jumper to give the Gators a 66-63 lead. After another back and fourth effort, Terah James nailed a deep three-pointer to tie the score at 68-all with 4:20 left to ignite a game-clinching 11-2 run that ended with 1:25 remaining in the game and N.C. State leading 76-70. The Wolfpack made their free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.
Hayden's departure in the second half left the Gator's inside game leaner, as freshman Brittany Davis did not suit up for the game after suffering a knee injury during the latter part of Friday's game and sat out Saturday for precautionary measures. She, too, will be reevaluated in Gainesville.
The opening eight minutes of the game was back-and-fourth, as the teams traded baskets on virtually every possession, with the Wolfpack leading for the entire time except the opening bucket. With N.C. State leading 14-10, the Gators ripped off a 22-3 run over the next seven minutes paced by nine points from Tamia Williams which give Florida a 32-17 advantage with just over five minutes remaining in the half. Kaayla Chones scored the next four points of the game to halt a string of 17 consecutive Gators points and close out the half with a 10-2 run for the hosts, cutting UF's lead to 34-27 at intermission.
Florida will attempt to halt its two-game losing streak on Wed., Dec. 11, when the Gators travel to Orlando to play Central Florida. Tip-off of the game is set for 7 p.m. and will be televised live by Sunshine Network.
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