In a game that featured 12 lead changes and five tied scores, the No. 12 Lady Gators didn't have the lead when it counted against No.9 South Carolina, as they fell to the Lady Gamecocks 69-59 in front of 1,749 fans at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center Sunday afternoon.
The loss drops Florida's record to 15-7 (5-4 SEC) while South Carolina improves to 18-3 (6-2 SEC).
All-American guard Brandi McCain's 14 points and center Vanessa Hayden's 12 points led Florida. Hayden also recorded her 12th double-double of the season, snaring a game-high 15 rebounds. Courtney Cooper added 10 points.
"The two days of preparation we had from the Tennessee game to this game didn't solve our problems," Florida coach Carol Ross said. "We can't have our senior point guard turn the ball over seven times, which isn't typical for Brandi, and we need to do a better job catching her passes. There is no question we can run the floor better, and hopefully these are things that we can fix."
South Carolina dominated the transition game in scoring 22 fast-break points compared to Florida's four. South Carolina forward Jocelyn Penn shot 13-of-16 from the field on her way to a game-high 29 points. Shaun Gortman added 13 points, while Cristina Ciocan dished 11 of her team's 19 assists.
Penn's five steals were also a game-high and helped South Carolina score 22 points off 25 Florida turnovers.
"Penn had an outstanding effort and showed tremendous athleticism getting from one side of the floor to the other," Ross said. "We didn't match her effort, and South Carolina was able to find our weak spot and attack it."
After trailing 31-29 at the half, South Carolina went on an 8-0 run early in the second half to open up a 38-34 lead with 14:16 left in regulation. Florida regained the lead on the 12th lead change of the game after a Vanessa Hayden bucket put them up 45-44 at the 7:50 mark.
A 12-0 South Carolina run lasting over four minutes following Hayden's score put South Carolina up 56-45. Brandi McCain hit a 3-pointer with 1:49 left to bring Florida within six points of South Carolina at 60-54, but that was as close as they could get to the Gamecocks.
"I was really pleased with our defensive effort and our work ethic," South Carolina coach Susan Walvius said. "Those are the reasons we are 18-3. It has been our defense and rebounding, and the fact that we are doing a better job taking care of the basketball."
Guard Tamia Williams provided a spark for the Gators off the bench as she scored nine points and dished out three assists. Williams intercepted a South Carolina pass at mid-court and took it the distance for a lay-up with 2:10 left in the first to give Florida a four-point lead at 31-27; their largest lead of the first half.
Florida returns to action Sunday, February 10, traveling to Oxford, Miss. to take on Mississippi. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. CT.
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