Ole Miss used a 16-2 run late in the second half to take a 66-54 lead with just over five minutes remaining and then withstood a furious rally to defeat the University of Florida women's basketball team 74-72 at the Tad Smith Coliseum in the Southeastern Conference opener for both squads.
The loss snapped the Gator's 11-game win streak over the Lady Rebels (11-2, 1-0 SEC), who defeated Florida (8-5, 0-1 SEC) for the first time since January 11, 1992.
Florida returns to action on Sunday, January 12, when the Gators play host to SEC rival Georgia in the O'Connell Center beginning at 3 p.m. ET.
The Gators found themselves trailing by 16 points, 35-19, after Ashley Johnson nailed Ole Miss' seventh 3-pointer of the first half. Tamia Williams countered with a trey for UF to end the scoring in the opening period with the Gators behind 35-22. It marked the fourth consecutive game Florida trailed at halftime.
Tywanna Inmon scored the opening basket of the second half to give Ole Miss a 37-22 lead, but the Gators ripped off a 16-2 run to take their first lead of the game, 40-39, with 14:47 remaining. Ole Miss rallied to score the next five points after UF committed three straight unforced turnovers, as UM regained the lead, 44-40. Williams hit another 3-pointer and Bernice Mosby followed with a bucket to give UF a 45-44 advantage at the 11:55 mark.
The teams continued to trade baskets for the next minute and a half, and with UF leading 52-50, Ole Miss' Amber Watts sparked a devastating 16-2 run that gave the Lady Rebels a 66-54 lead with 5:16 remaining in the game. Florida hit just four field goals the remainder of the way, but still managed to claw back within two points after Sarah Lowe hit a long-range jumper with two seconds remaining.
"Ole Miss came out and played one heck of a ballgame," UF head coach Carolyn Peck said. "They shot the ball extremely well and had several players step up. The cumulative stats don't tell the story of their shooting because they hit the big shots. We gambled in the first half that they wouldn't hit those outside shots, but they did."
UM shot 39.7 percent from the floor during the game, including a 50 percent mark in the second half. UF managed a woeful 25 percent shooting in the opening half, ending the game with a 35.9 percent clip, while shooting 42.9 percent from the 3-point line on 9-of-21 shots.
Florida outrebounded Ole Miss 47-45, including a 24-16 advantage in the second half when the Gators also outscored the Lady Rebels 50-39.
Tamia Williams scored 13 of her 16 points in the second half to lead the Gators. Bernice Mosby added 15 points with 11 rebounds to log her fifth double-double of the season, while Sarah Lowe netted 14 points and Danielle Santos added 10.
Inmon scored 16 of her game-high 19 points in the second half, leading four Lady Rebels in double-figure scoring. Inmon recorded two three-point plays in the early stages of UM's game-clinching run to spark the victory.
Seven of Ole Miss' 12 made field goals in the first half came from the 3-point line, helping the Lady Rebels build a 35-22 lead at halftime, as the Gators trailed at the half for the fourth consecutive game. Florida shot a painful 25.0 percent from the floor (8-of-32) in the opening 20 minutes, while turning the ball over eight times. UM shot 31.6 percent overall (12-of-38), but hit 7-of-18 from beyond the arc. The Lady Rebels also controlled the boards, owning a 29-23 advantage, which included 10 on the offensive end.
Danielle Santos came off the bench to score a UF team-high seven points in the first half, while Genice Terry led UM with 10 points.
END OF REPORT
