Despite a game-high 23 points by All-American Vanessa Hayden, the University of Florida women's basketball team lost 80-75 to Miami Friday evening at The Convocation Center.
The loss snapped UF's 45-game win streak versus instate opponents. Prior to Friday's setback, the Gators had not lost to an instate opponent since February 16, 1993, when Florida Atlantic defeated UF 84-63.
The Gators (5-2) had their chances late, but missed three shots all under the baskets with less than 15 seconds remaining and Miami (7-0) went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the closing seconds to seal the victory.
"We had some great opportunities at the end of the game, but we just couldn't finish," UF head coach Carolyn Peck said. "Sarah Lowe did a phenomenal job coming up with a steal near the end that put us in position to win, but again, the ball just wouldn't go in the hole."
Gators joining Hayden in scoring double-figures included Bernice Mosby, who recorded 18, and Tashia Morehead, who scored 17. Chanivia Broussard led Miami with 22 points, while Tamara James added 19 and Yalonda McCormick tallied 17.
Friday's game concluded UF's season-opening seven-game road trip. The Gators next play host to No. 15 UC Santa Barbara on Sunday, December 14 in the O'Connell Center. The game, which will tip-off at 3:00 p.m. ET, is UF's first home game of the 2003-04 season.
Danielle Santos made one of two free throws with 2:38 left in the game to give UF a 70-68 lead, but Miami hit a pair from the charity strip to tie the game before Tamara James nailed a 3-pointer from the right side with 1:05 remaining to give the Hurricanes a 73-70 advantage. Bernice Mosby hit a jumper from just inside the arc, but Yolanda McCormick nailed a trey from the top of the key, giving UM a 76-72 lead with 30 seconds remaining. Mosby again answered for UF, canning a 3-pointer with 23.4 seconds left, drawing the Gators within one.
Sarah Lowe stole the ball off the in-bounds pass and immediately called a timeout. The Gators had three shots all under the baskets but missed all of them and was forced to foul McCormick who eventually came up with the offensive rebound. She made both ends of a 1-and-1 with 8.7 seconds remaining to give UM a 78-75 lead. But UF turned the ball over bringing it up the floor and was forced to foul Tamara James immediately, who made both free throws to give UM an insurmountable five-point lead, 80-75, with five seconds remaining.
"Miami did a great job inside and you have to give them a lot of credit," Peck said. "This was a great game to show off the level of basketball being played in the state of Florida. It was a great game, intense throughout."
Tashia Morehead's three-pointer just 10 seconds into the second half brought the Gators within one, 38-37, but Miami came back with a 6-2 run and held a 44-38 lead. That's when the Gators stormed back with a 8-0 run to take a 46-44 lead, their first since the 17:19 mark of the first half. During the run Vanessa Hayden powered in a jumper, Morehead put back her own miss, Sarah Lowe streaked down the lane for a driving layup and Danielle Santos added another driving lay-in. The Gators also forced a shot-clock violation during the run, as they turned up their defensive intensity.
The Hurricanes then answered with a 5-0 run to re-take the lead, 49-46, with 14:14 remaining in the game. Over then next three minutes, there were four lead changes and two tied scores as the teams traded offensive buckets and defensive stops.
With UF leading 54-52 with 12:46 remaining, Miami used an 11-2 run over the next two-plus minutes to take a 63-56 advantage. Tashia Morehead scored the next five points of the game with a pair of long jumpers and after Tamara James added bucket for UM, Vanessa Hayden and Bernice Mosby followed with short field goals to tied the game at 65-all with 5:44 remaining.
After a mad scrambled for the ball, Hayden picked up her fourth personal foul with 5:25 left in the game. But the Gators continued to battle without their leading scorer and rebounder on the floor and took a 67-66 lead after Mosby hit a 10-footer. Shaquana Wilkins added a jumper in the paint for UM, but Morehead nailed a pair of free throws as the teams took turns at the lead. Danielle Santos made one of two free throws with 2:38 left in the game to give UF a 70-68 lead, but Miami hit a pair from the charity strip to tie the game before Tamara James nailed a 3-pointer from the right side with 1:05 remaining to give the Hurricanes a 73-70 advantage. Bernice Mosby hit a jumper from just inside the arc, but Yolanda McCormick nailed a trey from the top of the key, giving UM a 76-72 lead with 30 seconds remaining. Mosby again answered for UF, canning a 3-pointer with 23.4 seconds left, drawing the Gators within one.
Sarah Lowe stole the ball off the in-bounds pass and immediately called a timeout. The Gators had three shots all under the baskets but missed all of them and was forced to foul McCormick who eventually came up with the offensive rebound. She made both ends of a 1-and-1 with 8.7 seconds remaining to give UM a 78-75 lead. But UF turned the ball over bringing it up the floor and was forced to foul Tamara James immediately, who made both free throws to give UM an insurmountable five-point lead, 80-75, with five seconds remaining.
The teams began the game trading baskets for the first eight-plus minutes until Miami used a 9-1 run to build a 25-16 lead with 7:45 remaining in the half. The teams again exchanged buckets until Bernice Mosby scored five straight points. UM's Chanivia Broussard then scored her 16th point of the half with a tough offensive put-back, but Tashia Morehead followed with trey to close the deficit to three points, 31-28, with 2:52 left. However, Tamara James answered with a 3-pointer of her own before the Hurricanes came up with a steal on UF's next possession and Tatjana Marincic capitalized with a break-away layup to again give UM an eight-point lead, 36-28, and 2:16 on the clock. The Gators then buckled down and ended the half with a 6-1 run to shrink the halftime deficit to four, 38-34.
Vanessa Hayden, UF's leading scorer and rebounder, played just nine minutes in the first half because of foul trouble, but led the Gators scoring 12 points.
END OF REPORT
