Despite Florida's duo of Tashia Morehead (Panama City, Fla.) and Brittany Davis (Gainesville, Fla.) combining to net 27 points, the 18th-ranked Georgia Lady Bulldogs used a strong second half and came from behind to defeat the Gators, 63-38, at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center Thursday evening.
Playing their final game in the O'Connell Center, Florida seniors Tishona Gregory (Romulus, Mich.), Morehead and Tamia Williams (West Palm Beach, Fla.) were recognized for their contributions to the Gator basketball program. Despite the warm reception by the Florida faithful, Georgia's send off for UF's senior class was not as friendly.
Florida (14-12, 5-8 SEC) held a 25-22 halftime lead, but Georgia (21-6, 9-4 SEC) responded by hitting 59.3 percent (16-27) of its shots from the field in the decisive second half, exploding for 41 points. The Lady Bulldogs made some defensive adjustments at the half and managed to hold the Gators to 13 second half points, their lowest point total in a half in program history. Florida's 38 points was the third-lowest game total in program history and marked the first time since 1985-86 that UF has been held under 40 points in a contest.
"In the second half when Georgia went to a zone, which is something that we normally like to see, we just couldn't get our shots to fall," UF head coach Carolyn Peck said. "That affected our defense on the other end and as a result did not defend penetration well."
Georgia opened the second half on a 13-0 run to grab a 33-25 advantage and would never look back. The Lady Bulldogs held the Gators' offense in check for much of the second half, as UF was held without a field goal until 8:26 remaining in the contest.
Tashia Morehead's 14-point, five-rebound effort led the Gators, who shot just 13.6 percent (3-22) in the second half and 30.3 percent (14-46) during the game. Brittany Davis contributed 13 points and six rebounds with four steals, while Dalila Eshe collected a game-high eight rebounds.
The Lady Bulldogs enjoyed a game-high 19 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals from Sherill Baker. Cori Chambers came off the bench for 15 points, hitting 5-of-9 from the three-point arc.
In the first half, the Gators grabbed a 7-6 lead at the 12:59 mark and traded baskets with the Lady Bulldogs before snagging a 9-8 advantage with 12:05 remaining in the opening frame.
With 9:05 remaining in the first half, the Gators had muscled their way into the bonus and were having their way underneath the basket. UF maintained a narrow lead most of the first half, while overcoming a brief 19-19 tie with 4:58 remaining in the half.
Behind a tenacious defense and a lot of hustle, Florida made seven steals and forced 11 first half Lady Bulldog turnovers to carry a 25-22 lead into the locker room.
"Our defense in the first half was probably the best we've played this season," Peck said. "We changed up our defenses and rotations frequently and our team handled that very well."
Florida returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 26, traveling to Baton Rouge, La. for its regular-season finale against No. 1 LSU. Game time is set for 3 p.m. ET and will be broadcast by SEC-TV (Sun Sports, FSN South, FSN Southwest).
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