Georgia scored the first 11 points of the second half to balloon its 11-point halftime lead into a 56-34 advantage and Florida would never recover, as the 17th-ranked Lady Bulldogs defeated the Gators 89-70 at Stegeman Coliseum Sunday afternoon in front of 6,178.
The loss snapped the Gator's 11-game win streak, one shy of tying the program record, as Florida (13-2, 1-1 SEC) lost just its second game of the year and its first since a November 23 decision at Florida State. UF's 13-1 start was tied for the best in program history. The 2001 squad also began the season 13-1, but ironically lost to Georgia in its 15th game that year, as well.
“Today was going to be a matter of team intensity and I think that Georgia raised its level of intensity to a high level from the very beginning of the game,” UF head coach Carolyn Peck said. “We came in passive and committed two quick turnovers to start the game and it just rolled from there. I don't think we played the aggressive basketball that I know we can until the last three minutes of the game and by then it was too late.”
Dalila Eshe led Florida with 23 points and 10 rebounds to post her third double-double this season and the fourth of her career. Freshman Marshae Doston also recorded the first double-double of her young career, contributing 11 points with a career-best 10 boards, hitting 5-of-8 from the field, as UF shot just 39.4 percent from the floor. Freshman Sha Brooks tallied 14 points to score in double-figures for the seventh straight game.
Georgia's Tasha Humphrey scored 19 of her game-high 26 points in the second half, when the Lady Bulldogs (11-3, 2-0 SEC) out-rebounded the Gators by 14. Georgia connected on 11-of-23 three-pointers and finished the day shooting 48.6 percent overall from the floor. Sherill Baker also netted 20 points for UG, while Cori Chambers and Janese Hardrick each contributed 13.
Sarah Lowe's three-pointer with 15 minutes remaining was the Gator's first field goal of the second half, as UF attempted to rally in the second half for the third consecutive game but fell short. Lowe's trey was part of a 6-0 run that cut the deficit to 16 points, but Georgia staged another run to take a 20-point lead which it held until Sha Brooks canned two free throws with 3:03 remaining to make the score 82-63. Dalila Eshe added an eight-foot jumper, but Janese Hardrick countered with a four-point play. Eshe continued to hit from the outside, canning a three-pointer and another long jumper to bring the Gators within 16 points with 1:51
The opening minutes of the first half were played fast and furious, with both teams trading baskets and forcing five lead changes and one tie in the first four minutes. Dalila Eshe's three-pointer gave the Gators a 9-7 lead, but Georgia ripped off a 10-0 run over the next two minutes to take a 17-9 advantage with 13:57 on the clock.
UF chipped away and got within six points twice, but Georgia responded with a three-pointer both times, leading by as many as 13 points on two different occasions, last coming with 1:19 remaining in the period. Marshae Dotson canned consecutive offensive put-backs to get UF within nine, 43-34, with 15 seconds remaining, but Alexis Kendrick's jumper with two seconds left gave Georgia a 43-34 halftime lead. It was the third consecutive game the Gators had trailed after the first 20 minutes of play, but Florida couldn't stage another comeback en route to its first loss since November 23.
The Lady Bulldogs shot a sizzling 7-of-13 from the three-point arc in the first half and 50 percent overall, while Florida hit 40 percent on 14-of-35 shooting. Cori Chambers and Janese Hardrick each connected on three treys for Georgia, with Chambers recording a first-half high 11 points. Eshe led Florida with 10 points, while Dotson had nine points with a career-high eight rebounds.
Florida returns to action on Thursday when the Gators play host to Kentucky at 7 p.m. in the O'Connell Center. Florida has won nine consecutive home games, the fourth longest home streak in program history.
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