Junior Depree Bowden (Palmetto, Fla.) just missed a double-double with 16 points and nine rebounds, and sophomore Marshae Dotson (Columbus, Ohio) also scored in double figures with 20 points, but it wasn't enough for the University of Florida women's basketball team to overcome a staggering 25-0 game-opening run by No. 4 Tennessee Thursday night in an 80-58 loss at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
The Lady Vols (15-1, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) raced out to an early 25-0 lead in the first 7:22 of the game before the Gators' (6-11, 0-2 SEC) recorded their first points of the night on a jumper by Dotson at the 12:19 mark. Senior Briana Phillips (Palmetto, Fla.) chipped in four additional points and Dotson added two more before Tennessee went on a 10-0 run to lead 39-8 with 8:17 left in the period. UT's Candace Parker hit a jumper at the 7:36 mark, but it was the final basket the Lady Vols would score before the Gators went on a momentum-changing 18-5 run than spanned the final five minutes of the half and resulted in a 44-26 UT halftime lead.
Bowden notched all nine of her first-half points during Florida's scoring spree, while sophomore Sha Brooks (Jackson, Tenn.) added six on a pair from long distance.
“Tennessee came out with aggressive pressure, and we didn't handle it well. The run that we ended the half with really gave our players a lot of confidence, and it certainly showed in the second half,” Florida head coach Carolyn Peck said. “Sometimes against programs such as Tennessee, it's easy to get yourself into a hole early on, but the experience that our young squad got tonight will really pay off for us down the road.”
Freshman Sharielle Smith (Bradenton, Fla.) finished the game with six points and a team-high nine rebounds for the Gators, while Brooks contributed eight points and four assists.
Tennessee capitalized on 13 Florida turnovers in the opening stanza for 14 points, and added 13 points on second-chance attempts. The Lady Vols' bench narrowly out-scored the Gators' bench 8-6, and recorded 24 rebounds to Florida's 22. Florida shot 85.7 percent (6-of-7) from the free throw line, 33.3 percent (9-of-27) from the field and 66.7 (2-of-3) from long range, while Tennessee was 18-of-42 (42.9) from the field, 6-of-10 (60.0) from the arc and 2-of-7 (28.6) from the stripe in the opening half.
The second half was a back-and-forth battle as the two teams traded points until Florida controlled the ball in a 6-0 rally six minutes into the half. Smith, Dotson and Brooks all contributed one field goal apiece to trail by 19 points, 56-37. Tennessee spent the next five minutes climbing back to a 70-44 lead, but Florida answered with a 10-4 run that put the Gators within 20 with three minutes to play.
Jennifer Mossor (Orlando, Fla.) nailed a 3-pointer with two minutes remaining on the clock and Dotson went 1-of-2 from the line before Tennessee hit a series of three-straight baskets for the 80-58 victory, marking the Lady Vols' ninth straight win.
“I thought we played in spurts, and even though we had some good spurts, we didn't play to our capabilities. Nonetheless, it was a win on the road,” Tennessee head coach Pat Summit said. “As a team, we need to get more disciplined when we extend the lead. This team could set the standard a little higher for 40 minutes each game. We need to learn to sustain those leads better.”
Smith pulled down a career-high-tying nine rebounds and was 2-of-3 from the field and a perfect 2-of-2 from the line. Bowden was also perfect from the line with 5-of-5 shooting, as UF shot 14-of-19 for the game.
“We kept each other confident out there tonight. That's what we have to do when we're on the court, and just focus on playing our game and not giving up,” Dotson said.
“When I went into the game, I saw that coach needed me to step up for the team. I'm a role player, and find what I need to do in a game, and tonight I saw that I needed to rebound as hard as I could. I knew I needed to step up my game for the team tonight,” Smith concluded.
Tennessee had three players in double figures, with Sidney Spencer tallying a game-high 21 points. Candace Parker recorded 19 points, nine rebounds and a game-high three blocks, while Alexis Hornbuckle notched a double-double and just missed a triple-double finishing with 10 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
Florida resumes SEC action at No. 14/12 Vanderbilt (15-2, 2-1 SEC) on Sunday, Jan. 14, with tip-off is slated for 3 p.m. EST. The radio broadcast of the game can be heard in Gainesville on WRUF-850AM and on the internet at www.GatorZone.com.
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