Marshae Dotson scored a career-high 22 points and Florida was outscored by just three points in the second half by 14th-ranked Georgia, but it wasn't enough to overcome a significant halftime deficit as the Gators dropped an 89-57 decision to the Bulldogs at Stegeman Coliseum Thursday evening in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.
Georgia (13-2) ended the first half on a devastating 20-2 run to take a commanding 52-23 halftime lead and the Gators (6-10) never recovered, falling to the rival Bulldogs for the sixth straight time. UG hit 9-of-18 from the three-point arc to propel a hot-shooting first half for the home team, which shot 54.1 percent (20-37), while Florida struggled with a 32.1 percent (9-28) mark.
“In that first half Georgia got on a roll and with our young players, we had some rotation breakdowns and you can't do that. Georgia took full advantage of our inexperience,” UF head coach Carolyn Peck said. “Cori Chambers was just on fire. We did a good job of limiting Tasha Humphrey's touches, but we left the perimeter open and that's where they really hurt us.”
Chambers scored 18 of her game-high 23 points in the decisive first half, hitting four of her five three-pointers, en route to Georgia's 12-of-26 effort from behind the arc during the game and 47.1 percent (32-68) overall from the floor. Florida converted 36.4 percent on the night, but just 2-of-15 from long range while committing 22 turovers.
UF's Sha Brooks reached double-figures for the 10th straight game, contributing 10 points, as eight of the nine Gators scored in the game. For Dotson, it was her third career 20-point game, while she also collected a team-high nine rebounds.
“Everyone played tonight and got good experience,” Peck said. “We need to continue to build on that and get better with the rest of our SEC games in front of us.”
Florida and Georgia traded scores for the first eight minutes of the second half, with neither team able to string together consecutive points, as the Gators were unable to chip away at the first half deficit. UF finally broke the trend after Sha Brooks hit a pull-up jumper in the lane and Brittaney Thomas followed with a driving layup with just over 11 minutes left in the game. Those buckets helped spark a 7-2 Gator run, as Florida got within 26 points, 68-42, with just under nine minutes remaining. Brooks also hit two free throws during the spree, extending her career-high made streak to 22, but missed her next attempt.
Marshae Dotson opened the game's scoring, powering in a jumper from under the bucket. Janese Hardrick countered with a three-pointer for Georgia before Jennifer Mossor sank a short jumper to spot the Gators a 4-3 lead.
That's when Cori Chambers got hot from the perimeter, as she nailed a pair of 3-pointers during a quick 8-0 run that lifted Georgia to a 11-4 lead. During that run, Sha Brooks, UF's leading scorer, left the game with an injured left shin. When she returned to the court four and half minutes later, the Bulldogs built a 23-10 lead with 9:57 remaining in the first half. Georgia added to its advantage with another bucket from Chambers, who scored 18 points during the first half.
With the Bulldogs holding a 32-15 lead, Dotson sparked a 6-0 spree and closed the gap to 11 points, 32-11, with 5:08 left in the period, forcing a Georgia timeout. The Bulldogs returned to the court and immediately ripped off the next 10 points. Dotson halted the run with another power lay-in, but UG closed the half scoring the final 10 points to take a commanding 52-23 halftime lead.
Georgia shot a sizzling 9-for-18 from the three-point arc, paced by Chambers' 4-of-6 effort. Dotson accounted for 14 of UF's 23 points and three rebounds, as the Gators trailed just 23-17 on the boards to the taller Bulldogs.
The Gators have the weekend off from competition before playing host to No. 4 Tennessee on Thursday, January 11 beginning at 7 p.m. in the O'Connell Center. The radio broadcast of that game can be heard live in Gainesville on WRUF-850AM and on the internet at www.GatorZone.com. Live streaming video of the game also will be available thru GatorVision Online at www.GatorZone.com.
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