Junior Marshae Dotson (Columbus, Ohio) scored 25 points and collected 16 rebounds, powering the University of Florida women's basketball team past Robert Morris, 67-63, Monday evening in the O'Connell Center.
The Gators (2-0) built a 10-point lead midway through the first half, but the Colonials (0-1) ripped off a 15-6 run and cut UF's lead to one, 30-29, with just under two minutes remaining in the period and the teams nearly matched each other shot for shot the rest of the game, as the Gators came away with the hard-fought victory.
“We beat a very good basketball team. Robert Morris is not only very talented, but they are also very well coached," Florida coach Amanda Butler said. "There are a lot of unknowns and I can imagine that is the reason why they weren't picked preseason to win their league.”
The final 20 minutes featured five tied scores and RMU even taking the lead on four different occasions. The Gators, however, responded every time including a jumper by senior Depree Bowden (Palmetto, Fla.) to even the score at the 42-all with just under 16 minutes remaining and then a tough put-back by Dotson with 14:27 on the clock to give the Gators a 46-44 advantage and the lead for good.
Dotson's bucket sparked an 8-2 run that gave the Gators a 52-46 lead, but Robert Morris continued to battle and got within one point five times during the final 10:28 of the game, the last time with 1:19 on the clock, but Florida answered each challenge and never surrendered its advantage.
“When we broke down, they where able to exploit it, but I give us credit for being able to withstand their run and do some things that put us in the position to succeed and have some great individual performances," Butler said.
Dotson, who shot 10-of-19 from the field en route to posting her eighth double-double and the 11th 20-point game of her career, snared 11 of her game-high 16 rebounds on the offensive end, helping the Gators to a 50-41 rebounding edge.
“Marshae Dotson had a fantastic performance," Butler said. "We ask her to do a lot, but when you are a great player, a lot is expected from you. She knows we are going to keep throwing the ball to her until the other team stops her.”
Joining Dotson in double-figure scoring column was Bowden, who added 16 points with seven rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals, while sophomore Brittaney Thomas (Montgomery, Ala.) added 14 points with five boards and three assists. Junior Kim Critton (Memphis, Tenn.) had a solid effort on both ends of the floor, as she finished with seven points and a career-high seven rebounds in 18 minutes of work.
Sade Logan led Robert Morris with 20 points on 8-of-21 shooting, while Chinata Nesbit added 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Angela Pace chipped in 12 points with a game-high six assists for the Colonials, whose roster features 10 new players.
With 3:35 remaining in the game, Bowden found Dotson on an entry pass out-of-bounds to give Florida a 62-59 cushion. The Gators then forced a missed 3-point attempt and a turnover on the ensuing defensive possessions, as Robert Morris endured a three-minute drought without a field goal.
Logan canned a jumper with 1:19 to go and pulled Robert Morris within one point, but Bowden countered with a driving layup to push UF's lead back to three. Thomas then connected on the front end of a one-on-one but Logan answered with a sideline jumper to keep it a one-possession game with 10 seconds remaining. Dotson then iced the game when she coolly sank two from the stripe with six seconds left and provide the final points of the night.
Florida returns to action on Saturday, November 17, when the Gators travel to the state of Nebraska for the first time in program history, playing the Cornhuskers (2-0) in Lincoln beginning at 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT). Streaming audio of the game can be heard through on the official website of the Florida Gators, www.GatorZone.com.
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