New head coach Amanda Butler claimed throughout the preseason that the Florida women's basketball team would play an up-tempo, full-court style game. During the team's lone preseason exhibition game, the Gators looked every bit like the squad Butler described they would be, as Florida dominated Warner Southern, 106-28, Thursday evening at the O'Connell Center.
All 10 scholarship players who entered the game scored at least six points, with five Gators tallying a double-figure scoring effort, helping Florida reach the century mark for the first time since topping Tennessee State, 100-54, on Dec. 28, 2000.
Junior Aneika Henry (Coconut Grove, Fla.) led the Gators with a double-double, scoring 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting, along with 10 rebounds. The tallest player on the floor at 6-foot-3, Henry also recorded three blocks and two steals.
“I think you got a glimpse of what Aneika's impact is,” Butler said. “She's able to do a lot of things on the court that other people just aren't capable of doing. Combine that with the fact that she plays very hard and really wants to get better every time she steps onto the court, her future is very bright."
Senior Depree Bowden (Palmetto, Fla.) and junior Sha Brooks (Jackson, Tenn.) followed Henry with 14 points a piece, while fellow juniors Kim Critton (Memphis, Tenn.) and Marshae Dotson (Columbus, Ohio) topped the 10-point mark with 13 and 12 points, respectively. The duo also followed Henry on the boards with nine rebounds each, helping Florida to a 60-34 rebounding edge.
Warner Southern was led by freshman guard Ivana Soberal, who contributed 19 of the Royals' 28 total points. The West Palm Beach, Fla., native also led Warner Southern with seven rebounds and two steals in the contest, but turned the ball over 15 times.
Riding the momentum from the first half, when Florida assumed a commanding 57-16 halftime lead, Butler's locker room talk kept the Gators focused on both ends of the court.
The Royals couldn't connect on their first field goal of the second half until the 12:22 mark, while Florida continued to extend its offensive advantage and out-rebounded the visitors, 39-15, in the final 20 minutes.
“From a coaching standpoint when you go into a locker room and issue a challenge and a team responds like that, you certainly have to be pleased,” Butler said.
Florida finished the game hitting 56 percent (42-of-75) of its shots, while forcing the Royals into 37 turnovers and shooting just 16.4 percent (10-61).
The Gators outscored the Royals, 57-16, in the first half, shooting 22-of-34 (64.6%). The Orange and Blue were led during the opening 20 minutes by Brooks and Henry, scoring in double figures with 10 and 11 points, respectively. Henry also snagged five rebounds to go with two blocks and a steal in the first half.
The Gators actually scored two points before tip-off due a Warner Southern-technical foul for not getting the starting lineups in on time. Brooks sank two free shots to give Florida the pre-game lead, 2-0, and the Gators started the game on a 12-0 run and never looked back.
The 2007-08 regular season begins Friday, November 9th, when Florida hosts Xavier at the O'Connell Center at 5:30 p.m.
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