In a game that featured 22 lead changes and 14 tied scores, it was a 10-0 run by Jacksonville in the final five minutes of play that made the difference, as Florida lost 75-64 on Wednesday evening at the Veterans Memorial Arena.
In the first-ever meeting between the two programs separated by just 61 miles, the Gators (4-3) held a 55-53 lead with 6:17 remaining before Jacksonville (5-2) ripped off the game-deciding spree to take a 63-55 advantage with just under four minutes left.
Sha Brooks, who finished the game with 12 points and extended her consecutive made free throw streak to 17, converted a nifty three-point play that brought the deficit down to five, but JU's Virginia Gregoire answered with a trey to dampen any thoughts of a rally.
“The way we closed out the ballgame had everything to do with how badly Jacksonville wanted to beat us,” UF head coach Amanda Butler said. “Jacksonville wanted to win more than we did. We showed spurts of fight, but they out-played us during crucial moments.”
Marshae Dotson scored a game-high 18 points and collected six rebounds, six shy of her average entering the contest, as the Gators lost the rebounding battle for the first time this season, 33-30. Depree Bowden and Aneika Henry contributed 10 points each for Florida, which when 0-11 from the three-point arc, ending a streak of 215 consecutive games with at least one trey.
Rigina Omoite scored a team-high 17 points and collected eight rebounds for Jacksonville, which won its 13th consecutive home game. Gregorie added 14 points, seven rebounds and three steals in a complete performance, while Lynsey Paschal tallied 10 points, hitting five-of-five from the floor.
The first half was played at a frenetic and sometimes sloppy pace, as the teams combined for 24 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes. The frame also featured two primary runs, one by each squad, that fittingly resulted in a one-point Florida lead, 31-30, at halftime. The period had nine lead changes and five tied scores.
The teams traded buckets early before the Dolphins used a mini 6-0 run that the Gators countered with 5-0 run sparked by Jennifer Mossor, who had been sidelined all season with a broken finger, entered the game at the 14:01 mark of the first half. She collected an offensive rebound, put back the miss, picked up a foul and hit the ensuing free throw to convert a three-point play with 12:14 remaining.
Florida's lead was short-lived, as JU used a 13-4 march to assume a 23-15 lead with 7:26 remaining in the half. That's when the Gators rallied, as Marshae Dotson scored six points during a 12-3 spree that gave UF a 27-26 advantage with just over four minutes left. The teams alternated buckets and leads during the closing minutes of half with the buzzer sounding just as a Dolphin layup missed the mark give Florida the lead entering the locker room.
The Gators continue their two-game road trip, next traveling to the state of Kentucky to play Louisville (3-2) on Sunday, December 2nd. The game, which will tip-off at 2 p.m. ET, can be heard live on the radio in Gainesville on WRUF 850AM and through the official website of the Florida Gators, www.GatorZone.com.
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