Senior Sha Brooks (Jackson, Tenn.) scored 18 of her season-high 24 points in the second half, leading the University of Florida women's basketball to a 72-57 upset over No. 22/21 Florida State on Sunday afternoon at the Tucker Center.
Brooks, who started her 95th consecutive game, hit 7-of-15 from the field and 10-of-13 from the free throw line, helping the Gators (3-1) earn their first victory over a nationally-ranked team since upsetting then-No. 5 Tennessee, 95-93 in overtime, on Feb. 26, 2006 in Knoxville.
The win over the Seminoles (3-1) also halted a 15-game losing streak to ranked teams, while denying Florida State its first crack at recording the 500th victory in program history.
“This win couldn't feel more perfect,” UF head coach Amanda Butler said. “I have a ton of respect for Florida State and the job that Sue Semrau continues to do here. I really believe they are one of the best teams in the country, especially their starting five, who I think can play with any team in the country. So, this is a huge win for us. Trying to put the Florida-Florida State rivalry aside, which is tough to do, this was a big win against a great team on their home court. Hopefully, this win will give our team a lot of confidence from here on out.”
Florida hit an impressive 51 percent from the floor (25-49), the third consecutive game converting over half of its shots, and 80 percent from the free throw line (20-of-25), while holding a 42-35 rebounding advantage over their taller instate counterparts.
Senior Marshae Dotson (Columbus, Ohio) led the Gators on the boards, collecting a season-high 13 while adding six points. Junior Sharielle Smith (Bradenton, Fla.) joined Brooks in double-figure scoring, tallying 15 points along with seven rebounds and hitting four more attempts from the free throw line, where she extended her season-opening run to a perfect 14-of-14.
After the Seminoles cut the Gators' second-half lead to six points, 49-43, with 8:41 remaining, Smith nailed a 3-pointer from the left side to start Florida's 11-2 run that included a left-handed hook-shot from Aneika Henry (Coconut Grove, Fla.), a runner in the lane from Brooks and a driving layup along the right baseline from Jennifer Mossor (Orlando, Fla.), as the lead grew to 15 points, 60-45, with 6:28 to play.
FSU scored the next three points of the game from the free throw line, but Brooks responded with a short jumper in the paint off an in-bound play.
Cierra Bravard dropped in a shot close to the basket, but Brooks came right back with a pair from the stripe. Mossor followed with a back-breaking three-point play, as she scooped up a defensive rebound, ran the length of the court, hit the tough layup and knocked down the accompanying free throw, as UF's lead swelled to 17 points, 67-50, with 4:20 remaining, and the Gators kept the Seminoles at bay the rest of the way en route to their third straight win of the young season.
Eight different players scored and nine collected at least one rebound for the Gators, whose field-goal defense held Florida State to a 32.4 percent (22-68) shooting effort during the game. With the balance Florida displayed throughout the game, it was Brooks who led the Gators down the stretch, netting her 70th career double-figure scoring game.
“The impact that Sha had was obvious. Every time Florida State made a run, we answered and it seemed to be that it was Sha who answered almost every time,” Butler said. “She can change the momentum by taking the ball hard to the goal or making a play off the dribble. For her to make those plays at the 40-minute pace we played against a team that is as physical and tough as Florida State is just as impressive as her 24 points.”
Brooks hit one free throw to open the second-half scoring, missed the second try, but Smith collected the rebound and put it back to extended Florida's halftime lead to 10 points, 37-27.
The teams continued to trade scores for the next four minutes until FSU scored four straight to get within six points, 45-39, with 12:45 remaining.
Smith answered with a pair of free throws and Brooks followed with two from the stripe, after Jacinta Monroe hit an inside jumper. That's when Florida ripped off an 11-2 run and began to pull away with the victory in front of a large gathering of Gator fans who made the two-hour ride from Gainesville.
“There was a whole lot of garnet and gold here today, but our fans showed up from Gainesville and kept our team fired up with their orange and blue shakers,” Butler praised. “Those folks cheered us on and were as important as anything that happened on the court.”
FSU opened the game using its height advantage to convert a pair of offensive rebound put-1backs and take a quick 4-0 lead. The Gators settled and opened up their transition game to counter with a 10-0 run and take a 10-4 lead at the 15:13 mark of the opening half.
Smith accounted for six of those points, while Dotson scored the Gators' first bucket and assisted on two of Smith's and Steffi Sorensen (Jacksonville, Fla.) capped the run with a floating runner along the baseline.
Jacinta Monroe ended UF's spree with a 10-footer in the paint, but the Gators countered with six straight points, four from Mossor and a pair from the free throw line from Smith, as the lead grew to 10 just under eight minutes into the contest.
The teams then traded next three minutes that ended with a 3-pointer from Tanae Davis-Cain, who cut UF's lead to seven points, 20-13, with nine minutes to go.
Junior Lonnika Thompson (New Orleans, La.) hit one free throw for the Gators at the 8:44 mark, missed the second, but freshman Azania Stewart (Wood Green, England) collected the rebound and kept the offensive possession alive, as Florida capitalized when Sorensen nailed a deep 3-pointer from the right side of the arc. Dotson continued the scoring by adding a driving layup with just over seven minutes left in the first stanza to extended the lead to 13 points, 26-13.
Mara Freshour came right back and canned a trey for the hosts, but UF ripped off the next six points, four of those courtesy of offensive putbacks, one each from Stewart and Dotson, who tallied four during the mini-run and six total during the 12-3 march by the Gators, who held a 32-16 advantage with 4:27 on the clock.
That last bucket by Dotson was the final field goal for the Gators in the half, as Florida State roared back with a 11-0 run, during when UF accumulated the majority of its 13 first-half turnovers.
Brooks didn't allow UF to go scoreless during the 4:27 of the period, sinking two free throws with 28.9 seconds to go, as the Gators took a 34-27 halftime lead.
Monroe led FSU with 18 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks, while Bravard added 11 points and Mara Freshour and Tanae Davis-Cain tallied 10.
The Gators don't have much time to prepare for their next game, tipping off again in approximately 27 hours from the conclusion of Sunday's win, as Florida entertains Savannah State (2-2) on Monday in the O'Connell Center at 7 p.m.
The first 250 Gator students who attend Monday's game will receive a free turkey sandwich at Gate 3, as part of UF's “Early Thanksgiving Promotion.”
Monday's will be Florida's last home appearance for 16 days, playing four away from Gainesville, before play host to Coppin State on Wed., Dec. 10.
-UF-
