Junior forward Sharielle Smith (Bradenton, Fla.) scored a game-high 15 points to lead four Gators in double-figure scoring, as the University of Florida women's basketball team won its second game in a 24-hour span at a different arena, defeating Savannah State, 75-55, on Monday in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
The Gators (4-1), who have now won three consecutive home contests by 20 or more points for the first time since 2000, shot 46.6 percent (27-of-58) from the floor for the game, marking the fourth consecutive contest Florida has shot better than 45 percent as a team.
“A 20-point win at home is a great thing,” Florida head coach Amanda Butler said. “I think that it is a great testament to where our program is right now that we can win a game by 20 points and still know we could have played better. We had some bright spots – Sharielle Smith has been very consistent doing the things that we need her to do and Ndidi Madu had an impressive game tonight. We are capable of much more. It was a positive win and a testament to the high expectations we have as a team.”
Smith came just shy of registering her second career double-double with nine rebounds to complement her 15 points in 21 minutes of action, hitting 5-of-7 from the field. Senior guard Sha Brooks (Jackson, Tenn.), the reigning Southeastern Conference Player of the Week, scored 13 points, including a season-high three 3-pointers, in just 16 minutes of action.
Redshirt freshman forward Ndidi Madu (Antioch, Tenn.) had a career night, finishing with a personal-best 11 points and a career-high eight rebounds in 18 minutes of action, her most playing time in a Gator uniform. Senior forward Marshae Dotson (Columbus, Ohio) added 10 points and five rebounds in 13 minutes of work.
Florida, playing for the second consecutive night and the fourth time in eight days, forced a season-high 29 turnovers and benefited from Savannah State's miscues, scoring 31 points off of those turnovers. The Gators, who entered the game with just 24 steals on the season, posted a season-high 19 steals in the game, including three each by Anieka Henry (Coconut Grove, Fla.), Steffi Sorensen (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Lonnika Thompson (New Orleans, La.). That marked career highs in steals for both Henry and Sorenson.
The Florida bench was an important factor in the victory, as the Gators' reserves scored 31 of the team's 75 points and outscored the opponent bench, 31-17. Included in Florida's bench scoring were the first collegiate points by freshman guard Tailor Jones (Altamonte Springs, Fla.) and a career-high three blocks by freshman center Azania Stewart (Wood Green, England).
“I've said many times that I think one of the strengths of this year's team is our depth and our versatility,” Butler said. “We have a lot of confidence in our bench. It's one of the things that can make us a very hard team to guard because of the different combinations that we can put on the floor both offensively and defensively.”
Florida took a 38-22 advantage into the locker room at halftime after closing the period on a 13-4 run. The Gators shot 52.0 percent (13-of-25) from the floor in the opening half, while forcing 11 steals and scoring 18 points off of 16 Savannah State turnovers.
Florida scored the game's first six points, forcing four turnovers over the game's first 1:25, but the Tigers responded with six points of their own to knot the score at the 16:41 mark of the opening period. A 3-pointer by Smith and a three-point play from Henry extended Florida's lead to 12-6 with 15:35 left in the half, before Savannah State answered with a 5-0 run over the next 1:47 to cut within one, 12-11.
Smith hit a basket at the 13:05 mark to spark an 8-2 run by the Gators that gave them a 20-13 advantage. A trey by Brooks and a pair of free throws by Dotson put Florida up by 10, 25-15, with 7:29 left until intermission. With the Gators ahead by six, 26-20, Smith sank a 3-pointer and then followed with a fast-break lay-up give Florida a 31-20 lead with 4:48 remaining in the half.
With the Gators in front 38-24 early in the second half, Brooks drained a three to spark a 9-0 Florida run that gave it a 47-24 advantage with 17:29 left. Brooks had five points during that scoring spree. Leading 49-34, the Gators went on an 8-0 run that was capped off by a Brooks 3-pointer at the top of the key with 12:01 remaining to give Florida a 57-34 advantage. The Tigers never got closer than 18 points the rest of the way.
Savannah State (2-3) was led by Nikki Robinson's team-high 13 points, six rebounds and three blocks. Lashara Smith added 11 points and five boards for the Tigers.
“We had a long road trip from Texas and you're always concerned being on the road for four games with a young group,” Savannah State head coach Cedric Baker said. “I just really wanted our players to play well and play up to their potential. Having a young team, it can be a rollercoaster. I knew Florida would be on a high coming off a win against Florida State. I have a lot of respect for their program and I knew we would have to play our best.”
Florida returns to action on Friday when it plays Southern Illinois on the first day of the Junkanoo Jam in Freeport, Bahamas. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. EST, and the radio broadcast of the game can be heard live in Gainesville on WRUF-AM850 and on www.GatorZone.com, the official website of the Florida Gators. Live streaming video will be provided by Basketball Travelers through the internet at http://watchbtihoops.com.
POST-GAME NOTES
· Florida shot 46.6 percent (27-of-58) from the floor, marking the fourth consecutive contest that the Gators have shot better than 45 percent from the floor.
· The Gators have won four consecutive games by 15 or more points. The last time a UF team accomplished that feat was a four-game stretch from Nov. 27-Dec. 6, 2004.
· The Gators extended their home non-conference winning streak to 11 games.
· The Gators have now won three consecutive home games by 20 or more points for the first time since defeating Penn State, Central Florida and Tennessee State in December of 2000.
· Monday's game marked the fourth game played in an eight-day span by the Gators, who won all four.
· Florida collected 19 steals in Monday's game after entering the contest with just 24 takeaways all season long. The 19 steals were the most since the Gators tallied 20 on Feb. 26, 2006 against Tennessee in Knoxville.
· Tailor Jones scored the first two points of her collegiate career, when she sank two free throws with 4:25 left in the game.
· Redshirt freshman forward Ndidi Madu had a career-high 11 points and a career-high eight rebounds in a personal-best 18 minutes of action.
· Freshman Azania Stewart registered a career-high three blocks.
· The 29 turnovers Florida forced were the most by an opponent since North Florida committed 30 on Nov. 10, 2006.
END OF REPORT
