University of Florida senior guard Sha Brooks (Jackson, Tenn.) led the No. 23 (AP) Gators to their 10th straight win with a 77-55 victory over Florida A&M on Friday in the O'Connell Center. Brooks chipped in a team-high 12 points and dished out three assists in just 19 minutes of play.
With the win, the Gators improve to 10-1 overall, just the fifth time in school history they have opened with the program record-tying mark.
The 22-point win over the Rattlers (4-3) marks the first time in school history Florida has won its first five games at home by a margin of 20 points or more. Led by a strong defensive force and a balanced attack on offense, Florida only surrendered 14 turnovers, a season low.
Led by Brooks and junior forward Sharielle Smith (Bradenton, Fla.), who contributed 11 points and a team-high-tying seven rebounds, Florida's 60 percent from the field in the first half was the best the Gators have shot in a half all season, hitting 18-of-30 from the field, 5-of-10 from behind the arc and 6-of-9 free throws to enter the locker room ahead, 46-23. Steffi Sorensen (Jacksonville, Fla.) also collected seven rebounds, tying her career high.
“I have a lot of respect for LeDawn Gibson and the way she coaches and has her team playing,” UF head coach Amanda Butler said. “They were very impressive and put up a fight, especially in the second half. I thought we played well in the first half – we did all the things that were necessary to set the tone for the rest of the game. It was a great win at home. Any win in front of the home crowd is always special.”
The Gators used a key 10-2 run in the middle of the second half to maintain the momentum against a Rattler team that came out of the locker room determined to narrow the margin. Florida also hit 18-of-25 free throws, taking advantage of its opportunities at the charity stripe.
“Going back to our last game (against Bethune-Cookman), we didn't show a lot of heart in the second half. We showed a lot of heart playing as hard as we did in the second half tonight. We knew coming in they were a great shooting team – they're a great basketball team period. They put us in a hole and they were hot. I was hoping their shooting didn't last in the second half. They hit a few shots, but we just have to keep playing basketball.”
Led by junior Lonnika Thompson (New Orleans, La.), who scored nine points and stepped up on the defensive end with two steals, Florida's bench outscored FAMU, 35-12. Redshirt freshman Ndidi Madu (Antioch, Tenn.) followed in step with eight points, while senior guard Kim Critton (Memphis, Tenn.) and freshman Azania Stewart (Wood Green, England) chipped in six points each.
Florida A&M's Stephanie Foster and Deidra Jones combined for 36 of the Rattler's 55 points, scoring 21 and 15, respectively, while Jones was FAMU's leader on the boards, collecting seven rebounds, helping the Rattlers out-rebound the Gators, 40-39.
The Gators opened the game with a 6-0 run over FAMU before the Rattlers closed the margin to 9-6, the closest they would come in the match-up. Executing good defense, the Gators capitalized on four first-half FAMU turnovers, converting for nine fast-break points. The Gators additionally shot 60 percent from the field, holding the Rattlers to just 29.6 percent.
Gator senior Marshae Dotson (Columbus, Ohio) eclipsed 1,200 career points in the first half, hitting three field goals and a point from the charity stripe, while Brooks started off hot, shooting a perfect 2-of-2 from the field and 2-of-2 from downtown. Sorensen crashed the boards for six rebounds, finishing the night with a career-tying seven.
UF's defensive front posed a strong presence that the Rattler's couldn't contest throughout the game. Stewart fired up the Gators with two key defensive blocks that kept the momentum in favor of Florida.
The Gators will be idle through final exam week until they host No. 16 Pittsburgh on Dec. 21 in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, with tip-off scheduled for 2 p.m. The game will be televised live on Sun Sports and on Fox College Sports state-wide, while the radio broadcast of the game can be heard in Gainesville on WRUF-AM850 and through the internet at www.GatorZone.com, the official website of the Florida Gators.
Postgame Notes
· The win over the Rattlers marks the first time in school history Florida has won its first five games at home by a margin of 20 or more points
· The Orange and Blue only surrendered 14 turnovers in the game, a new season low (previous was 15 against UAB)
· Florida shot 60 percent from the field in the first half, the best they have shot in a half this season, while holding Florida A&M to just 29.6 percent
· Florida finished the game 49.1 percent from the field, compared to Florida A&M's 30.5 percent
· The Gators additionally racked up 24 points in the paint to the Rattlers' six in the first half
· The UF bench outscored FAMU, 35-12
· Steffi Sorensen grabbed seven boards on the night, tying a career-high
· Florida senior forward Marshae Dotson surpassed 1,200 career points with her nine against FAMU
· Florida improved its all-time record against FAMU to 7-4
· UF's 10-game winning streak is the longest since an 11-game winning streak during the 2005-06 season and the third longest win streak in program history
· Florida's 10-1 record marks just the fifth time in school history and the first since 2005-06 the Gators have accomplished the feat
· Florida's win over FAMU moved UF to 15-4 against MEAC opponents
· Tonight's game marked the first time Florida has taken on Florida A&M in back-to-back years (2007 & 2008) since 1981 and 1982
· The Gators' win marked the fourth straight victory over the Rattlers, the first time in school history UF has won four straight
· With the win tonight, the Orange and Blue are on a 13-game home winning streak versus non-conference opponents
· The victory over Florida A&M moves the Gators to 4-1 against in-state opponents this season
· Florida welcomed a familiar face from the UF community for the match-up between the Gators and Rattlers. Gainesville Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan watched the game from the sideline with her family.
-UF-
