The University of Florida women's basketball team connected on 10 three-pointers for the fourth time this season, but it wasn't enough to overcome No. 9/8 Auburn, which used its superior height and a game-changing 15-3 run early in the second half to earn a 81-65 decision in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 6,090 fans at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum Sunday.
The loss ended the Gators' program-record 15-game winning streak, as No. 18/19 Florida fell to 15-2 overall and 1-1 in the Southeastern Conference. Auburn remained one of four undefeated teams in the country, improving to 16-0 this season and 2-0 in league action before the seventh largest crowd in Tiger history.
Senior forward Marshae Dotson (Columbus, Ohio), who at 5-foot-11 is UF's tallest starter, led the Gators with 13 points and eight rebounds, hitting 5-of-9 from the floor and all three of her free throw attempts. Senior guard Sha Brooks (Jackson, Tenn.) added 11 points with six assists, but struggled with her shot, hitting just 3-of-18 from the floor. Junior forward Sharielle Smith (Bradenton, Fla.) also tallied a double-figure scoring effort, netting 10 points with six rebounds, five of those coming on the offensive end, where Florida collected 22 of its 39 in the game to take the 39-32 rebounding battle.
“Auburn really took over the game, defensively,” UF head coach Amanda Butler said. “They scored 42 points in the first half and that's just not the way our team plays when we're playing Florida basketball. To give up that many points in the first half, you have to give a lot of credit to DeWanna Bonner and Sherell Hobbs, who were just fantastic today. Auburn had a great crowd and it was great to see that much energy around a program. We got out-played today, but I thought we really, really battled for the rebounds and made the battle of the boards ugly. We just didn't have enough scoring to accompany that rebounding.”
Auburn's 6-foot-4 DeWanna Bonner pumped in a game-high 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting, while collecting 11 rebounds, while Sherell Hobbs added 23 points, hitting 10-of-12 overall and all three attempts from the three-point arc, two of which game in the final six and half minutes of the game after Florida had cut the deficit to single-digits, swinging the momentum back in Auburn's favor.
Whitney Boddie added 14 points and 11 assists, while 6-foot-7 KeKe Carrier made things difficult for the Gators inside, as she accounted for eight points, six rebounds and seven blocked shots in 21 minutes of action.
“We shot from three decently and that's the only reason we probably stayed in the ballgame,” Butler said. “They did a great job in their zone, making it difficult for us to get the ball into the low block. I felt like we missed some easy shots early in the game and that really took us out of our flow and offensive rhythm. I do have to give credit to Auburn for their game-plan and the way they executed it. Their seniors stepped up and played like seniors.”
Florida's 10 three-pointers were the combined effort of a 10-of 26 shooting from behind the arc from Steffi Sorensen (Jacksonville, Fla.), Smith, Lonnika Thompson (New Orleans, La.), Trumae Lucas (Greensboro, N.C.) and Susan Yenser (Marietta, Ga.).
Auburn started the second half scoring the first five points after hitting a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer to post a 10-point lead, 47-37. Smith got the Gators' offense rolling with a trey from the left corner before Dotson hit a tough turnaround in the paint to bring UF within five.
Bonner stole the ball on UF's next possession and ran the length of the floor for the layup, but Susan Yenser (Marietta, Ga.) nailed UF's seventh three-pointer of the game and brought the Gators within four, 49-45, with 14:55 to go.
Auburn's next five points came from the free throw line that started a 15-3 run that finally ended with the hosts holding a 16-point cushion, 64-48, with just under nine minutes remaining. Florida committed a pair of costly turnovers early in the run before even getting a shot off to cut into the deficit that helped fuel the spree, with the only Gator points coming at the free throw line.
Sorensen finally halted the spree with a deep three-pointer as the shot-clock expired. Dotson followed with a power jumper in the paint to cut into the deficit.
Bonner hit a layup for Auburn, but Sorensen struck again from long range and Brooks hit one free throw to pull UF within single-digits, 66-57, with 6:27 remaining.
KeKe Carrier then powered in a shot under the basket and Hobbs followed with a trey and the lead ballooned to 14 points, 71-57. Dotson answered quickly by converting a three-point play at the 4:38 mark. Hobbs, however, hit a dagger from long range with 4:09 on the clock that lifted the Tigers to a 74-60 advantage and Florida tried, but just couldn't recover.
Florida shot 34.9 percent (22-63) overall from the floor, the first time the Gators have shot below 40 percent this season, while Auburn hit 56.4 percent (31-55), the first UF opponent to hit better than 50 percent this year.
The Tigers also out-scored the Gators, 38-20, in the paint and limited Florida to just 13 second-chance points after allowing the Gators to collect 22 offensive rebounds.
Florida was able to match Auburn bucket for bucket in the opening three and half minutes of the game until Bonner was able to capitalize on a break-away basket and completed a three-point play that gave the Tigers an 11-7 lead.
Brooks came right back with a driving layup and the Gators were within two and again after Dotson sank two free throws at the 15:05 mark. After one free throw from Auburn, Florida was able to collect multiple offensive rebounds, but unable to convert any of its short-range shots.
Whitney Boddie then produced a steal that started a transition bucket that Bonner completed. Florida missed its shot on the next possession and AU grabbed the defensive board and Sherell Hobbs nailed an eight-foot jumper to cap a 5-0 run that helped the Tigers pull away with an 18-11 lead, while the Gators continued to struggle with their shot, as their percentage dipped to 20 percent.
Dotson halted the run with a tough shot in the paint, before Sherell Hobbs nailed a three-pointer and followed with one from inside the arc, to extend the AU spree to 10-2 that resulted in a 10-point spread, 23-13, with 10:22 remaining in the first half.
Florida refused to fold and turned to its long-range shooting touch to cut into the deficit. Lucas nailed a 3-pointer shortly after entering the game and Brooks followed with a six-footer at the 8:51 mark to bring UF within five points.
Auburn countered with the next four points, but Smith put back an offensive rebound and Dotson converted two free throws to get within five. A bucket from Trevesha Jackson halted the Gator run, but Smith came back with a trey from the right corner with 5:13 on the clock and Florida was within four points, 29-25.
Neither team scored consecutively for the remaining of the period, but the Gators snuck in two more three-pointers, one from Thompson and one from Brooks that helped UF close to within two points on three separate occasions, the last when Aneika Henry (Coconut Grove, Fla.) hit a turnaround in the paint with 16 seconds to go. The Tigers, however, worked the shot clock to perfection, when Bonner banked in a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the Tigers to the locker room with a 42-37 halftime lead.
Florida rallied to hit 37.8 percent (14-37) from the floor during the opening half, but the Tigers shot a blazing 62.1 percent (18-29) thanks to 10 points off fast breaks and 20 in the paint against the smaller Gators.
The Gators also felt the absence of junior guard Jennifer Mossor (Orlando, Fla.), who will be unavailable for the remainder of the season due to injury. One game after leading the Gators in their 74-56 win at Ohio University on Jan. 3rd, scoring 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting, including a 3-of-4 effort from long range, Mossor's season ended after she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee with 12:38 remaining in the game against Mississippi State on Jan. 8.
“It's a big loss for our team, but also an opportunity for other players to set up and show what they've got. The different contributions Jenn has brought to the team will not be able to be filled by just one person so we need everyone to step up,” Butler said. “Jenn is obviously is big part of the team and will continue to be. Even though she won't be out on the floor for us, she will still continue to be a huge contributor on the bench and in practice. We just look forward to getting her back.”
Mossor started the first 16 games of the year, helping the Gators race out to a 15-1 record, the best 16-game mark in program history, as well as sport a 15-game winning streak entering Sunday's game at No. 9/8 Auburn. At the time of her injury, she was UF's fourth-leading scorer (9.1 ppg), had dished the third-most assists (37) and hit the third-most three-pointers (15). Mossor scored a career-high 22 points in UF's season-opener at FGCU. That game marked the first time Mossor has been healthy enough to suit up for a Gator season-opener, as collegiate debut was delayed two games because of a stress fracture in her left foot and missed the first six games of 2007-08 after she broke the pinky finger on her left hand on Oct. 27 and had surgery Oct. 30, 2007.
The Gators return to action on Thursday, when the team travels to Columbia, S.C., to play South Carolina, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. The game will be televised live by COX Sports (COX Communications cable channel 67 in Gainesville), while the radio broadcast of the game can be heard live in Gainesville on WRUF-AM850 and through www.GatorZone.com, the official website of the Florida Gators.
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