On a day in which the Florida women's basketball team honored its alumni – the players, coaches and support staff members – who each have played important roles in the storied 35-year history of the program, the No. 19 Gators notched another impressive accomplishment as part of what is becoming a memorable season of firsts.
Senior forward Marshae Dotson (Columbus, Ohio) scored a game-high 20 points and Florida recorded its first win against Georgia since Feb. 26, 2004 with a 61-45 victory on Sunday in front of 2,413 fans in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
“It was a great day all the way around,” Florida head coach Amanda Butler said. “Personally, it was fun having so many past players here to enjoy it as well. It was great for them to see and to perform this way in front of not only our alums, but a great home crowd. It was another great win for our team; I am very proud of them and am especially happy to beat Georgia.”
The Gators (17-2, 3-1 Southeastern Conference), who snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Bulldogs in the all-time series, forced Georgia into 23 turnovers in the game, resulting in 30 Florida points off of those miscues.
“This team really gets their energy from defense,” Butler said. “I think we just played really tough, stingy, great defense, especially our man-to-man. In other ballgames, our zone has been a lot more troubling, so we have a lot of defensive versatility. I think our ability to switch things up with different combinations on the floor probably gave them the most trouble, but I think it has everything to do with our players setting the tone and being the more aggressive team.”
Dotson eclipsed the 20-point plateau for the third time this season and the 18th time in her career. She added six rebounds and two steals in 31 minutes of action, and increased her scoring average in conference games only to 17.3 ppg this season.
Senior guard Sha Brooks (Jackson, Tenn.), who now is averaging 20.5 ppg in league action this year, finished with 15 points and a game-high six assists. Junior guard Steffi Sorensen (Jacksonville, Fla.) followed with 12 points, comprised of four 3-pointers. Sorensen also tied her career high with a team-high seven rebounds, marking the second time this season she has led her squad on the boards.
“There are just so many ways that we can make plays,” Butler said. “Knocking down 3s is a big part of our game and that obviously showed tonight. We have a lot of individuals who play their best basketball at the most important parts of the game. That's what you have to do to be a great player in this league. We just have so many different ways that we can score.”
Florida shot 40.0 percent (24-of-60) from the floor in the game, while limiting Georgia to just 32.0 percent (16-of-50) shooting. The teams were even on the glass with 39 rebounds apiece, but Florida's post presence continued to be effective, outscoring the Bulldogs, 26-18, in points in the paint.
The Gators, who led 27-25 at intermission, trailed Georgia 30-29 with 18:13 remaining in the game. From there, Florida engineered an impressive 14-2 run over the next 6:32 to pull ahead by 11, 43-32 on a resounding 3-pointer by Sorensen.
By the time Florida took what was then its largest lead of the game at 17 points, 53-36, with 8:12 left, the run had been extended to a 24-6 scoring streak. The Bulldogs got no closer than 13 points in the game's final 10 minutes.
Florida opened up to a 7-4 advantage to begin the game, following a 3-pointer by Brooks at the 17:01 mark. The two teams continued to battle closely with neither squad holding more than a four-point edge until a jumper by junior forward Sharielle Smith (Bradenton, Fla.) with 11:58 remaining in the half sparked a 6-0 run by the Gators that was capped off by a fast-break basket by junior guard Lonnika Thompson (New Orleans, La.) that extended the Gators' edge to eight, 20-12, with 10:13 left in the half.
Georgia hung tough, cutting into its deficit, but the Gators moved their advantage back to seven, 27-20, with 5:24 left in the period after back-to-back hoops from Dotson and Smith. That was the final basket Florida would score in the first half, as the Bulldogs benefited from the Gators' scoring drought to run off five straight points that sent them into the locker room only down by two, 27-25.
“I know that, at halftime, my feeling was that we didn't want this game to stay close,” Butler said. “We knew coming into the locker room that we were capable of playing a lot better. We talked about two things – trying to get more offensive rebounds and needing to play with more confidence. My theory is that the most aggressive, most confident team is going to win. Our seniors took that idea and ran with it tonight.”
The Lady Bulldogs (11-7, 1-2 SEC), whom the Gators have faced more times (53) than any other SEC rival in school history, were led by Porsha Phillips' team-high 11 points off of the bench. Florida's stifling defense held Georgia junior guard Ashley Houts – the team's leading scorer and the 15th-most prolific scorer in the SEC at 12.6 ppg, to just five points in the contest.
“We just continued to throw the basketball away in the second half,” said Georgia head coach Andy Landers, who won his 800th career game last Thursday against Savannah State. “I thought we were fortunate to be where we were at halftime the way we threw it away in the first half.”
Florida has a midweek bye and returns to action on Sunday, Jan. 25, when it plays host to Ole Miss. Tip-off in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center between the Gators and Lady Rebels is slated for 2 p.m. EST. The radio broadcast of the game can be heard live in Gainesville on WRUF-AM850 and though the internet at www.GatorZone.com, the official website of the Florida Gators.
POST-GAME NOTES
· Florida improves to 17-2 overall and 3-1 in the Southeastern Conference, while Georgia drops to 11-7, 1-2 in the SEC.
· Florida is 3-1 in the SEC for the first time since the 2004-05 season.
· The Gators notched their first win against the Lady Bulldogs since Feb. 26, 2004, snapping a nine-game losing streak to Georgia. It was the first win against Georgia for the current Florida senior class.
· UF forced Georgia into 23 turnovers into the game, resulting in 30 Florida points off of those miscues.
· Junior guard Steffi Sorensen tied her career high in rebounds with a squad-best seven boards in the game.
· Sha Brooks notched her 110th consecutive start, breaking the school record for the longest starting-streak in school history.
· With six assists, Brooks raised her all-time assist count to 302 and became just the 10th Gator in school history to dish out over 300 assists.
· Steffi Sorenson has made a trey in 14 consecutive games, the seventh-longest streak in program history.
· Marshae Dotson scored 20 points for the third time this season and the 18th in her career
· Florida held Georgia to only 45 points, the fewest points ever scored by the Bulldogs against the Gators.
· Florida shot 40% from the field, while Georgia shot 32%.
-UF-
