Sophomore Jordan Jones (Suwanee, Ga.) scored a season-high 25 points and led Florida's three-point shooting barrage that helped the Gators defeat Florida International, 71-60, in the consolation game of the FIU Thanksgiving Classic on Sunday at U.S. Century Bank Arena.
The Gators (3-3) hit a season-high 12 three-pointers, connecting on 46.2 percent (12-26) from beyond the arc, while holding the usually potent Panther (2-4) squad to just a 5-of-19 effort from long range.
“When you win on someone else's home court you have to be happy,” UF head coach Amanda Butler said. “It wasn't the prettiest and we felt like we could have done some things different in the second half, but they just wouldn't go away and you have to give FIU the credit for the effort and the fight that they played with tonight.”
Florida held a 41-31 rebounding effort, including 17 on the offensive end. The Gators did commit 22 turnovers that FIU converted into 18 points, but did force the Panthers into 18 miscues.
Jones hit 5-of-10 from the three-point arc and 9-of-16 overall, while Sharielle Smith (Bradenton, Fla.) added 12 points and nine rebounds and Steffi Sorensen (Jacksonville, Fla.) contributed 10 points and eight rebounds with a game-high five assists and earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
“Jordan played her best game as a Gator. She was really focused and controlled. I was really proud of the way she played tonight. She made great decisions in intense situations,” Butler praised. “We won the rebounding war, coming up with some huge rebounds down the stretch. Steffi Sorensen getting those offensive rebounds off a missed free throw and Azania Stewart grabbing those defensive rebounds in the final minute – those are the crucial plays you look at when you think about how we won.”
Jennifer George (Orlando, Fla.) scored the opening points of the second half to give the Gators a 39-31 lead, as the teams traded buckets for the first three minutes of the final period. FIU ended the trend when Elisa Carey scored three consecutive points and Fanni Hutlassa nailed a three-pointer that cut UF's lead to two, 41-39.
Jordan Jones (Suwanee, Ga.) came right back and nailed a trey at the 15-minute mark. After an FIU bucket, Sharielle Smith (Bradenton, Fla.) canned one from deep added another in between a Panther free throw, as the Gator lead swelled to eight points, 50-42, with just under 13 minutes to play.
FIU scored the next four points of the game, with the second bucket coming off multiple second-chance efforts, and the Panthers were right back in the game.
That's when Florida turned up its defensive charge. Smith added a three-pointer and on the other end of the court grabbed a tough defensive rebound and threw the long outlet pass to a streaking Jones who converted a layup. Jones then came up with the defensive play, stealing a pass near the top of the key and found Lonnika Thompson (New Orleans, La.) for the layup that gave the Gators a 57-46 lead with 8:17 to play.
FIU refused to fold and tallied the next five points to close within six, 57-51. Florida couldn't extend its lead, committing back-to-back unforced turnovers. The Panthers, however, were unable to take advantage, as Trumae Lucas (Greensboro, N.C.) came up with a steal and found Jones on the other end of the court for the score.
UF turned the ball over on its next possession and this time FIU made the Gators pay with a three-pointer to cut UF's lead to five points, 59-54, with just over five minutes remaining.
Jones responded with her fifth trey of the game and both teams exchanged scores afterwards, with UF's coming when Lucas put-back an offensive board with 3:50 on the clock to give the Gators a 64-56 lead.
Again FIU mounted another run, scoring four straight points and closed to within four, 64-60 with 2:24 remaining. Jones hit a long two-pointer to halt the mini run and the Gators were back up by six, 66-60, with less than two minutes to play.
Azania Stewart (Wood Green, England) came up with a hard-fought defensive rebound at the other end of the floor and Lucas was fouled on the offensive, however, couldn't convert on the front end of a one-and-one.
The Gators were able to tie up a loose ball on the other end and took possession. After one missed shot, Steffi Sorensen (Jacksonville, Fla.) collected the offensive rebound, but Florida turned the ball over for the 21st time and couldn't build on its lead.
FIU put up a three-pointer with 40 seconds remaining and it was just off the mark, as Stewart grabbed another defensive rebound and threw the outlet to Jones, who was fouled. She made both free throws to extend the lead to 68-60, with 22 seconds left.
Florida ripped out of the gate, hitting six of its first seven shots from the floor, with four of them three-pointers, as the Gators took a 16-8 lead less than four minutes into the contest.
FIU scored the next three points, before Smith, who was playing in the 99th game of her career, knocked down a trey from the top of the arc and then put back an offensive rebound to give UF a 21-11 lead with 12:28 left in the first half.
The Golden Panthers, who entered the game hitting over 45 percent from beyond the arc, finally connected on one from deep that sparked a 14-4 run and tied the game at 25-all with just under five minutes remaining.
Jordan Jones (Suwanee, Ga.) ended the FIU march with a deep three-pointer from the top of the arc. The Panthers countered with a bucket inside, before Jones nailed another to give UF a four-point cushion with 2:42 to play.
The teams twice traded offensive scores over the next 50 seconds, as Ndidi Madu (Antioch, Tenn.) and Steffi Sorensen (Jacksonville, Fla.) hit shots in the paint. With the first-half clock running down, Christal Caldwell (Charlotte, N.C.) came up with a big offensive rebound and tossed the ball to the top of the key, enabling the Gators to set up a final play.
UF worked the final moments of the half to perfection, as Jones faked a three, drove the lane and converted an acrobatic layin with under four ticks remaining to close the period's scoring with the Gators on top, 37-31.
Nine of the 11 Gators who saw action in the first half scored, paced by Sorensen and Jones leading the balanced attack with eight points apiece for Florida, which connected on 48.4 percent of its shots (15-31), including a 7-of-15 effort from the three-point arc.
Five different Gators connected on a trey during the opening 20 minutes, with Sorensen and Jones hitting two each, and Smith, Lonnika Thompson (New Orleans, La.) and Susan Yenser (Marietta, Ga.) sinking one apiece. For Yenser, her bucket was among the 100th career point in her Gator career.
Elisa Carey led FIU with 17 points, while Fanni Hutlassa added 15 points and Michelle Gonzalez tallied 14 points for the Panthers, who shot 40.4 percent (21-52) during the game.
St. John's defeated Saint Joseph's, 81-74, in the championship game.
The Gators return to the court to play their third game in five days and their fourth in an eight-day span, when they entertain Florida A&M on Tue., Dec. 1, beginning at 4:30 p.m. The game is the first half of a Gator basketball doubleheader, as UF's men's team hosts the Rattlers at 7 p.m. The radio broadcast of the women's game will air live in Gainesville on WBXY-FM 99.5, as well as through the internet at www.GatorZone.com. The game also can be viewed online at the same website courtesy of GatorVision.
Post-Game Notes
*Florida converted 12 three-pointers, the second game this season the Gators have hit at least 10 from behind the arc
*Susan Yenser scored the 100th point of her Gator career during the game
*Sharielle Smith played in the 99th game of her career
*Freshman Jennifer George started the first game of her career
*Steffi Sorensen was named to the All-Tournament Team
*Jordan Jones topped the 500-point plateau for her career during the game, ending with 505 in her second year of college ball
-UF-
