The University of Florida women's basketball team was unable to overcome a 12-point second-half deficit and 11 High Point 3-pointers in a 75-68 loss to the Panthers on Monday in the championship game of the Gator Holiday Classic in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
Senior forward Sharielle Smith (Bradenton, Fla.) led the Gators (5-6) with a team-high 11 points to go along with 11 rebounds for her fifth career double-double and second this season.
Florida, which trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half and was down 56-46 with 11:45 remaining, used a 9-0 run to cut within one, 56-55, on a Jennifer George (Orlando, Fla.) basket with 6:48 left in the game. After trading baskets, a George hoop at the 4:51 mark gave the Gators their first lead of the second half at 59-58.
High Point then ran off six consecutive points to go up 64-59 before a Jennifer Mossor (Orlando, Fla.) basket with 2:06 left brought Florida to within three, 64-61. Smith missed a 3-pointer from the left corner and then fouled attempting to grab the offensive rebound. The Panthers' Lateisha Dean then canned a 3-pointer from the other end to put High Point ahead for good at 67-61.
“High Point played fantastic and they really set the tone tonight,” Florida head coach Amanda Butler said. “They were really ready to close out this semester of games on a high note. They fought, outplayed and outworked us in every regard tonight.”
Florida shot 42.4 percent (28-of-66) from the floor in the game, but connected on just 5-of-25 from beyond the arc. The Panthers, who shot 46.2 percent (24-of-52), thrived from long range, making 11-of-18 3-point goals. High Point also capitalized on 16-of-19 free-throw attempts.
Sophomore guard Trumae Lucas (Greensboro, N.C.) charted a season-high 10 points, while George added nine. Sophomore center Azania Stewart (Wood Green, England) tallied eight points.
Senior guard Lonnika Thompson (New Orleans, La.) posted a season-high four steals, while senior guard Steffi Sorensen (Jacksonville, Fla.) had six points and seven rebounds.
Florida used a dominant post presence to help its cause in the game, out-rebounding the Panthers 39-33 and out-scoring them 40-18 in points in the paint.
High Point took a 35-31 advantage into the locker room at intermission after shooting 50.0 percent (12-of-24) from the field. The Gators connected on 48.3 percent (14-of-29) of their shots. The teams were nearly even statistically at intermission, but the Panthers' long-range shooting proved to be the difference as they had seven 3-pointers at halftime.
After a 3-pointer by Sorensen opened the game, High Point took an early 7-3 advantage at the 17:14 mark. The Panthers widened their edge out to 9-5 before back-to-back baskets by Ndidi Madu (Antioch, Tenn.), who finished with seven points, knotted the score at 9-all with 14:10 remaining in the period. A Madu free-throw put the Gators back in front at 10-9 before the teams traded 3-pointers.
The two teams swapped leads until a 3-pointer by the Panthers' Jurica Hargraves sparked a 9-2 run by High Point that put it ahead 23-17 at the 7:11 mark. That was the beginning of a long-range shooting barrage by the Panthers that allowed them to take a 28-21 advantage with 5:25 remaining. Back-to-back baskets by Smith and Lucas allowed Florida to whittle its deficit down to three, 28-25, with 4:11 left in the period. The two squads traded hoops the remainder of the half.
Florida and High Point swapped baskets to begin a high-scoring start to the second half, but several early 3-point baskets coupled with efficient transition offense allowed the Panthers to widen their lead to 12, 49-37, with 17:05 left in the game. Back-to-back baskets by Lucas and George brought the Gators as close as eight, 49-41, at the 15:42 mark of the second half.
That sparked a 9-2 run that was capped off by a 3-pointer from senior guard Jennifer Mossor (Orlando, Fla.) at the 13:56 mark that trimmed the Gators' deficit down to five, 51-46. High Point responded with five consecutive points to go up 56-46 before Florida began making its late-game comeback.
High Point (5-6), a member of the Big South Conference, placed three players in double-figure scoring, led by Dean's game-high 17 points.
“The team dug in and, even as Florida rallied back in the second half, we never had a let down,” High Point head coach Tooey Loy said. “We played a really great Florida team tonight and this is just an amazing win for our team.”
Florida returns to action on Monday, Dec. 28, when it plays host to Ohio University in the first game of a Gator Basketball doubleheader that day. Tip-off for the women's game is slated for 4:30 p.m. ET and will be carried live on WBXY-FM (The Star 99.5 FM in Gainesville).
POST-GAME NOTES
? The head coaches of both programs in Monday's game are coaching their alma maters as both Amanda Butler (Florida) and Tooey Loy (High Point) graduated from the school they are now coaching.
? Florida has knocked down at least one 3-pointer in 69 consecutive games dating back to the 2007-08 season.
? The Gators used the starting line-up of Jordan Jones, Sharielle Smith, Steffi Sorensen, Azania Stewart and Lonnika Thompson for the second consecutive game and third time this season. The Gators are now 1-2 with that starting five.
? Senior forward Sharielle Smith recorded her fifth career double-double and second this season with game-highs in points (11) and rebounds (11).
? Sophomore guard Trumae Lucas tallied a season-high 10 points.
? Sophomore guard Jordan Jones had two 3-pointers on Monday and has hit at least one 3-pointer in every game this season.
? Senior guard Steffi Sorensen is the only Gator who has started every game this season.
? UF is 15-17 since the 1978-79 season in its last game prior to the winter holiday break.
POST-GAME QUOTES
FLORIDA HEAD COACH AMANDA BUTLER
“High Point played fantastic and they really set the tone tonight. They were really ready to close out this semester of games on a high note. They fought, outplayed and outworked us in every regard tonight.”
On whether or not free-throw shooting was the difference in the game …
“I think there were a couple of difference and free throws were definitely one of them. We had opportunities, but we didn't step up and knock them down. It was an outstanding shooting night for them [High Point]. That's not something that they've been doing but, at the same time, we have to be able to adjust to that. We're not quite sure why we couldn't make those adjustments within the game. It did come down a lot to effort and how badly High Point wanted to win. It just came through on the defensive end and the offensive end, they weren't going to be denied.”
On if Florida couldn't finish because it had expended all its energy in the comeback …
“I don't think we used up all we had; we still have some. It's a matter of figuring out why that's the case. I think we may have had a different result if we had used up everything we had.”
On Florida out-scoring High Point 40-18 in points in the paint …
“We did do a good job of getting the ball inside and seemed to capitalize there more often than not. We out-rebounded them [39-33], but we had to because we were missing a lot of opportunities. Aside from the few glimmers, High Point out-played us in every regard.”
#24 Sharielle Smith, Sr., F
On what she thought the difference in the game was …
“I think it's all about us. We know that it's about our turnovers and missed shots. I think it was really more about our mistakes, so it's frustrating when we don't do what we know we should be doing.”
On Florida's lack of intensity in spurts …
“I think that our team just has little lulls and we go in and out of high intensity. The problem is keeping our intensity up for the entire game.”
HIGH POINT HEAD COACH TOOEY LOY
"What a win. This is one both the team and I will remember for the rest of our lives. To come in here and beat the Florida Gators on their home court is something I won't forget. The team dug in and dug in, even as Florida rallied back in the second half. The team never had a let down. We played a really great Florida team tonight and this is just an amazing win for our team, for our athletics program and for our university. I don't ever get speechless but I don't know how to put this win into words."
WILLIAM & MARY 67, SOUTHERN U. 41 (CONSOLATION GAME)
Taylor Hilton scored 16 points and added 10 rebounds to lead William & Mary to a 67-41 win against Southern University on Monday in the consolation game of the Gator Holiday Classic.
William & Mary (6-4), which dropped a 66-58 decision to High Point on Sunday evening, shot 41.3 percent (19-of-46) from the field and limited the Jaguars to just 25.4 percent (17-of-67) shooting from the floor.
Taysha Pye chipped in 11 points and three seals, while Tiffany Benson had six points and seven rebounds.
Southern (6-4) was led by Jamie Floyd's team-high 10 points and six rebounds.
2009 GATOR HOLIDAY CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
? Most Valuable Player: Amy Dodd, High Point
? LaTeisha Dean, High Point
? Jamie Floyd, Southern
? Taylor Hilton, William & Mary
? Ashlee Samuels, High Point
-UF-
