Jordan Jones scored 13 points and Jennifer Mossor added a season-high 11 points, but it wasn't enough to lead Florida past eighth-ranked Georgia, as the Gators dropped a tough 61-52 decision in Stegeman Coliseum Sunday evening in front of 5,067 Lady Bulldog fans.
Florida (9-7, 2-1 SEC)whittled a 16-point deficit to seven at halftime, but couldn't overcome its initial hole and had its four-game winning streak come to end, while Georgia extended its program-record start to a season to 16-0, 3-0 in league play.
“I thought our play was very inconsistent today. We didn't do a good job of establishing the flow,” UF head coach Amanda Butler said. “We were real streaky with our shooting. Our turnovers in the first half really hurt us get into any kind of flow because we didn't handle the ball well. I don't think Georgia did anything different that we weren't prepared for, I just think we didn't have the level of focus to play with a team like Georgia on their home court.”
UF freshman Jennifer George led the Gators with a career-high 10 rebounds, helping UF to a 40-38 rebounding edge.
“We did outrebound them and we crashed the offensive boards hard that gave us second-chance opportunities, but I don't think we made great decisions when we had a second shot,” Butler said. “It was just a lot of fight and a lot toughness. That's the essence of our team. I think that's why we hung in this ballgame. We didn't play real well, but we played very tough. We didn't have that consistent toughness from everyone, though. We need to have that for 40 minutes from everyone.”
The Gators shot just 33.9 percent overall in the game (20-59), including a 33.3 percent effort on 7-of-21 from the three-point arc. Georgia sank 39.3 percent (22-56) from the floor, including 6-of-18 from beyond the arc. Florida did hit 5-of-7 from the three throw line, while Georgia managed 24 trips, but converted only 11 during the game.
Florida was its own worst enemy in the first half, committing 16 turnovers that Georgia converted into 15 points and help build a 33-26 halftime lead.
“The turnover factor was huge, we were turning the ball over before we even had a chance to get the ball inside and that had an impact on our success in the first half,” Butler said.
Florida finished the game with 21 turnovers that led to 21 Georgia points.
UG freshman Jasmine James led all scorers with 17 points, while Angel Robinson added 12 points and 14 rebounds and Ashley Houts added 10 points.
Rebounding was on Georgia's mind in the beginning stages of the second half, after Florida won the opening period 23-14. The Lady Bulldogs crashed the boards for a 7-3 edge that helped them scored the first five points of the half and extend their lead to 12 points, 38-26.
Jennifer Mossor started UF's scoring in the second half, converting a driving layup. After one UG free throw, Sharielle Smith hit an 8-footer from the right corner and brought UF within nine.
That's when Georgia used its inside game and went on a 5-0 march to take 14-point lead. Mossor again ended the run with a 10-footer and Jordan Jones followed with a 17-footer, as UF was again within 10. Mossor added one free throw to get the Gators within single digits, 44-35, with 10:47 to play.
Jasmine James hit a tough bucket inside, but 5-foot-4 Lonnika Thompson hit a high-arcing shot over 6-foot-5 Angel Robinson as the shot-clock expired. Georgia scored the next five points, with James sinking a trey that gave UG a 51-37 lead with 6:22 remaining.
Azania Stewart followed with a turn-around shot in the paint and the Gators played tough defense on the other end and got the ball back, where Jennifer George converted a running layup to get UF again within 10 points, 51-41, with 4:31 to play.
After another bout of stingy Florida defense forced a turnover on the ensuing possession, the Gators capitalized with an inside conversion from George that brought UF within eight, 51-43, with just under four minutes to play.
UG's James hit a pair of free throws and UF's Jones nailed a 15-footer, before the teams traded free throws, as the Gators couldn't cut into their deficit and were forced to foul.
The Lady Bulldogs scored the next six points, as the Gators kept putting up three-pointers in hopes to closing the deficit quickly. None of the shots fell, but Jones was fouled attempting a trey and converted all three free throws to get UF back within 11 points, 60-49, with 30 seconds remaining.
UG missed both free throws on the other end of the floor and UF took advantage as Steffi Sorensen nailed a three-pointer that got the Gators within eight points, 60-52, with 16 seconds left but wasn't able to get any closer.
Georgia jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead and then an 11-4 advantage, as Florida struggled with its shot during the opening minutes of the game. After Lonnika Thompson hit a 12-footer and cut the deficit to five, the Lady Bulldogs used an 8-0 run over the next 1:45, with five points from Angel Robinson and capped by a three-pointer from Anne Marie Armstrong, as the Gators trailed 19-6 with 11:34 to play in the first half.
That trey sparked a run of five consecutive three-pointers by the teams, as Steffi Sorensen followed Armstrong's, Jasmine James added one for Georgia, Mossor added one for the Gators, before James ended the long-distance spree and gave the Dawgs a 25-12 lead with 9:20 left in the period.
Mossor then converted a layup and brought UF within 10 points, before Georgia's Jasmine Hassell followed with four straight points to start an 8-3 run over the next 6:15 of the game, taking UF's deficit to 16 points, 33-17, with 2:40 to play.
That's when Florida again to the long ball, ending the half scoring nine consecutive points all from beyond the arc, with Jones nailing two and Smith adding the other, and cut the deficit to seven, 33-26, entering the locker room.
Six of UF's 10 first-half field goals were three-pointers, as the Gators hit 10-of-28 overall, including a 6-of-12 effort from long range.
Georgia shot 42.4 percent overall during the first half, hitting 14-of-33 overall and 4-of-10 from beyond the arc.
Florida also held a tough 23-14 rebounding advantage, with 11 coming on the offensive end. Jennifer George led the Gators with five boards, while Azania Stewart collected four, three on the offensive side.
The Gators return to action on Thursday, Jan. 14, when the team plays host to No. 4 Tennessee (14-1, 2-0 SEC) in the O'Connell Center, where tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. The game will be televised by Comcast Sports South, which airs in Gainesville on Cox Cable channel 259, while the radio broadcast can be heard on WBXY-FM (The Star 99.5) and through the internet at www.GatorZone.com, the official website of the Florida Gators.
Other SEC Games Played Sunday
South Carolina d. Alabama, 80-68
Ole Miss d. Arkansas, 86-71
Auburn d. LSU, 64-62 OT
Kentucky d. Vanderbilt, 63-53
Tennessee d. Mississippi State, 75-48
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