Senior Lonnika Thompson (New Orleans, La.) scored all of her 11 points in 10 minutes of overtime and the University of Florida women's basketball team earned a 80-78 double-overtime victory over Mississippi State at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Sunday afternoon, as classmates Steffi Sorensen (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Sharielle Smith (Bradenton, Fla.) recorded double-doubles and redshirt sophomore Jordan Jones (Suwanee, Ga.) hit the game-winning free throws with 2.7 seconds remaining for the Gators.
Thompson scored all nine of Florida's points of the first overtime and the first two of the second overtime, before Jones took over, hitting a three-pointer and going 4-for-4 from the free throw line during that final frame. Jones finished with 21 points, hitting 11-of-11 from the free throw line and connecting on a pair of three-pointers, as she extended her streak to 23 consecutive games with at least one trey.
Sorenson tallied 12 points and brought down 11 boards to log the second double-double of her career, with her first in the win against Temple in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament when she tallied 13 points and 13 boards. Smith scored 10 points and tied her career high with 13 rebounds, with four big defensive boards in the overtime stanza.
The win marked the largest comeback of the season, as the Gators were down 12 with eight minutes to play in the game. Before the win, the largest deficit UF came back from was eight against Arkansas on Jan. 3. The double-overtime win also marked the second of the season, as the Gators defeated Auburn, 71-68, at home on Jan. 7 in two OT periods.
The two-point victory also marked Florida's 12th game this season decided by single digits, including nine of the Gators' 10 Southeastern Conference contests. Florida swept the season series against Mississippi State, winning the two games by a combined total of five points, earning a 55-52 decision in Starkville on Jan. 17.
Three Gators scored in double digits, as Thompson scored all her 11 in overtime minutes and senior Sharielle Smith (Bradenton, Fla.) notched 10 points. Smith pulled down 13 boards to lead the team. Sophomore Azania Stewart (Wood Green, England) collected six offensive rebounds to help the Gators (13-10, 6-5 SEC).
Thompson started the first overtime nailing three shots, including a trey, and going 2-for-2 from the line. Mississippi State's Tysheka Grimes hit a jumper and a three to give the Bulldogs a 69-68 lead with 33 seconds remaining. Thompson put the Gators back on top with another basket, but with seven seconds remaining, leaving Chanel Mokango just enough time to draw a foul and make the two free ones to tie the game and force a second overtime.
Thompson opened the scoring for the Gators again in the second OT period, then Jones got hot, hitting one from behind the arc, but MSU's Mary Kathryn Govero nailed a three to tie the score at 76. Jones hit two more from the foul line to put UF on top. Mokango, the Bulldogs' high scorer with 22 points, hit a lay-up to knot it back up with 1:11 left. After a missed shot by Jones, Sorensen fought for the rebound that resulted in a jump ball with the possession arrow pointing Florida's favor with 19.3 second remaining. With time winding down, Jones drove the lane, put the ball up with two seconds left and was fouled, sending her to the line to set up the UF win.
While the Gators shots only 27.6 percent (8-29) in the second half, they were hot from behind the arc, shooting 57.1 percent (4-7). Sorensen connected on 4-for-7 threes, while Jones hit 2-of-4. UF had a slight 54-50 edge in rebounds.
Trailing by one at halftime, the Bulldogs started the second on a 19-6 run, scoring the first seven points, and took a 52-40 lead with just over 12 minutes to play in the game. Mokango led the way in those first minutes, tallying 10 points.
The Gators came alive as Sorensen hit three treys, senior Jennifer Mossor (Orlando, Fla.) added one more and Jones hit two at the charity strip to cut the lead to four, 58-54, with 5:30 to play. Smith then made her two foul shots to bring Florida within two. Jones tied the game at 58 on two more from the line after grabbing an offensive board.
Mokango quieted the crowd with a jumper for the Lady Bulldogs to retake the lead, but Smith put one off the glass to retie the score. After an MSU miss, Stewart hit a lay-up of her own to give the Gators a two-point lead with 1:18 left to play. Mokango came through again, hitting another shot to tie the game at 62-all with 44 seconds left. MSU held for the final shot, but Armelie Lumanu missed the three and game went into overtime.
Both teams got off to a slow start, as the score was knotted at seven after seven minutes of play. The Gators scored first after the Bulldogs controlled the tip and Thompson stole the ball on the first possession. While UF got off to a quick 3-0 start, things slowed down as UF was held scoreless for the next three minutes. MSU struggled as well, and after five quick lead changes, Mississippi State led, 9-7, with just under 13 minutes to play in the first half.
The Bulldogs picked it up, going on a 6-2 run and increasing their lead to 15-9 with 11:35 to play. That's when the Gators went on a tear, running off 10 straight points in a four-minute span, as four different players scored. UF's defense held the Bulldogs scoreless for over five minutes, as MSU only hit one foul shot.
Up 21-18 with 5:39 to play, Jones drove to the basket, drew the foul and made the traditional three-point play, firing up the Gators. The Bulldogs came within one, but the Gators pushed ahead as Jones nailed a three and Mossor laid one in off a steal by Smith to give UF a 30-23 lead with just under three minutes to play.
As time ticked down in the first, the Bulldogs (15-9, 6-5 SEC) rattled off 10 points, including a three-pointer by Alexis Rack to take back the lead, as the Gators could only muster two points. With the final seconds ticking off and UF down one, Sorenson fed Lucas a layup at the buzzer to put the Gators back on top, 34-33, at the end of the first half.
The Gators next play host to LSU on Thursday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. at the O'Connell Center. The radio broadcast of the game can be heard live in Gainesville on WBX-FM (The Star 99.5) and through the internet at www.GatorZone.com, which also will provide live streaming video of the contest courtesy of GatorVision.
POST-GAME NOTES
? Florida moves to 13-10 overall (6-4 SEC) on the 2009-10 season. Mississippi State falls to 15-9 overall (6-5 SEC).
? The 80-78 victory marked Florida's 12th game this season, ninth in the SEC, decided by fewer than 10 points. UF is now 6-6 in these contests overall, 6-3 in SEC play.
? UF's nine three-pointers against MSU elevated the Gators' streak to 81 consecutive games with at least one trey
? Florida now holds a 19-18 series lead against Mississippi State
? The Gators went with their seventh different starting lineup of the year, using Lonnika Thompson, Steffi Sorensen, Jennifer Mossor, Sharielle Smith and Jennifer George. George made her third career start as a freshman after starting games six and seven versus FIU and Florida A&M. Mossor started for the first time this season and the 31st time in her career
? UF's record on Super Bowl Sunday improved to 8-9 overall, 5-2 at home. Sunday's game against MSU marked the 12th consecutive year Florida has played on Super Bowl Sunday. Last year, the Gators defeated Arkansas, 94-78, in Fayetteville. This game marked the first time the Gator game went into overtime on Super Bowl Sunday.
? In the last three games, Steffi Sorensen has hit 13-of-21 from behind the arc.
? Sharielle Smith records her fourth double-double of the season and the seventh of her career, with 10 points and a career-high tying 13 rebounds
? Steffi Sorensen converted her second career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, also leading UF with four assists and three steals
? Jordan Jones' 21 points are the second-most she scored as a Gator, and her second 20-point performance; it was the third time she has led UF in scoring in a game; she had not scored in double-figures in six straight games prior to Sunday
? Mississippi State is the seventh of Florida last eight opponents that had at least receiving votes at game-time in the national polls.
POST-GAME QUOTES
FLORIDA HEAD COACH AMANDA BUTLER
“I am very, very proud of our fight and our toughness today. That's absolutely what it was tonight – a champion's response to adversity. We had people not playing their best and then come back and put us in a position to win the game. I'm really, really proud of the way we battled and how balanced we were. I think when we play with a lot of balance, we're really hard to beat.”
On the difference between Sunday's win and Thursday's loss to Vanderbilt …
“I think we were tougher today than we were on Thursday. We knew that Thursday's game was going to be a battle and I think there were times in that game when we got out-toughed. We talked about that and watched those plays on film – obviously, it made an impact. These players were not going to be denied a win today and certainly not for a lack of toughness. Toughness was not going to be an issue again.
On Florida's defensive performance on Sunday …
“There were definitely some defensive lapses. They're [Mississippi State] so talented and they're bigger than us. We weren't able to play Azania as much as we normally do, so we had to mix it up. I thought we kept our focus very, very well. That, as much as anything, had an impact on how they shot the ball.”
On what she said in her timeout around the 12-minute mark …
“We talked about toughness and that we weren't playing tough enough. We weren't getting rebounds and we weren't making tough plays. At one point in the game, I subbed five people and they came in and gave us a lot of energy. They got the momentum and confidence back in our corner. I thought it was a tremendous team effort and response to adversity. In this league, you're not going to play a flawless game. You have to have mental toughness to win in this league.”
On freshman Jennifer George …
“George is just incredible with some of the plays she can make. We could all talk to you about how incredible she is, but when she realizes how special she is, she is going to be a beast.”
On sophomore Jordan Jones' game-winning free-throws …
“I had no question that they were going in – she had hit them all game. There was a different look in Jordan's eye and it was confidence. Every time she shot the ball tonight, I felt like it was going in.”
FLORIDA PLAYER QUOTES
#2 Senior Guard Lonnika Thompson
On her strong play in the overtime periods …
“I wasn't playing like myself the whole game and Coach [Butler] got on me every time I came out of the game, and she kept saying 'toughness.' The fans we had were tremendous. They keep us going. My teammates were telling me to stay in it and keep my head up, and that's what I did.”
#33 Sophomore Guard Jordan Jones
On her game-winning free throws in double-overtime …
“The last game out, I was 1-for-4 from the line and coach called me out for that. I shot some extra free throws in practice and Azania [Stewart] told me that every time she goes to the line she thinks 'Why did they foul me? I'm going to make them.' So, I had her in the back of my mind and knew they were going in as soon as I stepped up there.”
#24 Senior Forward Sharielle Smith
On the physicality of Sunday's game …
“Every game is physical, but this game was pretty tough. Our team as a whole, we're all tough and everybody took a beating today, but we beat each other down in practice, so we're used to it. That's one of our big things – to be tough. It wasn't anything different from every other game.”
MISSISSIPPI STATE HEAD COACH SHARON FANNING-OTIS
On what Mississippi State's mistakes...
“Well, when you look at the field-goal percentage, we were 7-for-35, so Florida took advantage of that. Also, we had some key turnovers that gave them a better position for the win.”
-UF-
