Bartley and Bonds Key Tonight For Gators As Tennessee Comes To O'Dome
Thursday, January 13, 2011 | Women's Basketball, Scott Carter
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Lanita Bartley and Jaterra Bonds have played close to one another for the past two years. While Bartley directed Santa Fe College's offense here on the northwest side of town, Bonds starred at P.K. Yonge High on the southeast side.
They met in the middle this season at UF, where Bartley is a junior and Bonds a freshman. Since Bonds moved into the starting lineup Dec. 7 against Harvard, the two point guards have shared the same backcourt.
They will share the same challenge Thursday night at the O'Connell Center: try and help lead the Gators to a win over fifth-ranked Tennessee.
To make that happen, Bartley and Bonds must be at their best in their first meeting against the SEC-leading Lady Vols. That means making good decisions, limiting turnovers, playing good defense and hitting shots.
If that sounds a little overwhelming for a pair of newcomers in their first meeting with one of the college basketball's most storied programs, Bartley and Bonds say not to worry.
They are ready.
“We're not intimidated or discouraged by anything,'' Bartley said Wednesday. “We are just going to go out and play our game and do what we need to do.''
“This is what I came here for,'' Bonds said. “I came to play basketball against the best teams in the country, the best players in the country.''
The most difficult task for the duo will be taking care of the basketball against a Tennessee team that will be in their face the whole night. The Lady Vols force 19.4 turnovers a game and the Gators are averaging 17.2.
On paper, that appears a dangerous combination for the Gators. Bonds has a team-high 47 turnovers and Bartley is close behind with 37. However, they are also two of UF's most productive players.
Bartley is averaging 7.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and a team-high 3.5 assists, the only player to start every game. In Sunday's 65-63 win at South Carolina, Bartley's steal and basket in the final seconds lifted the Gators to their first road win in six tries this season.
Meanwhile, Bonds averages 8.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Since moving into the starting lineup eight games ago, she is leading team with 10.4 points and 3.9 assists per game.
The two newcomers have the full confidence of Jordan Jones, the shooting guard who relies on them to get her the ball in good shooting spots.
“I've been playing basketball since sixth grade and those two point guards are my favorite point guards I have ever played with,'' said Jones, who leads the team at 10.2 points a game. “Their confidence, their swagger that they play with … they are not scared of anybody. They want the ball.
“Those two are the least of my worries. I feel like they would be ready to go against the Lakers if the Lakers were coming here. We feed off their energy.''
Bartley's game-winning basket against the Gamecocks came at a perfect time considering tonight's opponent. Florida has won just three times in 43 all-time meetings against Tennessee, but three of the last four games have been decided by single digits, including UF's 66-57 win over the Lady Vols in February 2009 in Gainesville.
That victory is the biggest of fourth-year coach Amanda Butler's tenure with the Gators and one she would like nothing more than duplicate.
“It's a fantastic opportunity for our team,'' Butler said. ““They are the benchmark for what success looks like in our league and even nationally,'' Butler said. “That's where we want to be.
“We don't want to play it close. We want to win it.''
Tennessee coach Pat Summitt spoke about the challenges that come with facing Florida's scrappy defense on a SEC media teleconference Wednesday. Summitt expects a tough game considering it's on the road and the Gators are 8-0 at home.
"It's going to be a good challenge,'' she said. “We know when we've played there it's always a battle. And that's exactly what we're expecting.''
After watching tape of Tennessee, the Gators know what to expect, too: another Tennessee team capable of winning a national championship. The Lady Vols are beating their opponents by an average of 25.8 points.
They also feature a veteran lineup led by Meighan Simmons, third in the SEC in scoring at 16.2 points a game.
“They've got a lot of size on us, so we've got to find some ways to neutralize that,'' Butler said. “They really can score. If you let them get in an offensive flow, then you will get pounded. The exciting part of that for us, when we've played our best basketball, it's been rooted in great, solid hard-nosed defense. That's going to be our challenge: to take away some of that offensive comfort from them.''
A lot of that task falls on Bartley and Bonds. They'll need to play under control and set the tempo to give the Gators a chance.
Butler has seen enough from her new point guards to enter the game confident that they can rise to the occasion.
“I'm really, really pleased where we are at this point with them,'' Butler said. “I like how they are responding to challenges.''
