After trailing by as many as 15 points in the first half, the University of Florida women's basketball team (2-1) climbed back at St. John's (2-0) and held the lead twice in the second half, but it wasn't enough as the Gators fell, 72-66, at Carnesecca Arena in Queens, N.Y. Tonight marked the first road contest of the 2014-15 season for UF.
Despite the loss, redshirt junior Carlie Needles played an outstanding game, as she logged 37 minutes and scored 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 4-of-5 from long range. Redshirt senior Kayla Lewis was the Gators' top rebounder, as she cleaned the glass nine times while scoring 10 points.
Florida, which was looking for its first 3-0 start since the 2002-03 season, fell behind early, as St. John's started the game on an 11-4 run, capped off by Aliyyah Handford at the 16:14 mark of the first half. The Red Storm grew the lead to 15 (its largest of the game) with 50 seconds left in the first half and led UF, 40-26, at the end of the first stanza.
In the second half, UF took over. After allowing St. John's to shoot 51.7% (15-of-29) in the first half, the Gators chomped down on defense and held the Red Storm to a 37% mark from the field (10-of-27).
That defense, combined with clutch shooting, put UF back in the game. The Gators outscored St. John's, 17-7, to open the second half and cut the Red Storm's lead to four at 47-43, following a pair of redshirt junior Cassie Peoples' free throws at the 14:19 mark.
The game was back-and-forth the rest of the way.
Following a Needles' three-pointer with 6:31 remaining in the game, junior January Miller stole the ball on the Red Storm's ensuing possession and put it in to give UF a one-point lead, 55-54, at the 6:07 mark.
This was Florida's first lead of the game. The lead changed hands twice more and was tied on three separate occasions over the final six minutes of the game.
Two free throws from Red Storm forward Danaejah Grant at 4:02 gave St. John's the lead for the final time.
Peoples missed a three-pointer with UF trailing, 68-64, with 15 seconds left, which would have pulled the Gators within one point. St. John's grabbed the rebound and put away the game at the free throw line to secure its first home win of the season.
Records:
· Florida: 2-1
· St. John's: 3-0
Turning Point:
· Cassie Peoples missed a three-pointer with UF trailing, 68-64, with 15 seconds left to pull the Gators within one point. St. John's grabbed the rebound and put away the game.
Series Update:
· St. John's now leads the all-time series against Florida, 2-1
· The Red Storm avenged a 72-68 loss to the Gators last season at the O'Connell Center.
Numbers of Note:
· After allowing St. John's to shoot 51.7% (15-of-29), Florida's defense limited the Red Storm to 37% (10-of-27) in the second half
· UF's bench outscored St. John's, 17-1
· Florida won the battle down low, as the Gators held a 38-22 advantage in the paint
· UF was able to get out in transition against the Red Storm, as Florida led in fast break points, 12-4
Double-Figures:
· Carlie Needles (16), Kayla Lewis (10) and Ronni Williams (10) all scored in double-figures for the Gators
Streaks:
· Carlie Needles connected on a three-pointer at the 8:05 mark of the first half, extending the Gators' consecutive games with a trey streak to 134
Individuals:
· Kayla Lewis made her 64th career start and 36th consecutive as a Gator
· Carlie Needles recorded her 36th career start
· Cassie Peoples made her 28th career start
· Antoinette Bannister notched her third career start at UF
· Ronni Williams recorded her 20th career start
Quotes from the Court:
On how Ronni Williams' short absence due to injury affected the rest of the game...
“Ronni [Williams] had a tough night in a lot of ways. [The game] is definitely affected when she's not on the floor. Collectively, everyone has got to play better if we want to beat a team like St. John's, an NCAA Tournament team.” - UF Head Coach Amanda Butler
Next Game:
· What: Charleston Southern (2-0) at Florida (2-1)
· When: Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2014 at 7 p.m.
· Where: Stephen C. O'Connell Center * Gainesville, Fla.
Game Coverage & More!
· Radio: LIVE on ESPN850 (WRUF-AM) in Gainesville with Adam Schick & Brittany Davis
· Internet Audio: LIVE thru www.GatorZone.com (FREE)
· Television: none
· Internet Video: LIVE on SEC Network +
(subscription) (http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index/_/channel/secplus)
· Tickets: $5 for reserved seats; $4 adult general admission; $2 for youth age 17 and under; FREE for UF students
· Parking: FREE in the O'Connell Center lot
For all of the latest information on Florida women's basketball:
Official Website: www.gatorzone.com/basketball/women
Facebook: www.facebook.com/FloridaWomensBasketball
Twitter: @GatorZoneWBK and @CoachButlerUF
Instagram: @gatorzonewbk
