Carlie Needles scored 15 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had a season-high six assists, as she led the Florida women's basketball team (4-1) to its first road win of the season at Georgetown (2-5), 81-73. Needles knocked down five three pointers and has now notched 128 in her career, passing Tamia Williams (2001-05) for eighth all time in UF history.
UF outscored the Hoyas, 47-35, in the second half, as GU bucketed 3-of-11 (27.3%) from the free throw line in the second stanza. Kayla Lewis paced the UF offensive attack, as she totaled a season-high 19 points. In addition, Cassie Peoples and Haley Lorenzen contributed 17 and 10 points, respectively.
The first half featured three ties and four lead changes, as UF and GU went back-and-forth. Trailing by eight points (29-21) with 6:34 left in the half, UF went on a 13-5 run and knotted the game at 34 on a January Miller free throw with 2:05 left. Georgetown regained the lead in the final two minutes, as Dominique Vitalis drained a jumper and a pair of free throws to give her Hoyas a 38-34 advantage at intermission.
The home team opened the second half on a 5-0 run and led UF, 43-34, but the Gators quickly answered with an 8-0 run of its own, capped off by a Ronni Williams jumper at the 16:15 mark of the final frame.
UF took its first lead of the second frame at the 11:40 mark on a layup from Lorenzen to go up, 50-49. The Gators fell behind once more, 54-53, and responded with a 7-0 run (60-54) at the 8:58 mark of the second half, as Antoinette Bannister knocked down a three pointer and a layup on back-to-back possessions.
Georgetown managed to make it a one possession game a few times down the stretch, but couldn't do enough to tie it up or take the lead, as UF never trailed for the remainder of the game.
Records:
· Florida: 4-1
· Georgetown: 2-5
Turning Point:
· UF grabbed a 6-point lead (60-54) at the 8:58 mark of the second half, as Antoinette Bannister knocked down a three pointer and a layup on back-to-back possessions in the midst of a 7-0 run. UF never trailed for the remainder of the game.
Stat Line of the Game:
· Carlie Needles recorded 15 points, 8 rebounds and a season-best 6 assists in a season-high 38 minutes played.
Series Update:
· With tonight's win, UF is now 4-1 all-time against the Hoyas and 2-0 under head coach Amanda Butler.
· The Gators and Hoyas last met on Dec. 28, 2013, when the Gators overcame a 16-point halftime deficit and completed the fourth-largest comeback win in program history with a 67-65 overtime victory in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
Numbers of Note:
· Georgetown was 3-of-11 from the charity stripe in the second half
· UF shot an outstanding 50% (8-of-16) from long range
· Florida dominated the paint, outscoring the Hoyas, 38-22
· The Gators went into the locker room trailing by four, 38-34; UF is 1-1 this season when behind at intermission
· Florida is now 39-2 under Amanda Butler when scoring in the 80's
· UF is now 1-0 this season when wearing its all-blue uniforms
Double-Figures:
· Kayla Lewis (19), Cassie Peoples (17), Carlie Needles (15) and Haley Lorenzen (10) all scored in double-figures for the Gators
Streaks:
· January Miller connected on a three-pointer at the 16:30 mark of the first half, extending the Gators' consecutive games with a trey streak to 136
Individuals:
· Kayla Lewis made her 65th career start and 38th consecutive as a Gator
· Lewis scored her 825th career point tonight
· Lewis grabbed her 575th career rebound in the second half
· Carlie Needles recorded her 38th career start
· Needles knocked down her 125th career three pointer in the second half, which tied her for eighth-most in UF history with Tamia Williams (2001-05); she knocked down three more to surpass Williams on the career list
· Cassie Peoples notched recorded her 30th career start
· Peoples entered the 400 career points club in the second half
· January Miller appeared in the starting lineup for the first time this season and the 24th time in her career
· Haley Lorenzen made her second consecutive and second career start
Quotes from the Court:
Florida Head Coach Amanda Butler
On keys to the game:
“We weren't so concerned about what our assist column looked like. We were really concerned with our turnover column. We had a heart-to-heart conversation at half time about already having nine turnovers. That was something we wanted to do a better job of. Our main goal was to make sure we had less than 15 [turnovers]. Obviously, we played with a lot more composure and handled the basketball better in the second half and that made a big difference for us.”
On leadership from Carlie Needles and Kayla Lewis:
“Everybody expects Carlie [Needles] to make those threes, but the eight rebounds were huge. She's our leading rebounder, which is kind of fun to say. No question, she's our leader. I thought that Kayla [Lewis] really stepped up and scored a lot of points for us and made plays down there at the end to kind of seal things off. Carlie did a great job, Kayla did a great job and they stepped in where we needed them to.”
Next Game:
· What: Virginia Tech (3-2) at Florida (4-1)
· When: Monday, Dec. 1, 2014 at 9 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: SEC Network
· Internet Video: none
· Internet Scoring: Stat Broadcast
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
