Junior Antoinette Bannister scored 11 points and collected a career-best seven rebound but Florida (7-5) fell to Eastern Washington (7-4), 67-56, in the championship game of the Gator Holiday Classic presented by Honda of Gainesville at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center Monday afternoon.
EWU's Melissa Williams was named tournament's MVP, as she contributed a double-double in today's championship contest with 12 points and 11 boards.
Bannister, who also dished a career-high-tying four assists, was named to the All-Tournament team for the Gators.
Senior Kayla Lewis flirted with a double-double, but converted just 1-of-5 free throw attempts and finished the game with nine points and nine rebounds.
Florida opened the scoring at the 18:57 mark of the first half on a January Miller fastbreak layup, but Eastern Washington quickly responded and outscored UF, 15-6, over the next six minutes. That run was capped off by Eagle All-Tournament team member Lexi Nelson, who drilled one of her seven three-pointers with 13:16 left in the half.
UF responded with an 11-3 run, grabbing a one-point lead (19-18) after Cassie Peoples connected on a three-pointer at the 9:24 mark. The remainder of the stanza was nip-and-tuck, as the Eagles capped the half on a 7-0 run and carried a 32-27 lead into locker room at intermission.
Eastern Washington carried that momentum into the second half and increased its lead to 10 points (42-32) at the 14:56 mark on a Nelson triple. UF was able to cut the EWU advantage to 44-39 following an and-one from Lewis with 11:49 remaining in the contest, but that was as close as the Gators could get.
The Eagles lead ballooned up 12 points multiple times throughout the rest of the game with the Eagles finally defeating the Gators in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
2014 Gator Holiday Classic Presented by Honda of Gainesville All-Tournament Team
· MVP: Melissa Williams, Eastern Washington
· Lexi Nelson, Eastern Washington
· Antoinette Bannister, Florida
· Abby Hix, Georgia Southern
· Cortnei Purnell, Southern U.
Postgame Links:
· Postgame Press Conference Video (FREE): Head coach Amanda Butler, Antoinette Bannister and Kayla Lewis from GatorVision: http://www.gatorvision.tv/mediaPortal/player.dbml?id=3623419&db_oem_id=6500
· Final Stats (html): http://www.gatorzone.com/basketball/women/boxscore.php?gameid=12542
· Final Stats (PDF): http://www.gatorzone.com/basketball/women/stats/notes/post/20141222143000.pdf
· Photo Gallery: http://www.gatorzone.com/gallery/?gallery_id=2931
Updated Records:
· Florida: 7-5
· Eastern Washington: 7-4
Turning Point:
· The Gators cut the Eagles' lead to five with a Kayla Lewis and-one at 11:49 in the second half, but EWU responded with a 9-2 run capped off by a Tisha Phillips layup at the 9:35 mark to make it a 53-41 game in favor of the visiting team.
Numbers of Note:
· The Gators' bench contributed 32 points to Eastern Washington's nine, however, Florida dropped to 6-4 when its bench outscores its opponent's reserves.
· Florida also dominated the paint, scoring 28 points inside, while Eastern Washington managed 18.
Double-Figures:
· Antoinette Bannister posted points in double digits (11) for the second consecutive game, third time this season and eighth time in her career.
· Bannister also cleaned the boards, collecting a career-high seven rebounds.
· Ronni Williams notched 12 points in her second consecutive double-figure scoring effort, sixth this season and 20th in her career.
Streaks:
· Cassie Peoples' three-pointer at the 9:24 mark in the first half extended the Gators' consecutive games with a trey streak to 143.
Individuals:
· Brooke Copeland pulled down a career-high seven boards, six of them coming in the first half.
· Antoinette Bannister also grabbed seven rebounds, setting a new career best.
· Bannister matched a career-high three steals in a career-high 30 minutes played.
Numbers to Start:
· Haley Lorenzen tallied her 6th career start and has played in every game this season
· January Miller made her 30th career start
· Kayla Lewis recorded her 71st career start and 44th consecutive as a Gator
· Carlie Needles appeared in the starting lineup for the 44th time in her career
· Cassie Peoples made her 36th start
Quotes from the Court:
UF Head Coach Amanda Butler
Opening Statement:
“Eastern Washington did a great job. They did a great job from the beginning and really set the tone, especially the second half. They showed great deal of toughness, confidence and I really admire the way they played. We did not possess those things today, so that's my fault because I didn't get our team ready to play. We didn't appear to be ready in any facet of the ballgame.”
On the three-point shooting performance from Eastern Washington's Lexi Nelson:
“We weren't surprised at all. We talked a lot about her as a shooter and her capabilities. She has taken more threes on the year than Carlie [Needles]. We just didn't do a very good job of being aware, or talking and communicating and closing out tough on her. She is a really good ballplayer. We described her to our kids as one of the toughest kids we have played against. When a player like that scores no points the night before, toughness is scoring 28 the next night, no matter how you are being played.”
Junior Guard Antoinette Bannister
On Eastern Washington answering every Gator run:
“It was very frustrating. We just didn't play tough enough. I think it was a lack of awareness with knowing where [Lexi Nelson] was. We lost her a lot of times; that was very frustrating.“
Eastern Washington Head Coach Wendy Schuller
On winning the tournament…
“I thought we played great team basketball, as everyone really stepped up and did their job. We played with a lot of energy. I defensively we were very good this weekend. We didn't shoot the ball as well as I know we can. We played team basketball and it was a lot of fun.”
On Lexi Nelson and Melissa Williams performances this weekend…
“Well that's Lexi Nelson and that is what she is capable of doing on any night. She's a kid that has worked extremely hard for everything that she has ever earned. It's good to see her shooting the ball so well. Melissa is a warrior. Your senior are supposed to play like that and I was really glad to see that ours stepped up. Melissa was so good defensively playing against the giants and trees down low. She was really aggressive for us offensively.”
Next Gator Game:
What: Florida hosts North Florida (7-5)
When: Sun., December 28 at 2 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 through www.GatorZone.com (FREE)
· Television: none
· Internet Video: SEC Network+
o HOW TO WATCH IT:
o SEC Network+ is only available through WatchESPN (accessible through the WatchESPN app and on SECNetwork.com)
o To access SEC Network+ on WatchESPN, fans must sign in with their credentials from a participating TV provider
o Link: http://es.pn/1yTWpEC
· Internet Scoring: Stat Broadcast (FREE) via Gatorzone.com - http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=65555
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
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