Freshman Brooke Copeland led a very balanced offensive attack and Florida earned a hard-fought 63-50 win at Auburn at Auburn Arena on Sunday, when the Gators played and collected their first Southeastern Conference road victory of the early season.
Playing in front of several family members who made the three-hour drive from Cleveland, Tenn., Copeland scored a team-best 12 points all on 4-of-8 shooting from the three-point arc and helped Florida hit 59.1 percent of its shots during the second half when the Gators outscored Auburn, 34-21.
Carlie Needles and Ronni Williams both scored 11 points, while Kayla Lewis and Haley Lorenzen each netted 10 for the Gators, who also converted 9-of-10 free throws and held a 40-32 rebounding advantage.
Needles second of her three three-pointers in the game came with 16 seconds remaining in the first half, when she tied the score at 29 and closed the offense for the frame. It was off a busted play and she launched the rock as the shot clock expired, but the result helped Florida erase a five-point deficit with 3:12 left in the period.
Florida scored the first seven points of the second half before the Tigers came roaring back and closed within one point twice, the last with 14:56 remaining, 40-39.
Lorenzen then ignited an 18-4 run with an eight-foot, turn-around jumper followed by a left-handed hook inside. After Hasina Muhammad, who finished with a game-high 13 points, hit a bucket for Auburn, Williams converted a three-point-play capped by a free throw that was the 400th point of her career, and Florida extended its lead back to six, 47-41, with 10:36 remaining.
Cassie Peoples, who dished six assists with nine points, dropped in a floater in the lane before Muhammad added another two for the hosts and UF led 49-43 with 8:14 to go.
Lewis was determined not to let the lead slip away again like the Gators had relinquished in the first half after holding a nine-point cushion. UF's lone senior scored the next four points of the game before Copeland drilled her third three-pointer. Williams then polished a 9-0 Gator spurt by hitting both ends of a one-and-one trip to the free throw line and Florida led, 58-43, with 5:46 remaining.
Copeland gave UF its largest lead of the game at the 5:05 mark when she nailed her fourth trey and the Gators held the 61-45 advantage.
Auburn marched off five straight points, its last field goal coming with 3:30, as Lorenzen ended the game's scoring with an offensive rebound putback with 1:13 on the clock.
The teams combined for 47 turnovers, 27 by the Gators, who collected 16 steals and held the Tigers to a 28.1 shooting percentage in the second half, 33.3 percent overall.
Quotes from the Court – Head Coach Amanda Butler:
On the second half:
“There were some individuals who made a great difference in the second half. In the second half, Kayla Lewis played the way we want her to play all the time and that was really, really important for us. We shot the ball better and that always helps. No matter what else goes right or wrong, if you shoot the ball well you can overcome 27 turnovers. That's what we did today. Our players did a good job of really, really being excited every time they had a chance to play defense.”
On stretching the defense by hitting 8-20 three-pointers:
“When you look a Haley's points and Ronni's points in particular and maybe even some of Kayla's putbacks, a lot of that was secondary action because we shot the ball so well outside. That created some passing lanes for us on the low block and we were able to shoot a little closer to the basket. We also did a good job of passing the ball inside. That's an area where we have been turning the ball over. We turned the ball over in other areas today so we'll take that as progress.”
On Cassie Peoples in the second half:
“Cassie turned the ball over a bunch in the first half, but the second half didn't and that made a big, big difference. She started playing more aggressively north and south and stopped looking for people to pass to as much. She used the fact that she was smaller as a weapon. That was a great adjustment by her.”
First Half at a Glance:
Florida raced out to a 13-4 lead in the first 6:12 of the game thanks to three-pointers from Cassie Peoples, Carlie Needles and Brooke Copeland.
The teams traded a bucket before Auburn used an 11-0 run over the next 6:03 and took a 17-15 lead with just under seven minutes remaining in the opening half.
Florida committed five turnovers during its scoring drought that lasted 6:44 late in the first half, when Auburn was making its run.
Copeland finally ended UF's spell of eight straight misses with her second three-pointer of the game and gave the Gators an 18-17 advantage with 6:06 on the clock.
The Tigers went on a 6-1 spurt for a 25-20 lead with 3:12 left, before Peoples hit a jumper and Kayla Lewis putback an offensive rebound that brought UF back within one, 25-24. The teams exchanged scores for the next minute and half and with Auburn holding a 29-26 cushion, Needles drilled the Gator's fifth three-pointer of the half and tied the score with 16 seconds remaining.
Auburn had a good look underneath at the end of the period, but missed and Kayla Lewis corralled the defensive board, as the Gators were tied entering the halftime locker room for the second consecutive game.
First Half, by the Numbers:
· Carlie Needles scored a first-half-high eight points and collected three of UF's 12 steals.
· Cassie Peoples added seven points with three assists.
· Brooke Copeland sparked off the bench with six points (2-4 three-pointers) and started the second half for UF.
· UF shot 34.5 percent (10-29) from the floor overall, including 38.5 percent (5-13) from beyond the arc.
· Auburn hit 39.3 percent of its shots and was 1-5 from long range.
· Both teams committed 14 turnovers, with UF converting them into 13 points and AU 12.
· There were five lead changes and four tied scores.
· Four different Tigers scored six points.
Individual Marks
· Cassie Peoples' sixth of her nine points was her 500th career point
· Ronni Williams topped the 400-point plateau for her career with the free throw during the second half that capped a three-point-play
· Williams scored 11 points and was in double-figures for the fifth consecutive game; her team-leading ninth double-figure scoring game this year and the 23rd of her career
· Lewis scored 10 points for her eighth double-figure scoring game this year and 45th of her career
· Copeland scored a team-high 12 points and led the Gators in scoring for the second time in her career
· Lorenzen scored 10 points for her fifth career double-figure scoring game
· Needles scored 11 points for her sixth double-figure scoring game this year and 21st of her career
· Needles was responsible for five of UF's 16 steals
Streaks and Stuff
· Florida earned its fifth consecutive win against Auburn, its longest winning streak in the 52-game series that the Tigers still lead, 32-20.
· The Gators won for the sixth time ever in Auburn, now 6-15 all-time in the series that dates back to the 1977-78 season.
· The Gators converted a three-pointer for the 145th consecutive game
· In the four game entering Sunday's UF had converted a mere 63.9 percent (53-83) from the free throw line. Tonight, the Gators hit 9-of-10.
· This is the fourth time five different Gators have scored in double-figures.
Other SEC Games Played Sunday:
· #5/8 Texas A&M at Arkansas: Texas A&M, 52-50
· Alabama at #19/19 Georgia: Georgia, 64-47
· Ole Miss at #11/11 Kentucky: Kentucky, 64-58
· #1/1 South Carolina at LSU: South Carolina, 75-51
· #17/18 Mississippi State at Missouri: Mississippi State, 53-47
Next Gator Game:
· Who: Florida vs. Ole Miss (11-4, 1-1 SEC)
· When: Thursday, January 8 at 7 p.m. ET
· Where: Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, FL
· TV Coverage: Live on Fox Sports Net
Additional Hoopla for Thursday's Game
· $1 Thursdays - Thursday night $1 promotion! All general admission tickets are $1 and select concessions items are available for $1.
· Campus Challenge - Residence hall communities on campus will compete against each other in a March Madness style attendance competition for a chance to win prizes and unique opportunities with Florida Women's Basketball!
· Saluting Those Who Serve - Local veterans and first responders will be honored during the game.
· Military Donation Drive - Help support the Florida Gators and the Military Support group of Alachua County by providing items for our troops. 100% of donations will be mailed overseas to our service men and women. A donation collection table will be located at the game.
· Women's Basketball Beanie Giveaway - The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a free Florida beanie.
· Post-game Layup Line - Kids 12 and under will be able to participate in post-game layups on the court for 15 minutes. Presenting sponsor: K-Country
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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