Redshirt senior Kayla Lewis scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the season and 10th of her career in Florida's 64-57 loss to Southeastern Conference foe Ole Miss at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Thursday night.
Despite forcing four turnovers through the first 4:44 of play, Florida's offense sputtered as the Rebels ran out to 11-0 lead.
With the Gators down 15 points with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half, sophomore Ronni Williams made back-to-back baskets to spark a UF rally that brought the Gators within nine points of the visitors, but Ole Miss entered the half leading, 35-20.
After trailing by as many as 22 points in the second stanza, Florida chipped its way back into the game slowly cutting the Ole Miss lead.
At the 5:16 mark, Lewis ignited a furious 14-3 run on a layup that brought the Gators within three and brought the score to 60-57. During the run, Florida shot a perfect 5-of-5 from the field.
The Rebels' Tia Faleru put the game out of reach, converting on 3-of-4 free throws to end the game over the last minute of play.
Williams finished with a team-high 15 points and added six rebounds, two steals and one block.
Ole Miss' Tia Faleru (16 points, 12 rebounds) and A'Queen Hayes (15 points, 10 rebounds) led the Rebels statistically.
Postgame Press Conference Video (FREE):
Head coach Amanda Butler, Kayla Lewis and Ronni Williams from GatorVision: http://www.gatorvision.tv/mediaPortal/player.dbml?id=3651533&db_oem_id=6500
Updated Records:
Florida: 9-7, 1-2 SEC
Ole Miss: 12-4, 2-1 SEC
Turning Point:
· Ole Miss jumped out to an 11-0 lead following an A'Queen Hayes and-one at the 15:16 mark of the first half. UF was never able to recover, as the Rebels led by as many as 18 points in the first half which proved to be too large of a deficit to overcome.
Stat Line of the Game:
· Kayla Lewis posted her second double-double of the season and 10th of her career tonight, as she tallied 13 points and 10 boards.
Series Update:
· Despite today's loss, UF has still won three of the past five matchups with the Rebels.
· UF also holds a 19-15 lead in the 34-game all-time series.
Numbers of Note:
· The Gators' bench contributed 26 points to Ole Miss' 10. Florida fell to 7-5 when its bench outscores theirs.
· In the paint, Florida also came out on top, scoring 30 points while Ole Miss managed 20.
· UF scored 15 points off 25 Rebel turnovers.
Double-Figures:
· Ronni Williams (15) and Kayla Lewis (13) each scored in double-digits for the Gators.
Streaks:
· Carlie Needles' three-pointer with 19:36 remaining in the second half marked the Gators' 146th consecutive game with a trey.
Individuals:
· Ronni Williams scored in double figured for the sixth consecutive game, 10th time this season and 24th in her career.
· Williams grabbed her 250th career rebound in the second half of tonight's game.
· Kayla Lewis posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Tonight marked the second time this season and 10th of her career reaching that milestone.
· Lewis' double-digit scoring total marked her ninth time this season and 46th in her career with that mark.
That Crazy Stat Sheet:
· Florida had fewer turnovers than Ole Miss, 25-23
· Florida Outscored Ole Miss in the paint (30-20) and in bench scoring (26-10)
· Florida shot better than Ole Miss overall (36.1%-34.6%), from the three-point arc (25.0%-18.8%) and the free throw line (69.2%-65.8%)
· Ole Miss didn't convert a field goal in the final 12:09 of the game
· However, Ole Miss outrebounded Florida, 48-35
· Ole Miss went 25-38 from the free throw line, while Florida went 9-13
Numbers to Start:
· Haley Lorenzen tallied her 10th career start
· January Miller made her 35th career start
· Kayla Lewis recorded her 77th career start and 49th consecutive as a Gator
· Carlie Needles appeared in the starting lineup for the 49th time in her career
· Cassie Peoples made her 39th start
· UF is 5-3 this season when this group starts
Quotes from the Court:
UF Head Coach Amanda Butler
Opening Statement…
“You just have to tip your hat to Ole Miss, as they set the tone in the beginning of the ballgame. They did a great job of coming out and being more aggressive, and for some reason catching us off guard. We didn't handle the pressure well. I think the story of the game though was ultimately rebounding. I am really proud of our fight in the midst of nothing going our way. I think that is the heart of this team and what we will continue to see.”
On the difference in free throw shot opportunities between the two teams…
“It was a lot of points and a lot of opportunities they got at the free-throw line. We just did not put ourselves in the same position to score as they did from the line.”
UF Redshirt Senior Kayla Lewis
On how Ole Miss was able to get a quick start in tonight's game…
“It really shouldn't have been a surprise to us, but it was their pressure as their guards really got after us. We weren't able to get into the second sets of our offense because of our passing, turnovers, dribbling mishandles and those type of things. I just think there was a lack of poise and composure in the beginning of our game which led to their scores. They weren't running any offense that we couldn't guard, it was us shooting ourselves in the foot.”
Ole Miss Head Coach Matt Insell
Opening Statement:
“I'm real happy to get the win. Obviously, we made it entertaining, but that's who we are. I had no doubt in my mind that it was going to be entertaining at the end. We made every game we played this year entertaining, and so nothing is new with this one. We played really well for a large part of that game, and then we kind of got passive and started turning the ball over there in the second half after we took a pretty good lead. What a great win for our team. What a great win for our program and the direction we are going with our program.”
Other SEC Games Played Thursday:
· #1 South Carolina at Alabama: South Carolina, 102-59
· Auburn at #10 Kentucky: UK, 78-57
· Missouri at Georgia: UGA, 69-48
· #9 Texas A&M at #7 Tennessee: UT, 81-58
· Arkansas at #14 Mississippi State: MSU, 72-57
· Vanderbilt at LSU: LSU, 64-44
Next Gator Game:
What: Florida (9-7, 1-2 SEC) at Missouri (10-6, 0-3 SEC)
When: Sunday, Jan. 11, 2015 at 4 p.m. ET
Where: Mizzou Arena * Columbia, Missouri
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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