GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Redshirt senior Kayla Lewis scored her 1000th career point, sophomore Ronni Williams recorded her first double-double of the season and the Gators held the halftime lead. No. 6 Tennessee, however, used an 11-0 run midway through the second half to distance itself enough from upset-minded Florida during its Alumnae Weekend and escaped with a 64-56 decision at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Sunday afternoon.
In addition to Williams, who finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds, redshirt junior Cassie Peoples had a solid game, as she scored a game-high 18 points, grabbed two rebounds and dished out six assists.
Defense ruled early in the opening stanza, as the Gators couldn't seem to get the lid off the basket. UF opened the game shooting just 1-of-10 (10 percent) from the field, was whistled for four personal fouls and turned the ball over once in the first six minutes of the game, when the Lady Vols jumped out to a 9-2 lead capped off by an Isabelle Harrison layup at the 14:09 mark.
Undaunted, Florida answered with an 11-4 run to tie the game up at 13-13 on a Lewis layup with 10:18 left in the half.
With the Gators trailing by two points (26-24) with 2:37 remaining in the frame, Lewis dropped in a 6-footer that tied the game up and scored her 1,000th career point, to become the 23rd Gator to accomplish the feat.
The remainder of the half was nip-and-tuck with UF carrying a 30-28 lead into the locker room at intermission.
After forcing 12 Lady Vols turnovers and allowing UT to shoot just 35.5 percent (11-of-31) from the field in the first half, Florida continued its outstanding defensive play to open the second half. UF didn't allow a UT basket until the 16:21 mark as Tennessee was 0-for-6 from field with two turnovers.
Florida held a 36-31 lead following a Carlie Needles three-pointer with 14:39 remaining, but the Lady Vols would respond to the Gators largest lead of the game with an 18-4 run over the next nine-plus minutes of action. The nine-point advantage (49-40) proved to be too much for the Gators to overcome.
Isabelle Harrison scored a team-high 17 points for Tennessee, while Jordan Reynolds tallied 13 and Jaime Nared 10.
Updated Records: Florida: 11-12, 3-7 SEC … Tennessee: 20-3, 10-0 SEC
How close was it?
· Today's game was a thriller that featured six ties and four lead changes before the Lady Vols took over late in the second half.
Gripping Gators:
· 10 of UF's 23 games this year have been decided by 10 points or less.
· The Gators are 3-7 in those games this year, including 0-3 in SEC games.
Turning Point:
· After entering the locker room with a 30-28 advantage, Florida fell victim to an 11-0 Tennessee run across a 2:08 span with 11:36 remaining in the game, during which the Lady Vols hit three consecutive field goal attempts and took a 42-36 lead. The Gators never recovered from Tennessee's hot scoring streak.
Breaking Even:
· The Gators and the Lady Vols were evenly matched in a number of categories:
· Steals: Florida 11, Tennessee 10
· Turnovers: both with 21
· Assists: both with 12
· Blocks: Florida 4, Tennessee 2
· Additionally, Florida shot 34.4 percent (21-for-61) on the game, while Tennessee bucketed 37.9 percent of shots taken (22-for-58).
Disparities Between the Teams:
· Free throws shooting: Tennessee 17-27, Florida 9-11
· Rebounding: Tennessee 45, Florida 38
· Points in the paint: Tennessee 34, Florida 24
Breaking the Trend:
· UF had entered the game 9-1 when leading at halftime, with the lone loss at Missouri after holding a two-point advantage.
· The Gators led the Lady Vols at halftime, 30-28
Joining the Club:
· Kayla Lewis scored her 1,000th career point in today's game with 2:37 remaining in the first half to knot the score at 26.
· Lewis became the 23rd Gator to reach the scoring milestone.
· Lewis is the first Gator to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau since Jaterra Bonds did so on March 8, 2013 against Tennessee
Individuals:
· Ronni Williams tallied her first double-double of the year and fourth of her career, scoring 11 points and pulling down 13 boards. Williams' last double-double occurred on Jan. 5, 2014 at No. 6 Kentucky.
· Williams pulled down a season-high 13 rebounds in her first double-figure rebounding game since the Gators played No. 6 Kentucky on Jan. 5, 2014. She scored 19 points and collected 10 boards in that contest.
· Williams eclipsed 475 career points in today's contest.
· Williams matched a season-best two blocks and two steals in today's game. She put up two stuffs versus Jacksonville this season on Nov. 14, 2014 and recorded two takeaways a total of four times this season.
· Carlie Needles scored her 625th career point in today's contest.
· Needles collected her 225th career rebound in today's matchup.
Double-Figures:
· Cassie Peoples bucketed double-figure points (18) for the 11th time this season and 28th in her career.
· Ronni Williams posted points in double-figures (11) for the 13th time this season and 27th in her career.
· Kayla Lewis recorded double-digit points (10) for the 14th time this season and 51st in her career.
Streaks:
· Brooke Copeland nailed a three-pointer at the 11:00 mark of the first half, extending the Gators' streak with at least one trey to 153 consecutive games.
· Cassie Peoples scored in her team-leading 33rd consecutive game.
· Carlie Needles has scored in 30 consecutive games that she has played (missed 2 games this year due to a concussion).
Starters:
· Kayla Lewis made her 84th career start and 56th consecutive
· Carlie Needles recorded her 54th career start
· Cassie Peoples made her 43rd career start
· Brooke Copeland made her eighth career start and seventh consecutive
· Ronni Williams made her 26th career start
· Today's opening combination marked the 10th different starting line-up this year
· Williams made her first start since Dec. 14 vs. Stetson
ENTIRE GATOR POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE VIDEO (courtesy GatorVision):
· http://www.gatorvision.tv/mediaPortal/player.dbml?id=3711699&db_oem_id=6500
Quotes From the Court
Florida Head coach Amanda Butler
Opening statement:
“I thought we played really well this afternoon, except for a four or five-minute segment in the second half. We didn't do a good job of taking care of the ball in the second half and that was ultimately what determined the outcome of the game. We weren't quite as successful as they were in getting to the free throw line and that made an impact, as well. They did a great job of capitalizing on those opportunities, but our takeaway from this game is that I loved our fight and how hard we battled and played, especially one woman down. I thought we did a great job of sticking to the game plan and believing every second of the game that this was supposed to be our win.”
On the team's mood going into halftime with a two-point lead:
“It was great. They were ready to battle for 20 more minutes and [they] definitely had the expectation that we wanted them to have – that we were going to fly out of the locker room and battle for 20 more minutes and handle our business on our home court.”
UF Redshirt senior forward Kayla Lewis
On her 1,000th-career point:
“I didn't know that, so thank you for telling me that. I didn't really think about it. I think I have been too hurt to even think that that would be a possibility. When I heard that that was a possibility, I was like, 'Well, alright.' This has a lot to do with my teammates. I have had some really great teammates who have gotten me the ball. I am not really a player that creates a lot off the dribble. I have had players like Ronni [Williams] and Cassie [Peoples] who have gotten me the ball and rewarded me for running in transition. So I can't take a lot of credit for those 1,000 points, I am just happy to have been able to put the ball in the hole for my team.”
UF Redshirt junior Cassie Peoples
On attacking the basket today:
“There isn't much that I have changed. The coaches harp on me a lot to attack and be more confident in my ability to attack. During practice, I try to have that mentality that I am great attacker and finishing. Throughout these last few practices and the whole bye week, it has been a focus of mine to get in there and finish because I haven't been finishing.”
Tennessee Head Coach Holly Warlick
Opening statement:
“It was a tail of two halves. I thought we were extremely average the first half and that Florida had a lot to do with it. They got us to turn it over and to quick shoot the basketball. I was really pleased with how we started off getting [Isabelle Harrison] the ball and then she got in foul trouble and had to sit. I wasn't really impressed with our first half. At halftime, I didn't talk a lot about basketball, but more on energy and heart.”
Next Gator Game:
Who: Florida (11-12, 3-7 SEC) at No. 22/21 Georgia (17-6, 5-5 SEC)
When: Thursday, February 12 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Stegemen Coliseum * Athens, Ga.
TV/VIDEO: SEC Network+ with Matt Stewart and Brittany Northcutt
Other SEC Games Played Sunday:
· #11/12 Kentucky d. VANDERBILT, 82-68
· #17/19 MISSISSPPI STATE d. #14/13 Texas A&M, 63-61 (OT)
· MISSOURI d. Auburn, 59-49
· Alabama at LSU – late start
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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