WINTER PARK, Fla. – Indiana played a near-perfect first half and the Gators wouldn't come close to matching it, as the Hoosiers defeated Florida in a 102-88 shootout at the Florida Sunshine Classic played at Warden Arena on the campus of Rollins College.
 
Junior Tyra Buss led the Hoosiers offensively, scoring 27 of her game-high 35 points during the first half when she connected on 19-of-20 from the free throw line.
 
Florida came together during a furious fourth quarter and outscored Indiana, 30-19, but the Gators dug themselves too deep of a hole to overcome in the final 10 minutes. Both teams scored 26 during the third quarter.
 
Delicia Washington shattered her previous career-high scoring effort – which had been 11 points - with a 31-point outburst and became just the fifth Gator freshman in program history to score at least 30 points in a game. She could have tallied a few more if her shot fell from the line, as she converted just 7-of-16 during the game.
 
Other Double-Digit Gators

• Ronni Williams scored 15 of her 22 points in the second half; this was her third 20-point game this year, fourth of her career. Williams also dished a career-high six assists.
• Tyshara Fleming just missed the second double-double of her career with 13 points and nine rebounds
• Haley Lorenzen contributed 14 points on 6-11 shooting that included a pair of three-pointers.

 
First Half Numbers of Note

• Indiana took a commanding 57-32 halftime lead.
• IU was 25-of-26 from the free throw line in the first half, while UF managed to convert just 5-of-15.
• Both teams converted 13 field goals, but six of IU's where three-pointers, compared to just one by Gator forward Haley Lorenzen.
• The teams shot nearly identically during the first half: UF hit 13-30 from the floor overall; IU was 13-31
• IU converted 11 Gator turnovers into 17 points for a 17-2 advantage.
• Hoosier guard Tyra Buss scored 25 first-half points, which included a 19-20 effort from the free throw line.
• Gator freshman Delicia Washington scored a team-high 14 points in the first half, and connected on just 4-of-12 from the line.
• Florida collected 16 personal fouls, with Dyandria Anderson and Sydney Searcy each whistled for four.
• There were four lead changes and two tied scores in the first 2:02 of the game and it seemed to be shaping up to be a tight battle.
• After Ronni Williams' put back an offensive rebound that gave Florida a 7-6 lead, Indiana ripped off 10 straight points, as personal fouls accumulated for the Gators and the Hoosiers were near perfect from the line.
• Florida wouldn't score consecutive points until Sydney Searcy hit a jumper with 56 seconds remaining in the first half and Delicia Washington followed with a bucket with 14 seconds on the clock.

 
Other Number of Note

• The 102 points allowed were the most Florida has given up since Vanderbilt scored 103 during a double-overtime affair on Feb. 6, 2011.
• This was the 18th time an opponent has scored 100 points in a game.
• IU's Tyra Buss's free throws made (19) and attempted (20) were the most ever by a Gator opponent.
• The Hoosiers hit 30-of-32 free throw attempts during the game for a 93.8 percent mark – the fourth-highest percentage in a game by an opponent in history.

Dishing on Delicia

• Delicia Washington scored 31 points and became just the fifth Gator freshman in program history to score at least 30 points in a game.
• Merlakia Jones, who became UF's all-time leading scorer by the end of her career, was the last Gator rookie to top the mark, doing so with 34 points on January 4, 1992.
• In addition to Jones, Washington joins Quientella Bonner, Tammy Jackson (3 times) and Hollis Hindes as the only other Gator freshmen to score 30 in a game.
• This was the 33rd time a Gator has scored 30 or more points in a game.
• The last time a Gator scored 30 or more was Dec. 21, 2013, when Christin Mercer scored 31 against FIU.

 
Updated Records:

• Florida: 7-4
• Indiana: 9-3

 
 
Quotes from the Court – UF Head Coach Amanda Butler
"Indiana is a very good team. You've got to play better defense. We gave them three-point shots, 30 points at the free throw line and an experienced team like Indiana is going to make you pay when that happens."
 
"Delicia (Washington) did a really good job of what we wanted her to do on offense. I'm very proud of her offensive performance. She's going to continue to grow as a defender and when she does, she'll be one of the best in our league. I was really proud of the finishes and the way that she got herself to the free throw line. Then she's just got to capitalize. As bad as this game was, when you look at the free throw differential, we missed 16 free throws and we lost by 16 points. As bad as we played, if we hit a few more of those, that might have helped our effort."
 
"Ronni (Williams), as a big player handling the ball at the point, can see over the heads easier than our other guards Dyandria (Anderson) and Sydney (Searcy) can. She stepped up and filled a role for us that she had not practiced and it just showed a great deal of her competitiveness and toughness."
 
 
What's Next for the Gators

• Who: Florida (7-4) vs. Florida A&M (1-9)
• When: Wed., Dec. 21 * 5:30 pm
• Where: Warden Arena (2,500) * Winter Park, Fla. Winter Park, Florida
• What: Game 2: Florida Sunshine Classic (www.flsunshineclassic.com)
• Facility Notes: Played at Rollins College: Harold and Ted Alfond Sports Center, Chase Ave., Winter Park, FL (located at the corner of Fairbanks Ave. and Chase Ave.)

 
Game Coverage & More!

• Radio: LIVE on ESPN Gainesville 98.1FM/850AM with Adam Schick & Brittany Davis
• Internet Audio: LIVE thru FloridaGators.com (FREE) [direct link]
• Television: none
• Streaming Video: live, with link at www.flsunshineclassic.com
• Internet Scoring: Statbroadcast [direct link]
• Event Website: www.flsunshineclassic.com

 
Opening Tip

• Florida plays its second of two games against pre-assigned opponents at the Florida Sunshine Classic.
• Florida A&M lost to Stony Brook, 80-49, in its first game at the Florida Sunshine Classic on Tuesday.
• UF holds a 7-5 all-time record against FAMU, however, the Rattlers won the most recent match-up - a 72-71 stunner on Dec. 1, 2009 in Gainesville
• The two games at the Florida Sunshine Classic are Florida's 11th and 12th on the road this season, as the Gators finally wrap up their season-opening 12-game road trip due to the $64.5 million renovations to its home arena.

 
Gator Pronunciations in this Release:

• DYANDRIA Anderson: dee-ANN-dree-uh
• TYSHARA Fleming: tie-SHEER-uh
• Sydney SEARCY: SIR-see
• DELICIA Washington: dah-LEE-shu

 
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