TEMPE, Ariz. – Florida led by 12 points entering the fourth quarter when Arizona State came alive and outscored the Gators by 18 and earned a 69-63 win in the Arizona State Classic title game played Sunday at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe.
 
Entering the deciding fourth quarter, the Sun Devils had shot a mere 26.4 percent (14-53) from the floor. During the final 10 minutes, ASU converted 13-of-14 from the floor (92.9 percent), held UF to 35.3 percent (6-17) and outrebounded the Gators, 10-5.
 
With Florida leading 57-50 and five minutes to play, the Sun Devils ended the game with a 19-6 run.
 
The Gators frontcourt struggled with foul trouble all game long, as their three primary posts each had two personals less than 13 minutes into the game. That eventually caught up with their paint defense in the fourth quarter when the Sun Devils had their way inside.
 
Sophomore Eleanna Christinaki and freshman Sydney Searcy were the only Gators to score in double-figures with 18 and 11, respectively. For Searcy, who hit all four of her field goal attempts, it was a career-best output.
 
How it Happened
With the game tied at halftime, Florida outscored ASU, 21-9, in the third quarter by converting 57.1 percent (8-14) of its shots and seemed to have the momentum, as the hosts managed to shoot just 13.3 percent (2-15).
 
The Sun Devils began the crucial fourth quarter scoring the first seven points and were within five points with 8:14 remaining. The team traded scores for the next three-plus minutes before Arizona State made its final game-ended run to capture its home tournament title.
 
Updated Team Records:

• Florida: 6-2
• Arizona State: 5-2

 
National Rankings:

• Florida: No. 19 Associated Press; No. 23 USA Today/WBCA
• Arizona State: receiving votes in AP; No. 24 USA Today/WBCA

 
Double-Digit Gators

• Christinaki's 18 points were a game-high and her 24th career double-figure scoring game
• Searcy's 11 points were two more than her previous career-best number for the first double-figure scoring game of her young career

 
Individual Numbers of Note

• Junior Haley Lorenzen topped the 600-point plateau during the game.
• Lorenzen just missed the first double-double of her career with nine points and a season-high nine rebounds.
• Junior Dyandria Anderson scored her 250th career point and dished her 100th career assist during the game.
• Ronni Williams, who scored eight points with six rebounds, four assists and three steals on Sunday, was named to the Arizona State Classic All-Tournament Team.

 
Numbers of Note

• Florida's 63 points were its fewest this season; was 68 in a loss a Northwestern.
• Florida was outrebounded for the first time this year (40-36).
• UF managed just six offensive rebounds after entering the game averaging 16.3 per game.
• Both of Florida's losses this season have come when being outscored in the fourth quarter.
• The Gators are now 1-2 in games decided by seven points or less.

 
Gators in the Grand Canyon State

• Sunday's game was Florida's fifth in the state of Arizona and just the first against a team from the state.
• The last time the Gators played in the state of Arizona was back on March 18, 2006, when UF lost to New Mexico in the first round of the NCAA Tournament played in Tucson.
• The two tournament games in the ASU Classic are the last the Gators will be playing outside the state of Florida during the calendar year!

 
Quoting UF Head Coach Amanda Butler
"We're going to have to look at the film and there are going to be a lot of things we'll be disappointed when we see. We didn't do a very good job of defending the low block and I don't mean that's one person's responsibility. There's no way the ball is supposed to go directly into the low block so we got caught behind a lot. We didn't do a very good job of transitioning back into our zone. Our guards started getting a little bit tired and jogging. Arizona State is a good team and they made us pay when we took plays off."
 
"This was a great test of our toughness. That's what we talked about at halftime. I think we came out in the third quarter and showed how tough we are and then we just weren't able to sustain it."
 
"It (this tournament) was a challenge and that's something we have to get better at – playing with more discipline and making good decisions."
 
"We got beat by a good team. This is a top-25 program. This is a chance for us to grow. I'm sure the film will show us a lot of ways we have to get better if we want to beat this caliber of team on the road."
 
 
Gator Pronunciations for this release:

• DYANDRIA Anderson: dee-ANN-dree-uh
• ELEANNA CHRISTINAKI: L-ee-on-uh chris-tin-OCK-ee
• Sydney SEARCY: SIR-see

 
 
What's Next for the Gators

• Who: No. 19/23 Florida (6-2) at No. 8 Florida State (8-1)
• When: Thur., December 8 * 6 p.m. ET
• Where: Donald L. Tucker Center (12,100) * Tallahassee, Fla.

 
 
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