Gators Regain Much-Needed Momentum with Postseason Looming
Thursday, February 18, 2016 | Women's Basketball, Scott Carter
Florida bounced back from its first losing streak of season to beat Vanderbilt
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The four longest days of the season finally ended Thursday night when the ball was tossed into the air for the opening tip.
The Florida women's basketball team played three months into the season before it lost back-to-back games. And what an ugly loss the second of those back-to-back defeats was.
The Gators trudged off the court at Auburn on Sunday following a 22-point defeat. They then had to stew for four days until Vanderbilt visited the O'Connell Center.
"We were all disappointed in ourselves because that was in no way, shape or form what makes us a really, really, good team,'' Florida coach Amanda Butler said late Thursday. "The reason I think you saw such a stark difference between Sunday and Thursday was that the first moment we could get back on the floor, the team was accountable for changing that."
The Gators flipped the script alright. They came out hot in Thursday's 79-67 victory over Vanderbilt, racing to a 15-4 lead. But that was similar to Sunday's loss at Auburn when the Gators led by 10 out of the gate before crumbling.
What changed was the way the Gators responded to Vanderbilt's comeback to take the lead in the second quarter. The Gators withstood the Commodores' best shots and with the outcome hanging in the balance midway in the final quarter, they made plays down the stretch.
There was Haley Lorenzen blocking a shot by Marqu'es Webb, a thorn in Florida's side all night, to prevent a score. There was Ronni Williams grabbing a rebound and going coast-to-coast to dish to Eleanna Christinaki for a layup and 70-64 lead with 1:30 remaining. And there was Christinaki doing what she has done all season for the Gators, providing a calming influence late.
Christinaki scored 11 of the Gators' 20 points in the fourth quarter to finish with a career-high 22 points as UF snapped a five-game losing streak to Vanderbilt at home dating to 2006. After the Commodores trimmed Florida's lead to 62-58, Christinaki answered with a 3-point play. She hit a 3-pointer moments later after a block by Williams led to a fastbreak.
Butler finally exhaled in the final moments of Florida's first 20-win regular season since her second season in 2008-09.
"I love the way we attacked,'' Butler said. "When we were communicating, it was exactly the way we wanted to sound and feel. It was reinforcing in such a manner that we knew that we were going to win because they weren't going to let each other down.
"It's just another indication of this team wanting to make their mark and to do things that are significant."
The Gators improved to 20-6, 8-5 in the Southeastern Conference. They own a share of third place in the conference standings with three games remaining until the SEC Tournament.
Unlike last year when the Gators missed the postseason entirely, or other seasons in Butler's nine-year tenure when they were often a bubble team heading into the conference tournament, there is no doubt this UF team is headed to March Madness.
They are playing for a good seed at this point.
The win against Vanderbilt, which has now lost six consecutive games after a 15-5 start, is one they needed.
Not just for the selection committee, but for confidence after losing on the road to South Carolina and Auburn last week.
"It's the most powerful tool. It's the most powerful weapon that any team has,'' Butler said. "Anytime that you can bolster your confidence, that's fuel on your fire."
Both Lorenzen and Christinaki felt renewed as they joined Butler at the postgame press conference.
A 6-foot-3 sophomore from Iowa, Lorenzen finished with 12 points, four steals, three rebounds and two blocks Thursday.
"My teammates give me so much energy and so much confidence to do more than just be the big girl inside,'' she said.
As for Christinaki, a freshman from Athens, Greece, she took control in the final minutes as if she had been on campus much longer than six months.
"Today was my day,'' she said. "Tomorrow, it's someone else. That's what makes us a great team."
They Gators already have seven more wins than a season ago when they finished 13-17 and sat home in March. They want more. Coming off their worst game of the season, they showed it with their performance Thursday.
"I wasn't surprised at our response,'' Butler said. "They have such a great spirit about them. I feel like at this point I know their hearts, and know what they want. They don't really want anything to get in the way of that."
The next step on their journey is Sunday at Georgia. Butler reminded the team of that immediately after the game, telling them to get ready to go to Athens.
Christinaki's response was priceless according to Butler.
"Eleanna got very excited for about five seconds,'' she said.
Then she was told the Gators are going to Athens, Ga., not her beloved hometown in Greece.
Christinaki quickly regrouped. Much like the Gators did after Sunday's deflating loss.
