Florida's Jordyn Merritt attempts to get a shot off against South Carolina's stifling defense on Sunday at Exactech Arena. (Photo: Hannah White/UAA Communications)
Carter's Corner: Finley Delivers Simple Message To Gators
Sunday, January 30, 2022 | Women's Basketball, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Head up. Shoulders back.
Four words. One message.
It's the memo UF interim head coach Kelly Rae Finley delivered to the Gators after their 62-50 loss to No. 1-ranked South Carolina on Sunday.
Florida stepped onto the court riding the momentum of a five-game Southeastern Conference win streak and a surge of newfound confidence. The O'Dome, quiet as a church in recent seasons when the UF women played, rocked and rolled.
The Gators men's team stopped by to cheer on their sisters. A crowd of 5,319 – the first time in 23 years more than 5,000 fans turned out for a UF women's basketball game – arrived loud and ready to roar. The home fans wanted to see if the Gators, a week after knocking off No. 11-ranked LSU, could pull off another upset and crack the national polls.
"I think it made a big difference, and it was a huge step for our program,'' Finley said of the crowd. "To play in front of Gator Nation full force was really, really special. It's part of what we're building."
A crowd of more than 5,000 turned out for Florida's loss to No. 1-ranked South Carolina on Sunday. (Photo: Hannah White/UAA Communications)
And then it happened — that miserable first quarter. The Gators had open shots, chances around the basket, but nothing dropped. Florida missed its first 12 shots.
"Some of it was us, and some of it was they just missed easy shots,'' Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said. "We're not going to take credit for all of it."
Still, Florida trailed just 9-2 when Kiara Smith's jumper tickled the net with 4:38 left in the first quarter. That was the only shot the Gators made in the opening period. When it was over, South Carolina led 19-3 as UF managed to make only 1 of 19 attempts.
Finley urged the Gators on from the sideline, running players in and out while dishing out encouragement.
"Felt like there was a lid on the basket there,'' Finley said. "South Carolina has a length that is very hard to simulate. I thought we got good looks. We knew at some point they would start to fall, which is why I don't think you saw panic."
The Gators kept at it and trailed 33-13 at halftime. South Carolina's lead ballooned to 45-17 in the third quarter, and you wondered how lopsided would the final score be. But if there is one thing we've learned about Finley and her renewed Gators, they leave it on the floor.
The Gators outscored South Carolina 33-17 the rest of the way to finally give those who showed up something to cheer.
Staley, who resisted handing out too much praise to her team following South Carolina's 14th consecutive win over the Gators, saw the same fight.
The Gators made the Gamecocks work for their 20th win in 21 games.
"They're projected to be at the bottom of the league, but no one takes that for granted,'' Staley said. "She's got them rolling."
Finley said if someone had told her that the Gators would shoot 1-for-19 in the first quarter and be in the same neighborhood as the Gamecocks late in the game, she would have told them they were crazy.
It wasn't the start Florida wanted. In between, the Gators showed fight and kept a game respectable that we've seen turn into a rout so many times. The same goes for the end.
Yes, Sunday could have gone much better for the Gators. It could have gone much worse. Florida and South Carolina are two programs in different places. But for the first time in a while, you felt the Gators at least had a chance.
"We don't compare ourselves to them, but we don't compare ourselves to anybody," Finley said. "We're measuring our success based on our growth within ourselves both individually and as a team. I'm not into consolation prizes. We don't really like that. We're competitors. Of course, we wanted to win. We hope the next time we play them, it will be a different outcome."
