Junior guard
Brandi McCain (Silsbee, Tex./Silsbee) scored a game-high 21 points to lead the 11th-ranked Florida Lady Gators (22-4, 10-3 SEC) to a 67-59 victory over the 14th-ranked LSU Lady Tigers (17-9, 7-6 SEC) on Senior Night at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center Thursday night. McCain scored in double figures for the 25th time in the Lady Gators' 26 games this season.
"This was a great win against a great team on a great night," UF head coach
Carol Ross said. "This win was such a credit to these players who just keep finding a way to get the job done. They played with a lot of heart and pride tonight."
The game was close throughout the first half, though the Lady Gators led the whole way. McCain sparked Florida in the opening period, scoring 13 of her game high points, and she and
Monique Cardenas (Keystone Heights, Fla./Keystone Heights) combined to play 37 minutes in the first half with senior guard
Tombi Bell (Miami, Fla./Miami Norland) sitting the game out with a concussion she suffered versus Mississippi State on Sunday. McCain's three-point basket with 14:15 to go gave her 11 consecutive games with at least one three-pointer. The Lady Gators ended the first half with a 7-0 run to take a 31-22 lead at halftime.
"It was a great tribute to the character of this year's team to rally in the face of more adversity," Ross said of Bell's absence from the lineup. "They have a winning attitude and don't look for excuses."
The Lady Gators took control of the game in the second half. Florida used a 10-3 run to build a 20-point lead at 58-38 with 6:15 to go in the game. LSU used a 9-0 run to get back in the game late, but could get no closer than six points as the Lady Gators held on for the eight-point victory.
Tonight's victory, which was Florida's final regular-season home game, improved the Lady Gator's home record to 11-2 on the season. The Lady Gator's 10 SEC wins ties a school record, matching the conference win total of the 1998 team.
For Florida, McCain was followed by freshman center
Vanessa Hayden (Orlando, Fla./Boone) with 16 points and Cardenas chipped in 14 with five assists. Hayden tallied her ninth double-double of the season by snaring 12 rebounds in the game in addition to blocking three shots.
The Tigers were led by DeTrina White with 17 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. April Brown and Marie Ferdinand added 13 points apiece for LSU, which lost its third consecutive game for the first time since late February in 1998.
Florida concludes its regular season schedule Sunday, Feb. 25, when the Lady Gators travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. Eastern Time. The SEC Women's Basketball Tournament will be held March 1-4 at The Pyramid in Memphis, Tenn.
