Danielle Santos scored 16 points and guard Tishona Gregory recorded 12 points with six assists and led a furious late rally, but it wasn't enough as the University of Florida women's basketball team fell short in its season-opening 72-62 loss in instate rival Florida State (2-0).
The loss snapped UF's 16-game win streak against the Seminoles, who earned their first victory in the series since a 90-78 overtime win on Dec. 15, 1991.
"I've got to compliment Florida State," UF head coach Carolyn Peck said. "They came in and played hard, especially in the first half. They shot a lot better than they did in the first two exhibition games and the Xavier game."
Santos nailed a three-pointer to close the spread to eight points, 38-30, with 17:05 remaining, but FSU ripped off a devastating 23-7 run to extend its lead to 61-37 with just over six minutes remaining.
After the teams traded free throws, the Gators' offense finally sparked and the defense came alive, as UF rallied with a 19-2 run and cut the deficit to seven, 63-56, with 1:20 on the clock. But the Seminoles made 7-of-10 free throws to preserve the win.
Santos led UF with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including a 3-of-4 effort from the three-point line. Tishona Gregory added 12 points with six assists in 35 minutes of work for the Gators, who shot a woeful 30 percent (9-30) from the floor in the first half when FSU built a 36-25 halftime lead. Benice Mosby snatched a team-high 10 rebounds to go along with nine points in the loss.
"We are extremely excited to beat a very good Florida team," FSU coach Sue Semrau said. "It's been a long time coming for us, and I'm very proud of our team's effort."
Senior guard Linnea Liljestrand was the shooting star for the Seminoles, ignighting for 15 points in the first half en route to a game-high 20. Ganiyat Adeduntan added a double-double for the Seminoles with a game-high 11 rebounds and 12 points, while Alicia Gladden tallied 12 points with six steals for FSU, which shot 47.1 percent (24-51) for the game.
"Liljestrand had a very good shooting night," Peck said. "Someone who shoots that much has a lot of confidence. I'm very confident in what I saw from our team. We didn't quit and we continued to compete."
Both teams hit 24 field goals in the game, with UF canning seven from the three-point line compared to four for the Noles. The difference came at the free throw line, where the Seminoles were 20-of-35 compared with the Gator's 7-of-12 effort.
The Gators return to action on Friday, when the team plays Iowa (2-0) in the first round of the Junkanoo Jam held in the Bahamas.
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