Tashia Morehead scored a career-high 26 points and Vanessa Hayden added 22 points with 11 rebounds and five blocks leading the University of Florida women's basketball team to an impressive 92-83 upset victory over No. 24 Vanderbilt Sunday afternoon at Memorial Gymnasium.
"This was a very good win for this team," UF head coach Carolyn Peck said. "This team would come back with defensive stops and then answer Vanderbilt at the offensive end. We came up with big rebounds all game long. It was a back and forth game. There wasn't any time to rest because there weren't any lulls in the game. It was a great game for women's basketball."
Also scoring in double-figures was Bernice Mosby, who tallied 16 points, and Danielle Santos, who added 13 points with a career-high seven assists and four steals for the Gators, who improved to 15-5 overall and 5-2 in the Southeastern Conference. Hayden's double-double was her 14th this season and the 47th of her career.
"We had a tough time matching up with [Vanessa] Hayden today," Vanderbilt head coach Melanie Balcomb said. "We also left people open and [Tashia] Morehead stepped in and stepped up. We gave up too many drives and didn't rebound and check out."
Jenni Benningfield led the Commodores (16-4, 4-3 SEC) offensively, scoring 20 points off the bench, while Carla Thomas added 17 points, Abi Ramsey and Ashley Earley both 13 points and Hillary Hager tallied 11 points.
Both teams shot extremely well form the floor, as Florida hit 50.8 percent (33-65) from the field, including a 60.7 percent (17-28) effort in the second half. Vanderbilt averaged 52.5 percent (31-59) from the field, hitting 58.1 percent in the second half, when the Gators outscored their hosts 56-49.
The Gators, who improved to 4-1 versus nationally ranked teams this season, also shot an impressive 21-of-26 from the free throw line, hitting 14-of-16 during the final 2:21 of the game to preserve the victory. Morehead led the way from the charity stripe, hitting 8-of-10 and had extended her consecutive made free throw streak to 28 before missing a pair with 20 seconds remaining in the game.
Vanderbilt scored the first basket of the second half to tie the score at 36-all, but Hayden scored four points during UF's ensuing 6-0 run that as the Gators retook the lead. However Abi Ramsey, one of the nation's top three-point shooters, began to get hot and nailed long range attempts on back-to-back possessions that helped Vanderbilt cut the lead to 44-42 with just under 16 minutes remaining.
The teams then traded buckets, with neither team able to connect with back-to-back scores until Vanderbilt managed to with 11:30 remaining and tied the score at 55-all. But Florida struck right back as Sarah Lowe nailed a three-pointer and Hayden hit a tough fall-away jumper to give the Gators a 60-55 lead with 10:42 left in the game.
But Florida got sloppy and the Commodores took advantage by stealing an in-bounds pass and converting a fast break layup that resulted in a 6-0 run that gave VU a 60-61 lead with 9:16 on the clock. However, the Gators tightened up by taking better care of the ball and Danielle Santos nailed a three-point before Bernice Mosby hit back-to-back shots that lifted UF to a 67-61 lead with 7:30 remaining. Then Vanderbilt began to show why it's ranked 12th in the country in field goal percentage, staging a 9-2 run that tied the game with 5:10 remaining after Carla Thomas hit a pair of free throws after drawing Hayden's fourth foul.
The Gators refused to relinquish their lead, as Tishona Gregory nailed a jumper from just inside the three-point arc. Tashia Morehead then put back an offensive rebound to extend the run, which grew to a 10-1 spree ending when Santos converted a pair of free throws after stealing the ball and running the length of the floor for a layup, as the Gators took a 80-71 lead with 2:21 remaining. But Vanderbilt continued hitting from the outside, as Hillary Hager canned a trey to cut the deficit to six points, 80-74, with 1:59 left in the game. But as composed as the Commodores were shooting from the floor, the Gators were just as smooth from the free throw line, answered every VU field goal with a pair of free throws, hitting 14-of-16 in the final 2:21 of the game to seal the win.
UF missed its first six shots from the field until Danielle Santos connected on a 12-footer with 17:15 remaining in the opening half to tie the game at 4-all. Vanessa Hayden then hit a long jumper to give the Gators a four-point lead and the teams continued to trade baskets as the pace picked up.
Hayden's short jumper at the 14:53 mark gave UF a 12-8 lead, but Jenni Benningfield entered the game and quickly ignited a spark into Vanderbilt's offense, scoring five points during a 7-0 run that gave the Commodores a 15-12 advantage. But Hayden answered by scoring the first four points during a 13-3 Gator spree capped by Tashia Morehead's deep three-pointer, as UF regained the lead, 27-20, with 6:21 remaining in the period.
However, the Gators got a little sloppy and Vanderbilt made them pay with a 10-2 run over the next 1:34 that gave the Commodores a 30-29 lead. Morehead answered for UF by canning another three-pointer at the 4:30 mark of the opening half and the teams traded buckets for the remainder of the period, as the Gators took a 36-34 lead into the halftime locker room.
Hayden led the Gators in the first half with 14 points, eight rebounds and five blocks, while Morehead tallied 12 points for UF, which shot 43.2 percent (16-37) from the field and held a 21-17 rebounding edge.
Florida returns to the court next Sunday, February 8, when the team entertains Kentucky in the O'Connell Center beginning at 3 p.m. ET.
END OF REPORT
