The University of Florida women's basketball team used a balanced scoring attack in extending its season-high win streak to five on Sunday defeating Kentucky 76-56 in front of 2,063 fans at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. The current streak is the longest for the Gators since a six-game win streak was broken on January 3, 2002. Florida improves to 16-5 overall and 6-2 in the Southeastern Conference.
Bernice Mosby led the Gators with 13 points and nine rebounds off the bench, which outscored Kentucky's bench 40-4. Senior All-American Vanessa Hayden added 11 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks, playing just 19 minutes after UF raced out to a significant lead early and never looked back en route to the win. Mosby scored all of her points in the second half after being shut out in the first period thanks to a swarming Kentucky defense and some unlucky bounces around the rim.
"I'm very pleased with the way our team played defensively, it was about the best we've played all season," Florida Head Coach Carolyn Peck said. "We played with a lot of communication and intensity. I liked the way our team played offensively, as well."
SeSe Helm scored a career-high 27 points while Sara Potts tallied 18 points and seven rebounds in the loss for the Wildcats (9-13, 1-8 SEC).
"Florida played well," Kentucky head coach Mickie DeMoss said. "Their depth paid off. They had 40 bench points to our four. Once they got off rolling, it snowballed and gave everyone confidence. We came out in the second half and played them even, but we'd gotten ourselves too far in a hole."
Both teams sputtered out of the locker room, playing to a 6-6 stalemate in the opening moments with Florida's scoring coming mainly from Brittany Davis who drilled two free throws and scored on a driving lay-up courtesy of a brilliant pass from Hayden out of the high post.
It was all Florida from that point on as the Gators went on a 24-3 scoring run which launched them to 41-20 halftime lead. A pair of Tara Taylor three-pointers and a block leading to a Tashia Morehead lay-up highlighted the scoring spree. The scoring run lasted over 10 minutes and saw six Gators add their name to the scoring column.
"That's basketball," Peck said. "It's a game of runs and who can sustain the largest one. We are an attacking team. We also get a lot of momentum from our defense. When our defense is going good, we get some easy baskets in transition."
The Gators held the Wildcats to just 25.8 percent (8-31) shooting in the first half while they enjoyed a 45.9 percent (17-37) shooting half as well as a solid 4-10 performance from behind the arc. Taylor led all scorers in the first half with 10 points while Davis added six to a balanced scoring attack.
After Florida started the scoring in the second half with four straight free throws, two a piece from Morehead and Hayden, Kentucky went on a 13-0 scoring run which finally ended when Mosby drilled a three-pointer for the Gators a little over five minutes into the half. Helm tallied 11 of the 13 points with a combination of post moves and mid-range jumpers.
The comeback attempt was snuffed out in large part due to Hayden's reemergence as a scoring threat in the second half after scoring only four points in the first half, finding herself double and triple teamed for much of the opening period. Mosby used her three-pointer, which stalled the Kentucky scoring run, to lift her to 13 points for the half and game.
For the game Florida shot 45.2 percent (28-62) from the field to Kentucky's 30.9 percent (21-68). The Gators also held Kentucky to just three assists for the game while they dished 12.
The Gators are back in action Thursday against Mississippi State beginning at 8 p.m. ET in Starkville.
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