The University of Florida women's basketball team lost to top-ranked LSU 76-52 at the Maravich Center in front of 10,185 in the regular season finale for both teams.
The Gators (14-13, 5-9 SEC) missed their first eight shots to begin the second half, when the Lady Tigers (27-1, 14-0) scored the initial 12 points to extend their lead to 51-26 and blow the game open.
"There is definitely a reason LSU in the No. 1 ranked team in the country," UF head coach Carolyn Peck said. "They are extremely talented and play well together. There are two sides of today's game. That's the LSU side. On our side, Tashia Morehead played like an All-American today. She tried to put this team on her back. She played a number of positions for us inside and outside. She worked hard offensively and defensively. One of the things that I asked our players to do was to leave it on the floor. I can guarantee you that's what Tashia Morehead did today."
Morehead finished with a team-high 17 points and four assists, Dalila Eshe added eight points with a team-high seven rebounds.
Both teams next compete in the Southeastern Conference Tournament that begins Thursday in Greenville, S.C. The four-day event will be played at the Bi-Lo Center. LSU is the No. 1 seed in the 12-team event and earned one of four first-round byes. The Gators seed was undetermined at the time of this release, awaiting the outcome of the Auburn at Mississippi State and the South Carolina at Ole Miss games to reveal seeds No. 5 through No. 8.
The Gators missed their first eight shots from the floor to start the second half, as LSU scored 12 straight points and extended its 13-point halftime lead to a 51-26 advantage with 13:54 remaining. Danielle Santos hit two free throws with 13:28 on the clock to get the Gators' offense started in the second half, with Brittany Davis providing the first field goal with 12:26 remaining, as she converted a three-point play and cut the deficit to 51-31.
Those points actually began a 11-1 Gator run that reduced LSU's lead to 15 points, 52-37, with 9:42 on the clock. LSU regrouped and tallied the next five points during a 11-3 run, with Tishona Gregory's banked three-pointer the lone Florida score, to quell any chances of a Gator comeback.
The Gators shot 32.7 percent during the game, including 31.8 percent during the second half, while LSU hit 53.7 of its shots tonight. Florida, which held a 31-30 rebounding edge, committed 23 turnovers during the contest, which LSU converted into 32 points.
"The 23 turnovers were our biggest problem," Peck said. "Some turnovers LSU caused, but several were unforced and that's disappointing."
The Gators came out battling and hung with the top-ranked Tigers, who threatened to pull away early with an 8-2 run and built a 12-6 lead with 12:28 remaining in the opening period. Florida answered with a pair of free throws from Depree Bowden and a baseline jumper from Sarah Lowe to close within two, 12-10, one minute later.
LSU responded with a 12-3 spree thanks to a pair of three-pointers from Quianna Chaney and extended its advantage to 11 points, 24-13, with just over eight minutes remaining. The teams traded baskets over the next five minutes before Dalila Eshe hit a jumper and Tashia Morehead canned a deep trey to cut the deficit to six, 32-26, with 2:03 on the clock. However Morehead's bucket was the last offense for the Gators, as the Tigers scored the final seven points of the period to take a 39-26 halftime lead.
Morehead led all scorers in the first half, netting 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting for UF which shot 33.3 percent (9-27) from the floor during the opening 20 minutes. LSU shot a steady 55.6 percent (15-27), which included a 5-of-6 effort from the three-point arc.
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