University of Florida sophomore Sha Brooks (Jackson, Tenn.) recorded 28 points on 8-for-13 shooting to match her career high, and three additional Gators scored in double-figures to lead the Gators to an 83-79 victory over Kentucky on Sunday afternoon in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, during a close contest that featured 20 lead changes and 10 ties.
The game, which was the final regular-season contest for both teams, marked Florida's second consecutive year of winning its final home and regular-season contests. Last year, the Gators upset No. 2 LSU in their home finale before knocking off No. 5 Tennessee in Knoxville to end the regular season.
Sophomore Marshae Dotson (Columbus, Ohio) narrowly missed a double-double with 22 points and nine rebounds, while junior Depree Bowden (Palmetto, Fla.) chipped in 16 points and senior Briana Phillips (Palmetto, Fla.) added 12, as Florida (8-21, 2-12 Southeastern Conference) shot a season-high 50 percent from the field on 28-of-56 shooting.
“I compliment this team. We talked about making today very special for our seniors, and the focus, concentration and determination that this team played with made it tough for anyone to take this game away from us,” Florida head coach Carolyn Peck said. “It's been a challenging season, but myself and the team has really appreciated all of the fans who have stuck with us through thick and thin. What meant the most to me today, though, was that our seniors could walk off of this court and say that they won their final home game.”
Florida came out strong in the second period and overcame a 39-36 halftime deficit on back-to-back baskets by Bowden and Dotson for a 40-39 lead. UK briefly jumped back in command with a jumper by Sarah Elliott, but Dotson gave Florida a 44-41 lead with two-straight baskets. Bowden increased Florida's lead to 46-41 with a pair from the line before Kentucky (17-12, 6-8 SEC) came back with a trey and a two-point basket to knot the score at 46-all.
Phillips and Dotson combined for three-straight Florida baskets to give the Gators a 52-46 lead with 15 minutes to play, and increased its lead to 54-47 on free throws by Bowden. Kentucky came back and tied the score at 60-all on a 13-6 run, and took its first lead since the opening minute of the half on a three by Amani Franklin. Florida and Kentucky traded shots for the next several minutes until the Gators reclaimed the lead at the 6:34 mark with a bucket from Phillips. The Wildcats followed a free throw with a layup for a 70-68 lead, but Brooks notched back-to-back layups for a 72-70 Florida lead with just under three minutes to play.
Bowden's shot from the line increased Florida's lead to 73-70, and Brooks added four more on a layup that was followed by a steal and another layup on a fastbreak. Kentucky's Jennifer Humphrey put the Wildcats back within two with under a minute to play, but Brooks put Florida ahead by six, 78-72, on a pair from the line. Jenny Pfeiffer hit a three for Kentucky with 45 seconds remaining to trail 78-75, and Brooks went to the line on four-straight possessions where she was 5-of-8. With the score at 81-79 and 13 seconds on the clock, Dotson nailed a pair from the line to give Florida an 83-79 victory.
“Sha has played through a lot of pain this season, but you wouldn't know it because of the heart she plays with. (Senior) Kim Dye had some pain, too, from her back to her ankle, but these players have never used injuries as an excuse. Their determination and fight – you can't even put into words how hard they've been playing and how much they've been sacrificing,” Peck added.
Kentucky shot a steady 49.4 percent from the floor during the game, but committed 11 of its 16 turnovers in the deciding second period. The Gators capitalized on those miscues, turning them into 18 points, while holding a 40-34 advantage in points-in-the-paint against the taller Wildcats, who did carry a 43-33 rebounding advantage.
The Gators opened the game with a 2-0 lead after a pair from the charity stripe by Brooks, but the Wildcats came back with a bucket and two from the line for the first of five ties of nine lead changes in the opening half. Brooks tied the game on a jumper and reclaimed the lead for Florida as she converted on a three-point play, and Dotson increased the lead to three on a layup. The Orange and Blue continued to hold the lead until the clock reached 14:59, and after a brief two-point lead by the Wildcats, the Gators came back with a second trey from Phillips for a 17-13 lead. Florida then maintained a four-point lead until the halfway point when Kentucky's Natassia Alcius recorded one from long range and took a 23-22 lead with a layup by Jennifer Humphrey. Brooks answered back with her first 3-pointer of the game to put Florida back in front, but Kentucky tied it up again on free throws and held the lead with 8:12 remaining. The two teams traded points from the line before Dotson's layup at the 6:51 mark gave Florida a 28-27 lead, and the teams again began to trade free throws as Florida inched to a 31-27 lead.
Freshman Jennifer Mossor (Orlando, Fla.) hit her opening free throw with just over five minutes left in the half to give Florida its largest lead of the half, 32-27, before Kentucky went on a 5-0 run that was snapped by a layup from Brooks at the 4:10 mark. The Wildcats answered back with a 3-pointer from Franklin for the ninth lead change of the half, and after the two teams traded a pair of baskets, UK's Elliott scored on a layup with one minute remaining for a 39-36 halftime Kentucky lead.
“The coaching staff has really been a source of inspiration this season,” Brooks said. “Whenever we've gotten down on ourselves or frustrated, all we've had to do is look at the coaching staff to find our motivation and inspiration again.”
“I thought Florida deserved this game today. They battled hard for 40 minutes, and played with a lot of emotion and a lot of heart,” Kentucky head coach Mickie DeMoss said. “They did the things they needed to do to win this game, and we just came up short.”
Florida's 36 points in the first period marked the most since the team tallied 48 opening-half points against Alabama State on Dec. 28, 2006, which was the last Gator victory in the O'Connell Center.
The Gators next enter postseason action Thursday, March 1, at the 2007 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament in Duluth, Ga. Florida earned the No. 11 seed and will face No. 6-seeded Mississippi State in the opening round with tip-off scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET. Sun Sports will televise all four first-round games live throughout the state of Florida as part of the SEC-TV package, which also includes FSN South and FSN Southwest. The radio broadcast of the game can be heard live in Gainesville on WRUF 850AM and through the internet at www.GatorZone.com.
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