Junior forward Marshae Dotson (Columbus, Ohio) scored 12 of her 16 points in the first half to lead an offensive attack that shot 42.6 percent from the field on Thursday night, but the University of Florida women's basketball team could not overcome a strong start by Vanderbilt and dropped a 66-56 decision at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
Dotson hit 6-of-11 shots from the floor and collected half a dozen rebounds on the night to reach double digits for the second game in a row. Sophomore forward Sharielle Smith (Bradenton, Fla.) added nine points and junior guard Sha Brooks (Jackson, Tenn.) had eight for the Gators, who turned in their best shooting performance in nearly two weeks, hitting 42.6 percent (20-47) against the taller Commodores, who converted 42.2 percent (27-64).
“We got beat by a very good team tonight,” Florida head coach Amanda Butler said. “There are obvious statistical things that we didn't do, but I don't think that's why we didn't give Vanderbilt our best shot. We have to believe that we can beat some of the teams that are at the top of our league because we're talented enough, we're deep enough and we work exceptionally hard in practice.”
The Gators (14-7, 3-3 SEC) opened the second half with a 5-0 run to tie the score at 30-30 with less than 16 minutes remaining on the clock, but VU responded with a 6-0 spurt of its own to extend its lead to 36-30 before Florida called for timeout. A three-point field goal by sophomore forward Sharielle Smith (Bradenton, Fla.) and a buckets by Dotson and sophomore guard Jennifer Mosser (Orlando, Fla.) yet again brought the Gators within a point, 38-37, but the momentum was snuffed out by an 11-2 Commodores' run.
Mossor and junior guard Sha Brooks (Jackson, Tenn.) combined to score seven straight points after a Florida timeout, narrowing the margin to 51-46 before a media timeout at the 7:11 mark. The Gators, however, would get no closer, as Vanderbilt shot nearly 47 percent in the second half to pull away for the 66-56 win.
Florida also struggled from the free throw line, hitting just 14-of-25 in the game, while finishing 2-of-18 from the three-point arc, where Vanderbilt canned 6-of-12 from long range, seemingly hitting a big outside shot every time the Gators made a run.
UF (15-6, 4-2 SEC) forced 12 Vanderbilt turnovers and limited the Commodores to 37.5 percent shooting in the first half, heading into the break down by a count of just 30-25. Smith and senior guard Depree Bowden (Palmetto, Fla.) scored six points apiece to lead the Orange and Blue, which converted on 40 percent of its attempts from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.
Down by as many as 14 after misfiring on six of their first seven shots, the Gators put together an 11-0 run to cut Vanderbilt's lead to two points, 23-21, with just over four minutes left in the opening frame. After the Commodores reopened a 30-23 advantage, Dotson found space in the paint off of an inbounds play and connected on a layup to send UF into the break down just five.
Dotson ignited the Gators' 11-0, which was their longest of the season, with a layup at the 8:37 mark of the first stanza.
Liz Sherwood led the 'Dores with 20 points and a dozen rebounds, while Jessica Mooney chipped in with 16 points and three assists.
“Florida did a great job of pressuring our guards,” Vanderbilt head coach Melanie Balcomb said. "They forced us into a lot of turnovers before halftime, but we were able to cut them down in the second half. They played man, but they would counter with zone or press and take us out of our rhythm.”
The Gators will continue their homestand on Sunday at noon when they squad off with eighth-ranked LSU as part of Girls & Women in Sports Weekend and the NCAA Pack the House Challenge, an NCAA-issued attendance challenge that will put UF in the running for the national Pack the House championship. FSN will nationally televise the action live, and WRUF-AM 850 will carry the radio call in the Gainesville market.
Florida Head Coach Amanda Butler:
Opening statement:
“We got beat by a very good team tonight. There are obvious statistical things that we didn't do, but I don't think that's why we didn't give Vanderbilt our best shot. We have to believe that we can beat some of the teams that are at the top of our league because we're talented enough, we're deep enough and we work exceptionally hard in practice. We've got players on our team who are some of the best in the conference at what they do. We just have to step up and believe that we can beat Vanderbilt, especially when we have them here in Gainesville.”
On the team's confidence in itself:
“There was a moment when we doubted it, and it was the wrong moment. We had a great start to the second half and created some momentum for ourselves, but there were some moments. You can credit it to experience, or maybe having a rookie head coach, but there was a moment when we didn't feel like we were supposed to win and Vanderbilt seized that moment. We're better than what we showed in those crucial moments tonight.”
On whether or not she would change her defensive strategy given in retrospect:
“We have a defensive system that isn't as simple as one-on-one. Melanie Balcomb is a great coach and the goal of her offense is to get the players one-on-one in the low blocks. The points that they scored one-on-one in the low blocks are easier to accept than the second chances they got.”
On Florida's free throw shooting:
“When you miss 11 free throws, it's certainly a factor when you're a team that's capable of hitting 24-of-25. I feel like we're that kind of team. Free throw shooting is an area where confident shooters excel, and we're doubting ourselves a little right now. There's got to be a change of approach when we step up to the free throw line. We have to expect it to go in, rather than hope that it does.”
Vanderbilt Head Coach Melanie Balcomb:
Opening Statement:
“I think Florida really did a great job of pressuring our guards. We got really good points interiorly from Liz Sherwood in the second half and Jessica Mooney off the bench. That was really a key for us, the 36 points coming off the bench. They (Florida) did a really good job defensively forcing us into a lot of turnovers at halftime. We kept those turnovers down in the second half. I thought those were the two key things for us.”
On the play of Liz Sherwood:
“It didn't matter who was in there we were running stuff to her and she was strong and going strong to the basket. At the end of the game, she turned and faded quite a bit because she got tired. We didn't sub a lot in the post because she was doing so well.”
On Vanderbilt's Perimeter Defense:
“We mixed things up and tried to get people not in their flow. A lot of their shooters I think weren't ready to shoot and didn't have their rhythm shooting. I think that's really important as a shooter. (Guard) Merideth Marsh had the same problem on our side. Merideth didn't get good looks and when she did she didn't take them. I wanted her to shoot five more threes. They (Florida) took them and didn't make them. I think our defense was aggressive enough, whether we were in man or switching. We did a lot of different things. I think we kept them off balance.”
- UF -
