Senior guard Sha Brooks (Jackson, Tenn.) scored a team-high 17 points and No. 12/16 Florida held off a stingy Kentucky team for a 74-59 victory on Thursday in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
The Gators (19-2, 5-1 Southeastern Conference), who wrapped up their three-game homestand with their 13th consecutive home win, led by as many as 18 points in the game before the Wildcats (12-9, 2-4 SEC) trimmed their deficit down to five points, 55-50, with 8:45 remaining and then were within nine points, 65-56, with 3:31 on the clock.
Freshman guard Trumae Lucas (Greensboro, N.C.) drained a deep basket from the left wing with 2:31 left and senior center Aneika Henry (Coconut Grove, Fla.) posted a key block at the other end to give the Gators a 67-56 lead that they would not relinquish.
Florida won the rebound battle 42-36 and scored 25 points off of 23 Kentucky turnovers. The Gators shot 46.7 percent (28-of-60) from the floor for the game, while limiting the Wildcats to 31.6 percent (18-of-57) shooting from the floor.
“We had great balance and this was a great team win against what I think is a very, very talented Kentucky team,” Florida head coach Amanda Butler said. “They've shown themselves to be one of the best rebounding teams in the league and that was one of our first priorities tonight. I think when we're distributing the ball and attacking from so many places on the floor, good things happen. The one thing I was most proud of is that when they made a run, we answered. Timeliness and the confidence that we answered that run with really stands out to me.”
Brooks, who also tied her career high with nine assists and also added a season-high six steals, was one of four Florida players in double-figure point totals.
“Sha plays very confidently and our team has so much confidence in Sha,” Butler said. “They know what she's going to do. What's so special about this team is that everyone is doing what we expect them to do. Sha showed tremendous leadership which is exactly how a senior in a league ballgame is supposed to play.”
Lucas scored a career-high 14 points in a career-high 29 minutes of action, while senior forward Marshae Dotson (Columbus, Ohio) chipped in 13 points and a squad-best eight boards. Junior forward Sharielle Smith (Bradenton, Fla.) added 10 points, including a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Her six made free throws tied a career high.
Junior guard Steffi Sorensen (Jacksonville, Fla.) finished with nine points, including three 3-pointers, with nine rebounds. She extended her streak of consecutive games with a 3-pointer to 16, the fifth-longest streak in program history.
Florida took a 36-24 advantage into the locker room at intermission after shooting 45.2 percent (14-of-31) from the floor in the opening period and holding Kentucky to just 25.0 percent (8-of-32) from the field.
The Gators broke out to a 15-2 advantage to begin the game, capped off by an 11-0 run heading into a timeout by the Wildcats at the 14:42 mark of the opening period. After a basket by Kentucky's Eleia Roddy stopped the Gators' scoring streak, Florida ran off seven points in a row to go up by 18, 22-4, with 11:08 remaining in the half.
From there, the Wildcats engineered a 10-2 run, including five points by Roddy, to cut within 10, 24-14, with 7:27 to go until halftime. The Gators continued adding to their lead to go ahead by 14 after a 3-pointer by Sorensen on the left wing, and Florida took a 12-point advantage into the locker room at intermission.
Out of the break, the Wildcats quickly whittled their deficit down to nine, 36-27, before back-to-back baskets by Sorensen and Susan Yenser (Marietta, Ga.) pushed the Gators' advantage to 14, 41-27, with 18:38 remaining in the game. From there, three consecutive hoops by Kentucky's Victoria Dunlap allowed the Wildcats to cut within seven, 41-34.
With Florida up 43-34, Lucas hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Henry followed with a jumper to put Florida ahead by 17, 51-34. That's when the Wildcats began a 9-2 run over the next 2:38 to cut within 10, 53-43, after a 3-pointer by Carly Ormerod, which began Kentucky's late-game comeback.
Kentucky was led by Ormerod, who scored a game-high 19 points, while sophomore forward Victoria Dunlap added 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
“We're terribly disappointed in the outcome of this one,” Kentucky head coach Matthew Mitchell said. “We thought we had a great shot to come down here and win. Florida played great and their team is really a fine team. They're able to overcome any mistakes by just playing hard and putting tremendous pressure on us on defensively. We'll just have to try to learn from this loss and build from it, and see if we can get back on the winning track on Sunday.”
Florida returns to action on Sunday when it travels to Fayetteville, Ark., to take on Arkansas. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m. EST. The radio broadcast of the game can be heard live in Gainesville on WRUF-AM850 and through the internet at www.GatorZone.com, the official website of the Florida Gators.
POST-GAME NOTES
· Florida improves to 19-2 overall and 5-1 in the Southeastern Conference, while Kentucky drops to 12-9, 2-4 SEC.
· Florida is 5-1 in the SEC for the fifth time in program history.
· The Gators lead the all-time series between the two teams 22-19, including a 10-7 record when the game is played in Gainesville.
· UF's 19-2 record is tied for the best 21-game start in program history with the 2000-01 Gator squad.
· The Gators improve to 12-0 at home this season and improve their home winning streak to 13 games, the fifth
· Junior guard Steffi Sorensen has now hit a 3-pointer in 16 consecutive games, moving her into sole possession for fifth-place all-time in school history.
· Freshman guard Trumae Lucas scored a career-high 14 points.
· Senior guard Sha Brooks tied her career high with nine assists and came up with a season-high six steals.
· This was the 999th game in Florida women's basketball history
· The win was Florida's 298th all-time at home.
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