Florida Gators
Old Dominion
Defense and Balance Lead Women's Hoops to Win at Old Dominion
Saturday, December 12, 2009 | Women's Basketball
Senior Steffi Sorensen (Jacksonville, Fla.) and sophomore Ndidi Madu (Antioch, Tenn.) both posted a career-high scoring effort in leading Florida's balanced offensive attack to an 81-67 victory over Old Dominion at the Ted Constant Convocation Center in front of 2,673 Friday evening.
The Gators shot a steady 47.5 percent from the floor (29-61), including a 42.1 percent mark from the three-point arc (8-19), as Sorensen tossed in a career-high 20 points, hitting 6-of-9 from long range and 7-of-10 overall. The Gator senior also snared a team-high nine rebounds, four coming on the offensive end for Florida, which held a 40-35 rebounding edge, dished 16 assists and collected 13 steals.
Madu tallied a career-high 16 points and four blocks, hitting 8-of-14 from the floor and playing a career-long 33 minutes. Jordan Jones (Suwanee, Ga.) added a tough 11 points with two assists and a pair of steals, while Lonnika Thompson (New Orleans, La.) dished a career-high eight assists and tied her season-high of eight points, hitting 3-of-4 from the three throw line in the final 53 seconds to seal the victory for the Gators (4-5), who snapped a two-game skid.
“This was a huge win for our team,” UF head coach Amanda Butler said. “I have such great respect for Coach (Wendy) Larry and what she has done here. I'm really proud of our players for responding to the challenges we put in front of them in practice. We had different people set up tonight. Lonnika Thompson ran our team tonight, which was important because we've been looking for her to do that. Ndidi Madu gave us a lot of energy and Steffi Sorensen knocked down some huge shots.”
Old Dominion scored the first four points of the second half and pulled within one, 36-35, before Sorensen got the Gators on the board with a long jumper and started an 8-2 run that lasted three minutes and put Florida back up by seven, 44-37.
The Lady Monarchs counted by scoring the next eight points of the game and took a 45-44 lead with 14 minutes remaining.
“We had a lot of confidence in our defense tonight,” Butler said. “When they took the lead, we changed some things on defense when helped us get the momentum back.”
Susan Yenser (Marietta, Ga.) scored out of Florida's timeout by nailing a three-pointer from the right side. ODU came up with a steal and converted a layup to tie the game at 47-all with 11:44 to go.
That's when Sorensen's outside shooting touch began to heat up, as she followed with a three-pointer from the left corner. After a pair of ODU free throws, Sorensen struck again from the top of the arc, hitting one from deep as the shot clock expired, giving the Gators a 53-49 lead.
“When you have shooters like Steffi, it can go from a four-point game to a seven or 10-point game very quickly,” Butler shared. “What's most impressive about Steffi is not her scoring, it's the way she gets her rebounds. You have to appreciate that aspect of her game, which is so overlooked. She went out and got nine rebounds and played with a tremendous amount of heart.”
ODU came right back with four free throws and tied the game, before Jones converted a driving layup. Jasmine Parker hit a six-footer in the paint and evened the score at 55-all with just over nine minutes remaining. Sorensen continued her hot streak and nailed back-to-back treys for a 61-55 lead, however, the Monarchs wouldn't go quietly, as they scored the next two field goals and were within two points with 6:24 to play.
That's when Madu sparked a 13-1 spree with a power layup inside and hit another from inside the lane. Sharielle Smith (Bradenton, Fla.) added two free throws, before Jones hit an easy shot on an inbounds play from Yenser, as the Gators ripped off eight straight points and took a 69-59 lead with 4:40 to play. After one ODU free throw, Thompson converted a driving layup and Sorensen capped the run by banking in a three-pointer to lift Florida to a 14-point advantage, 74-60.
“I'm really proud of the effort by Ndidi Madu, who played liked she practice and gave us the energy we needed at the start of the game,” Butler said.
The teams traded buckets and free throws for the rest of the game, with Florida hitting 5-of-7, including two from freshman Tessah Holt (Fayette County, Ga.), in the final minute to secure the win.
“Our versatility really came through tonight and made us hard to guard,” Butler said.
Old Dominion's lone win this season came against Ole Miss, another Southeastern Conference school, as the Lady Monarchs fell to 1-6.
The teams combined for 42 turnovers, 21 apiece, and 66 free throw attempts, as Old Dominion hit 24-of-43 from the line and Florida, 15-of-23.
Tia Lewis' 16 points and 10 rebounds led ODU, which shot 42 percent overall in the game.
The first half featured several big runs and intense defense, as the Gators took a 35-31 halftime lead.
Florida led by as many as 15 points, 32-17, with 5:41 left in the first half, after Susan Yenser capped a 12-2 run that lasted three and half minutes. That was the last field goal the Gators could manage, as Old Dominion ended the period on a 14-4 march and reduced Florida's lead to five points entering the locker room.
After Jordan Jones began the game nailing a three-pointer, ODU scored the next five points to take a quick lead. The Gators came right back, using a 17-5 run that lasted four and half minutes, as Florida turned a 5-3 deficit into a 20-10 advantage, with 12:30 on the clock.
The Lady Monarchs countered with a 5-0 spurt and whittled the Gators lead to five. That's when UF mounted its 12-2 burst that featured scoring from Ndidi Madu, Azania Stewart, Jones, Lonnika Thompson and Yenser.
The teams combined for 27 first-half turnovers, with Florida getting 17 points off of 15 Monarch miscues.
All 11 Gators who dressed for the game played in the first half, with 10 of them contributing to a balanced scoring effort, with Madu leading the way with eight points. Florida collected nine steals during that opening frame, with seven different players getting a theft.
The Gators take a nine-day break for final exams, before returning to the court and playing host to the Gator Holiday Classic, Dec. 20-21. Florida and Southern University square off in game one beginning at 2 p.m., when Sun Sports will air the game live, while the radio broadcast can be heard live in Gainesville on WBXY-FM 99.5, as well as through the internet at www.GatorZone.com, the official website of the Florida Gators.
The second game of the Gator Holiday Classic features High Point against William & Mary, beginning at 4:30 p.m. On Mon., Dec. 21, the Gators will play the 7 p.m. game, regardless if it's the consolation or championship game, with Southern U. playing at 4:30 p.m.
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