With Florida holding a 51-50 lead with 4:24 remaining, No. 10/11 Kentucky ended the game on a 12-5 run and capped another thrilling game in the series with the 62-56 outcome at Memorial Coliseum on Thursday evening.
The Gators held UK leading scorer Jennifer O'Neill (14.8 ppg) in check for most of the night until the Wildcat senior canned her second three-pointer of the game and gave the hosts a 53-51 lead with 4:16 remaining. That trey sparked a 7-0 run, as UK held its largest lead of the game, 57-51, with 2:15 left.
While Kentucky's last field goal came with 3:52 remaining, the Wildcats converted 7-of-10 free throws during the final 2:15 and secured the decision.
Florida closed to within three points twice during the final two minutes, but its shots wouldn't fall when the Gators needed them the most and were forced to make UK win the game at the free throw line.
UK's Makayla Epps went 6-6 from the line during that final stretch and finished with a game-high 20 points, as she hit 6-10 from the floor and all eight of her attempts from the line. O'Neill scored seven points.
Cassie Peoples scored 12 points to lead Florida, which held the 39-35 rebounding edge and shot 41.4 percent (24-58) from the floor, one game removed from hitting a season-low 23 percent of its shots.
Senior Kayla Lewis, who was strapped with four personal fouls with 16:59 remaining in the game, added 10 points with eight rebounds.
It was a back and forth first half that featured seven lead changes and five tied scores. Florida had the ball with a one-point lead and 17 seconds remaining until Linnae Harper got a steal and coasted for a layup that gave the hosts a 29-28 halftime lead.
Thrillers Between Gators and Wildcats:
· each of last 9 games in series has been decided by 10 points or less with 10 of last 11 by 7 points or fewer
· there were 17 lead changes and 9 tied scores during tonight's game
· in the last four games between the two teams, there have been a combined total of 43 lead changes and 31 tied scores
Another Close One
· 8 of UF's 19 games this year have been decided by 10 points or less (2-6 record)
· Including tonight's six-point loss, UF is 0-3 in SEC games decided by 8 points or less
Free Throw Woes:
· The Gators were just 3-9 from the free throw line, including 0-2 in the second half
· Entering tonight in conference games, UF ranked No. 3 in free throw percentage (71.4%)
· Kentucky converted 13-22 from the charity stripe
Not According to Stats:
· Entering tonight's game, UF ranked in the SEC:
· No. 1 in steals per game (13.8 pg) and No. 4 in turnover margin (+2.0)
· UF collected just 6 steals; dished 12 assists and had 27 turnovers
· Kentucky boasted the SEC's third-most potent offense (77.3 points per game) and ranks second among league teams in turnover margin (+7).
· The Gators held the Wildcats to 15 points below their average; UK had 7 assists and 17 turnovers
Streaks and Stuff:
· The Gators wore their black uniforms for the third time this year and are 0-3 when wearing that jersey color (also at St. John's and at Savannah State)
· UF made a three-pointer in its 148th consecutive game
CHARGE! Four times in the first half!
· Brooke Copeland drew her second defensive charge by the 13:47 mark of the first half
· Dyandria Anderson drew a defensive charge at the 7:51 point of the first half
· Cassie Peoples stood her ground and got the fourth defensive charge for the Gators with 3:34 left in the first half
FOUR-Point-Play:
· Cassie Peoples converted the first FOUR-point-play of her career
· The four-point swing gave UF a 14-12 lead with 11:38 remaining in the first half
· The made free throw was her ninth consecutive make from the line
That's Just Foul:
· Kayla Lewis whistled for her fourth personal foul with 16:59 remaining in the second half
· Ronni Williams picked up her fourth personal foul with 13:04 left in the second half
Start Me Up:
· Gator Starters for tonight: Dyandria Anderson, Cassie Peoples, Kayla Lewis, Brooke Copeland, Haley Lorenzen
· Three true freshmen in the starting lineup, the most since Jan. 26, 2003 at George Washington when there were five freshmen starters: Brittany Davis, Bernice Mosby, Dalila Eshe, Sarah Lowe and Danielle Santos (UF lost 74-55)
· Lewis started her 51st consecutive game and 79th overall of her career
· Anderson started the second game of her career; also at St. John's (Nov. 20)
· This was the seventh different starting lineup UF has used this year
· Second Half Starters: Copeland, Lewis, Peoples, Miller, Lorenzen
Updated Records: Florida 9-9, 1-4 SEC … Kentucky 15-3, 4-1 SEC
Ranked Foes On the Way:
· Thursday's game was the first this season for the Gators against a nationally-ranked opponent.
· Florida next plays host to No. 1-ranked South Carolina on Monday at 7 p.m.
· Including Thursday's outing at Kentucky, 7 of UF's next 12 games are versus foes currently ranked in the top-25.
· UF was 3-6 last year vs. ranked opponents, with two of those victories coming against Kentucky.
Quotes from the Court:
Head Coach Amanda Butler
On Florida's 3-9 free throw performance as the difference in the game:
“There wasn't just one thing and you can't look down the stretch, you have to look at the game in its entirety and some of the decisions we made throughout the game. The thing that we will dwell on is how hard we played. We outrebounded them. I really liked our fight. We had too many turnovers and that's unfortunate. That's what they do on their home court. Every time we turned the ball over they capitalized.”
On what her message will be to her team:
“We have three days to get ready for the number one team in the country. What a great opportunity.”
Next Gator Game:
Who: No. 1 South Carolina at Florida
When: Monday, January 19, 7 p.m. ET
Where: Stephen C. O'Connell Center, Gainesville, FL
TV: SEC Network with Sam Gore and Carol Ross
For all of the latest information on Florida women's basketball:
Official Website: www.gatorzone.com/basketball/women
Facebook: www.facebook.com/FloridaWomensBasketball
Twitter: @GatorZoneWBK and @CoachButlerUF
Instagram: GatorzoneWBK
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