For the first time in Amanda Butler’s tenure as Florida’s coach, the Gators tamed the No. 6 Wildcats in Kentucky, defeating them 83-73 on Sunday on the back of a 30-11 run in the game’s final 12 minutes.
The victory marked the first time Florida beat Kentucky on the road in nearly eight years. The last time the Gators won in Lexington, Ky., was in 2006 under former coach Carolyn Peck.
The win over the Wildcats was also the Gators’ first victory away from home against a ranked opponent since Florida beat Ohio State in the first round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
"The work that these kids put in … they got what they deserved," Butler said. "They earned this win in the two days of practice leading up to this, and they brought it to the court. I absolutely loved their composure. We were undaunted when we got down. They just kept fighting and grinding and making plays, and just like in every other great win we’ve had this year, it wasn’t one person. It was everybody stepping up, everybody doing their job to the fullest and taking turns making plays."
Early in the game, senior Jaterra Bonds pushed Florida to a 21-10 lead in the first eight minutes, scoring 10 of her 23 points in that span.
Kentucky had narrowed its deficit to a single point, trailing Florida 45-44 at halftime.
At the beginning of the second half, UF seemed to be losing its grip on the game. Kentucky had catapulted itself to a nine-point lead thanks to an 18-8 run in the first eight minutes.
But when freshman Ronni Williams is on the floor, no lead can be considered safe.
With Kentucky leading 63-55, Williams produced a sequence of plays that shifted momentum in Florida’s favor for the duration of the game.
With 10:58 remaining on the clock, Williams made a layup to get the Gators within six points. On the ensuing possession, she nabbed the defensive rebound but turned the ball over. When Kentucky drove to the basket, Williams blocked the shot and grabbed the rebound, driving end-to-end to make another layup and bringing Florida back to within four points.
Williams finished the afternoon with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
"Keeping Ronni on the floor has been something we’ve been really concerned with," Butler said. "It was a great performance against one of the best teams in the country, but it’s not surprising to see Ronni play like that.
"She got what she deserved. She kept herself on the floor, made good decisions, didn’t hang her head when she made mistakes, which are inevitable against a great team like them on their home floor."
After Williams’ furious flurry, Kentucky made only a single field goal in the final 10 minutes of the game.
"We did a much better job of rebounding the basketball," Butler said. "That had haunted us up until that point. We were playing pretty good defense, I felt like, but we were giving them second opportunities and not doing a good job of being diligent with out box-outs.
"We just dug our heels in, would not allow fatigue to be a factor, and decided to play our best basketball in the most important time of the game."
The red-hot Gators (12-3, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) have now won eight consecutive games.This was surely a statement victory for Butler and her team, but there’s still a lot of basketball to be played this year.
"It’s very rewarding, no question," she said.
"At the same time, we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves. This is just another step in the SEC season — one we can build confidence on."
Follow Gordon Streisand on Twitter @gordonstreisand
Ronni Williams attempts a shot during Florida’s 88-77 win against North Florida on Nov. 10 in the O’Connell Center. Williams scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against No. 6 Kentucky on Sunday.
