UF had a lot to prove Sunday against Georgia, and the team sure played like it.
Having lost nine straight games to the Bulldogs, the Gators were not ready for another disappointment.
Problem solved.
No. 15 UF (17-2, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) handled its rival 61-45 in front of a loud home crowd, making a statement on how far the team has come from a year ago.
Even Georgia coach Andy Landers, who recently captured his 800th career win, noticed a difference in this Gators squad from the one last season.
"They play well together," he said. "They do a much better job of executing and doing the things that they want to do together."
UF coach Amanda Butler knows just how big the win was for her team, especially the seniors, who had yet to defeat Georgia (11-7, 1-2 SEC).
"They have set the tone in this rivalry, and that's just another thing that makes it a great win for us," Butler said. "More importantly than that is that it's an SEC win."
Gators fans wearing pink for breast cancer awareness stood for the first four minutes of the game and watched Butler's emphasis on starting strong come to life.
While UF set the pace early on and seemed to control the game for much of the first half, it only led by 2 at the break, after not making a field goal in the last 5:23 of the half.
Georgia grabbed the momentum early in the second half, taking a 30-29 lead, but it didn't last long.
Sha Brooks took a charge at midcourt with 16:02 remaining that seemed to fire up her teammates and the crowd.
"As fun as it is to score points and that sort of thing, this team really gets their energy from defense," Butler said.
From that point on, UF took control.
Steffi Sorensen proved to be reliable once again. The junior guard hit three 3-pointers in the second half, the last putting the Gators up by 12.
UF scrapped for 15 offensive rebounds and was able to score key baskets on 13 second-chance points.
The Gators locked down defensively, allowing just 20 points in the second half and capitalizing on 30 points off turnovers.
After Brooks hit a three to put UF up by 17 with about eight minutes remaining, she showed off some of her dance moves on the way back down the floor.
"I was thinking that I just stepped on their throat," Brooks said. "You can't let up on Georgia, and I think that got the whole team hyped."
Butler said she likes the situation her team is currently in with a week to prepare for Mississippi, but the last thing she wants her players to do is let their foot off the gas.
"Three and one is great. 17-2 is great," Butler said. "But we've got a lot of basketball to play, and we're not ready to plateau. We're not ready to be satisfied with what we've done to this point. We want more."
