In its last two games, Florida shot below its standards.
Tuesday was a sharp turn in the right direction.
UF rode improved shooting and set the tone early in a 75-39 thrashing of UAB.
Florida opened the game with a Jordan Jones 3-pointer and never looked back from there.
The Gators, who never trailed throughout the game, hit their first four shots in a row — all 3-pointers. It was a completely different beginning than UF experienced Friday night when it found itself in a 23-point hole after the first half at Pittsburgh.
“One of the things I think is a strength of this team is how they respond when they’re challenged,” coach Amanda Butler said.
The team rectified its trend of slow starts with a blistering pace and shot out to a 12-4 lead in the first five minutes.
The Gators came out with a different starting lineup than their previous games with Susan Yenser and Ndidi Madu in for Trumae Lucas and Azania Stewart.
Yenser, the team’s most consistent 3-point shooter coming into the game, contributed an early 3-pointer and finished the night with nine points and four assists while grabbing six rebounds.
A staple of the starting lineup, senior Steffi Sorensen redeemed herself after a scoreless night against the Panthers.
She nailed back-to-back 3-pointers in the first half and finished as the game’s leading scorer with 15 points. After shooting 0 for 7 from 3-point range on Friday, Sorensen finished the game 5-of-10 from beyond the arc.
“It felt good that they finally did go in,” Sorensen said. “But I don’t want to let that affect other parts of my game.”
It wasn’t just Sorensen who lit up the Blazers from the field. The whole team shot at a markedly improved rate.
The team finished 26 of 46 from the field (56.5 percent) and 11 of 21 (52.4 percent) from downtown.
“We knew it was going to come,” Butler said. “We’ve got great shooters so you know it’s there, that it’s going to happen.”
The Gators did more than shoot the ball well. They dominated the boards with a 47-30 rebounding advantage over the Blazers. Unable to boast as experienced and physical a frontcourt as past opponents, UAB had its hands full with Florida’s inside game.
Sharielle Smith finished with 9 points and eight rebounds while Madu chipped in 8 points and nine rebounds.
