In front of 16,451 fans at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn., the fifth-ranked Volunteers turned their rematch with UF into a rout.
The Gators (13-12, 6-6 Southeastern Conference) lost 83-44 on Sunday; a far cry from the last-second 66-64 loss to Tennessee (23-2, 11-1 SEC) a month ago.
This time, UF was missing its tallest player, 6-foot-4 Azania Stewart. UT’s Angie Bjorklund scored 24 points, and the Gators had 20 turnovers.
It was a six-point game at the break. Then the Volunteers broke the game open after halftime, outscoring UF 49-16.
Bjorklund and UT center Kelley Cain both scored 14 in the second half, with Bjorklund burning UF from beyond the arc and Cain getting easy put-backs and layups. The Volunteers shot a blistering 64.5 percent (20 of 31) in the second half, while the Gators shot 21.2-percent (7 of 33).
After sitting in a tie for third in the SEC following a double-overtime win against Mississippi State, UF has lost two straight — by a combined 79 points to No. 23 LSU and Tennessee — and now is tied for sixth place.
In fact, the Gators’ combined scoring totals for their past two games (74 points) would have fallen short of the Volunteers’ output.
“I’m not going to sit here and say ‘Gosh, Tennessee whooped our tail because we didn’t have (Stewart),’” UF coach Amanda Butler said. “I’m sure it would have helped.”
With Stewart out because of a stress fracture in her left foot, the average height of the Gators’ starting lineup was five inches shorter than the Volunteers.
Six-foot freshman Jennifer George started in Stewart’s place and had nine rebounds, two blocks and four points in a career-high 32 minutes, but the post play took a hit. UF was outscored in the paint 42-20.
The lane was clogged up by Cain (seven blocks) and forward Alyssia Brewer (four) who combined for 11 of Tennessee’s 12 blocks.
“We have the best inside game in our league,” Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said. “(Cain’s) as good as anyone in the country using the glass.”
Cain didn’t just pack shots, she finished with 19 points and eight rebounds.
Despite 11 first-half turnovers, the Gators traded the lead eight times in that frame and trailed 34-28. Steffi Sorensen had three three-pointers early but was shut down in the last nine minutes.
She led the team with 12 points and chipped in seven rebounds but was held in check by the Volunteers’ defense after intermission.
Tennessee came out swinging after the break — nabbing the second half’s first seven boards — and used runs of 7-0, 9-0, and 12-0 to build an insurmountable lead.
“Right now we have to respond,” Sorensen said. “We can’t just roll over and die.”
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
