The Gators missed their first seven free throw attempts in what was another abysmal shooting night against South Alabama in the Dead River Company Classic on Friday.
But with the game on the line in the closing minutes, it was four pivotal makes from the charity stripe by team captain Jordan Jones that sealed a 61-51 Florida (4-1) victory.
After struggling early, it was the Gators’ trademark intensity and toughness that made the difference in crunch time.
“Tonight was definitely the battle we fully expected. Although we expected it, we didn’t play like we did in the first half. We played really soft,” coach Amanda Butler said. “I was proud of the way we responded in the second half. The way we came out of the locker room and played in those first three minutes set the tone for the rest of the game.”
The Gators pounded the inside early, but the post players struggled to find the bottom of the net and Florida squeaked into halftime with a one-point lead.
Florida made only one of its first 13 shot attempts and shot 33.3 percent from the field.
“We talked a lot about getting the ball inside, and we didn’t do a good job of converting inside in the first half,” Butler said. “But we didn’t get away from it, our post players didn’t hang their heads.”
The Gators dominated the glass all evening, besting South Alabama 57-42 on the boards including a 29-14 advantage on the offensive end. Junior Azania Stewart accounted for 10 of them while posting her second double-double in as many games and third on the season.
After playing just four minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, Stewart (10 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks) played a key role in a 20-4 run that established a 15-point Gators’ lead with just over six minutes left.
Ndidi Madu added eight points and nine rebounds, freshman Deaundra Young had four points and seven boards and with Stewart out senior Ebonie Crawford also got into the mix. Crawford hit a jumper to give UF a 22-21 lead late in the first half and then took a charge that Butler said “fired up” her team heading into the break.
Leading the press and making the hustle plays that don’t always show on the stat sheet were the guard trio of Jones (10 points, four assists), Lanita Bartley (six points, 10 rebounds) and Kayla Lewis (10 points, three rebounds, two blocks).
“When we set the tone in the second half, we looked like a completely different ball club than what we did in the first half,” Butler said. “That’s what’s really important for this young team, to be resilient in the face of adversity especially on the road.”
The win advances Florida to the championship game of the Dead River Company Classic today against Navy at 2 p.m. in Orono, Maine.
