Coach Amanda Butler, above all else, demands toughness from her players.
The young Gators team epitomized Butler’s desired attribute to the fullest Tuesday, overcoming a slow start to defeat a veteran Old Dominion squad 63-55 in the O’Connell Center.
“I saw a lot of toughness, a heck of a lot of toughness,” Butler said of her team following a couple of disappointing days of practice. “We’ve struggled a little bit and for us to come out of those two days feeling like we cannot only play with a great team like this but also beat them is all toughness.”
No Gator exhibited that more than junior guard Lanita Bartley.
After a slow first half, Bartley said her coach inspired her to be more aggressive.
With the Gators (6-1) trailing 51-50 late in the second, Bartley drove to the basket on three consecutive possessions, making tough shots in a forest of post players en route to a 13-4 Florida run that secured the victory.
“Coach just told me to forget about the first half and said if I’m going to take it to the hole then go hard and finish,” Bartley said. “If you aren’t going to go hard and finish, don’t go in there at all.”
The junior guard scored all 10 of her points in the second half and also racked up four steals, two rebounds and an assist. But Butler said her value to the team cannot be measured on the stat sheet.
“Lanita just took over the game,” Butler said. “She just wasn’t going to accept anything but us winning.”
Old Dominion (3-2) has made a habit out of jumping ahead of opponents early in games this season, and Tuesday wasn’t any different. Aided by two Florida turnovers, the Monarchs rushed out 7-0 to start the game and held that lead for all but a few seconds in the first half.
The Gators’ shooting woes continued early as they opened 2 of 9 from the field and were shooting just 31 percent at the break. Florida rallied in the second half, shooting 47.8 percent to bring the game average to 38.2.But it was still a cold night for UF.
Florida, averaging just under six 3-pointers per game this season, missed all nine of its attempts from beyond the arc in the first half and finished without a 3-pointer (0 of 11) for the first time since 2007.
“That’s kind of a positive,” Butler said. “I think it’s a big deal for us not to shoot the ball well from the 3-point line and still be able beat a really, really good team.”
The guards for Florida struggled early, shooting just 2 for 12 in the first half. But with the game on the line, the backcourt made the difference.
Freshman guard Kayla Lewis scored a team-high and career-high 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting and also added four rebounds.
Jaterra Bonds also got into double figures, recording 10 points off a stellar 6-for-6 showing at the free throw line, including five pivotal makes with less than a minute to go.
