When Lanita Bartley walked off the floor with 10 seconds remaining, the pink-clad crowd of 1,803 stood and applauded.
Afterward, coach Amanda Butler said she couldn’t remember the last time a player received a standing ovation.
“It’s been a while … I was just glad we were able to get her off the floor when we did,” Butler said. “Because she definitely deserved it.”
The 5-foot-6 guard led the Gators with 23 points in their 78-63 victory over Mississippi State on Sunday in the O’Connell Center. The junior also snagged eight rebounds and had five assists.
Her hustle summed up what Butler called the most complete half of basketball she has seen all season.
After struggling against the Bulldogs’ pressure, scoring just 28 points in the first half, the Gators erupted for 50 after halftime to turn a close game into a near rout.
Florida led by as many as 20 in the second half due largely to the interior presence of forward Jennifer George.
Connecting on all seven of her field goal attempts, and 7 of 12 from the charity stripe, George carried the team down the stretch as Mississippi State began raining threes.
She finished with 21 points, four boards and three blocks in 30 minutes, with most coming after she had to leave the floor due to a scrape underneath her right eye.
“I don’t like getting hit in the face,” George said. “It definitely sparked something.”
The win is the first in the last five games for Florida (15-13, 5-9 Southeastern Conference), and George said it felt great to get off the snide and carry momentum into the SEC Tournament.
Mississippi State (10-16, 2-12 SEC) led 31-28 at the half, due partly to 11 Florida turnovers, leading to 13 easy points for the Bulldogs.
Florida had four more quick giveaways to start the second, and it appeared UF was headed down a familiar path.
But the Gators put together a 23-4 run with Bartley and George at the helm.
Bartley brought the fans to their feet on multiple occasions with wild drives to the rack that, more often than not found, the bottom of the net.
She finished 9 of 12 from the floor and attempted just two shots outside of the paint.
Afterward, Bartley credited her teammates for her success.
“I’ve got to give it to my post players,” Bartley said, dismissing the notion that she took advantage of MSU’s Diamber Johnson’s play on defense.
The reserved Bartley was all smiles after walking off to fans’ applause and embraced fellow guard Jordan Jones.
“I’m a real emotional person,” Bartley said.
But she wasn’t the only emotional person Sunday.
After a week off, Butler’s voice could be heard loud and clear, instructing her players throughout the contest, even when Florida extended the lead to 20.
“That’s not how we play. I’m not going to coach one way when we’re up and one way when we’re down,” Butler said. “We’re going to demand their best every second … they want their best demanded of them. So, my barking is not going to cease.”
