Instead of cats and dogs or stacks of money, it will be raining three-pointers tonight in Fort Myers.
After putting up 18 shots from the beyond the arc against UMBC on Friday, the Florida women’s basketball team (19-14) will test its shooting prowess against the NCAA’s top-ranked team from long distance when it plays Florida Gulf Coast (28-3) tonight at 7 p.m. in Alico Arena.
“We have a tremendous challenge on (Monday) with Florida Gulf Coast,” coach Amanda Butler said Friday after defeating UMBC 59-47 in the first round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. “We know there are some things we have to do better.”
UMBC made 6 of 20 three-point attempts in Friday’s matchup. Guard Erin Brown accounted for five of those makes, but the Retrievers had just one player (Brown) with more than 60 treys on the year.
FGCU, meanwhile, has three. And the combo of Kelsey Jacobson, Shannon Murphy and Eglah Griffin has more three-pointers than the entire Gators roster combined.
FGCU leads the nation with an average of 10.9 three-pointers per game and has made a staggering 339 of 913 shots from downtown, good for 37.1 percent.
But the Gators rank second in the Southeastern Conference with 184 threes, and guard Jordan Jones has 69 makes while shooting better than 38 percent.
She made three of four against UMBC while leading all scorers with 18 points and said afterward she thrives in the tournament setting.
“This time of the year, it’s win or go home,” Jones said. “There’s definitely a different mindset. I enjoy this. I enjoy the pressure of just coming out here and knowing we have to win to advance.”
Jones has made a habit of stepping up late in the year, as she holds the Postseason WNIT record for three-pointers made in a game with nine against North Carolina A&T on March 21, 2008.
But that was a home game as a member of South Carolina, a much different atmosphere than Jones and Florida will face when they enter Alico Arena.
On the strength of their outside shooting, the Eagles have won 42 straight at home and boast a better home winning percentage than Tennessee since moving to Division I four years ago.
“Nationally, their record speaks for itself,” Butler said. “They are a tough matchup for us, but we’re excited to still be playing.”
She said the Gators didn’t communicate well in Friday’s win over UMBC, something that will be critical in limiting long-distance opportunities against FGCU.
Butler also added that the usual strategies for stopping three-point sharp-shooters might not apply against the Eagles.
“The easy answer about how to defend the three is play tough man defense and really pressure the ball, but they are too good to do just that,” Butler said. “There’s not just one answer about how to stop their three-point success.”
FGCU’s only victory over UF came at home to open the 2008-09 season.
The Gators ended the Eagles’ season the year before with a second-round WNIT victory in the O’Connell Center, something Jones thinks will happen again tonight.
“They hate the Gators,” Jones said. “I’m excited for the challenge and ready to get down there and advance in this tournament.”
