It was a tough day for senior guard Jordan Jones and the Gators.
She scored a season-low three points on 1-of-7 shooting in Florida’s 59-56 loss to No. 6 Kentucky in the O’Connell Center on New Year’s Day.
The Wildcats (12-2, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) have defeated the Gators (10-4, 0-1 SEC) at home in back-to-back seasons by a combined four points.
“You’ve got to protect your home floor, and it doesn’t make any difference who you’re playing,” coach Amanda Butler said. “We didn’t do that today.”
The Gators’ best chance for victory came after a missed layup by the Wildcats with 1:07 to play in the second half.
With the opportunity to make it a one-possession game, Florida put the ball in Jones’ hands, but she dribbled the ball off her foot and watched it go out of bounds with 32 seconds left in the game.
Joining Jones with a rough night was senior guard Lanita Bartley, who scored four points of 1-of-6 shooting.
The duo also turned the ball over four times each, tying with sophomore guard Jaterra Bonds and junior forward Jennifer George for the team-high mark.
The bright spot for UF at the guard position was senior Deana Allen, who led the squad with 14 points and added five rebounds.
Spearheading the effort on the glass were George and senior center Azania Stewart, who grabbed 11 and 10 boards, respectively.
The Gators’ 20 offensive rebounds—led by seven from George — helped them clinch the rebounding advantage against the Wildcats 44-42.
“We did a great job on the offensive boards,” Butler said. “But we didn’t get enough points for all of that effort.”
Sunday’s contest marked the SEC opener for both squads and the result snapped streaks for the Gators and the Wildcats.
Kentucky won its first conference opener since 2008 while Florida kicks off league play 0-1 for the first time since the 2007-08 campaign.
The Gators aimed to deliver a third loss in four games for the Wildcats, but ultimately fell short.
Had Florida won, it would have been the second triumph over a ranked foe in three tries for the Gators this season.
“There’s no moral victory,” Butler said.
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
