Facing an opponent from the Sunshine State for the second consecutive game, redshirt freshman Carlie Needles made it rain Monday night.
Needles scored 27 points, boosted by a school-record nine three-pointers on 17 attempts, to help Florida (3-1) beat North Florida (0-4) 74-44 in the O’Connell Center. With the win, UF bounced back from Tuesday’s 98-67 loss to Florida State.
“My teammates really looked for me,” said Needles, who did not know she broke the program record. “Without them, I wouldn’t have shot the ball well.”
In Florida’s first three games, Needles averaged just 4.7 points per game and attempted only 12 threes. Her 27 points more than tripled her previous career high of seven.
The nine threes tied Needles for second most in Southeastern Conference history and broke Bridget Pettis’ UF record. Pettis made eight threes against Georgia on Jan. 20, 1993, and held the record alone before Needles’ historic night.
“When she got hot, we just didn’t do a very good job of finding her in her zone,” North Florida coach Mary Tappmeyer said. “She’s a phenomenal shooter, and if you let that kind of shooter get her feet set, she is going to knock them down on you.”
Florida trailed 5-2 four minutes into the first half before taking command of the game with a 19-0 run.
“I didn’t like the way we started the ball game,” Butler said. “It was defense, though, that turned the tides. We dug our heels in and decided we were not going to play even.”
Needles’ performance came in the absence of freshman Chandler Cooper, perhaps the Gators’ best three-point shooter.
Cooper missed the game after suffering a strained arch in her left foot last week.
Butler said she hopes to have Cooper back in the lineup when Florida faces N.C. State on Friday at the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout in Las Vegas.
If not, the Gators may have found a new shooter to lead the team.
“There was nothing that was lucky or [a fluke],” Butler said. “[Needles] did a great job, and every shot she took was a good shot.”
Florida redshirt freshman Carlie Needles talks to the media before last season. Needles, coming off an ACL tear last season, made a school record nine three-pointers against North Florida on Monday night in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Florida won 74-44.
