Coach Amanda Butler had her team on the brink of upsetting No. 9 Tennessee on Sunday afternoon, a victory that would have represented arguably Florida’s biggest win during her tenure.
She then made her most critical mistake of the game in overtime.
With less than half a minute remaining in the extra period and the score tied at 75, Butler instructed Carlie Needles to foul Tennessee’s Kamiko Williams, sending her to the free-throw line.
Williams, a 64 percent free-throw shooter coming into the game, made 1 of 2, giving Tennessee a one-point advantage with 24 seconds remaining.
Despite two chances in the waning seconds, Florida (13-5, 2-2 Southeastern Conference) could not score and its upset was thwarted in a 78-75 loss to the Volunteers on Sunday in the O’Connell Center.
“It was one of those calculated risk sort of things, and it was a bad decision,” Butler said after the game. “Even though [Williams] only hit one, it still was a bad decision. … She was one of their weaker free throw shooters, and sometimes, you just have a feeling. If I had it to do over again, I’d trust our defense.”
Christin Mercer had the opportunity to offset Butler’s miscue but missed two free throws with nine seconds remaining.
Following two made free throws by Tennessee’s Bashaara Graves, Kayla Lewis’ three-point field goal attempt to tie hit the front of the rim as time expired.
“We’re not satisfied at all,” Needles said. “This is a learning experience. This is just adding fuel to our fire because we’ve come up short twice against teams that we should have had different outcomes.”
UF entered Sunday with a 3-44 mark all-time against Tennessee (1-9 with Butler as coach), but was in position for win No. 4 against UT.
Despite losing senior Jennifer George, who suffered a dislocated shoulder for the second time in three games, Florida traded punches with Tennessee (13-3, 4-0 SEC).
With 3:56 remaining in the first half, George’s shoulder popped out and popped back in on its own. She did not return.
Trailing 64-59 with 7:09 remaining in the second half, Florida responded with a 7-0 run to take its first lead since 14:09 remained in the first half.
Jaterra Bonds capped the run with a layup and finished with a team-best 18 points in the game. She has led UF in scoring in all four conference games, averaging 18.8 points per game during the stretch.
Bonds had an opportunity to win the game in regulation but was unable to attempt a shot after losing her balance.
“We were supposed to have a quick screen, but we had a mix up or a misunderstanding,” Bonds said. “It is what it is. You end up going to overtime, and that’s what you get.”
Butler, who has lost to Tennessee both as a coach and a player, missed on what could have been a program-defining victory.
Instead, it is simply another setback as Florida looks to continue moving forward toward greater legitimacy.
“We’re growing; we’re on a journey,” Butler said. “It’s a process, and this is a step in it. It’s a painful process and a painful step in our process.”
Contact Phillip Heilman at pheilman@alligator.org.
Coach Amanda Butler reacts to a play during Florida’s 78-75 overtime loss to No. 9 Tennessee on Sunday in the O’Connell Center.
