Florida netted its first Southeastern Conference win of the season with a 77-72 victory against LSU on Sunday, but the Gators suffered a troubling loss during the game.
Senior forward Jennifer George is questionable for tonight’s game at 8 against Mississippi State after suffering a dislocated shoulder in the second half against LSU. George has been considered day-to-day this week and will be evaluated prior to the game.
“My range of motion really decides what I can do,” George said. “If I’m not able to be 100 percent, I will save it for Tennessee on Sunday.”
If George is unavailable, the Gators will have just eight active players against the Bulldogs.
Florida has been without Chandler Cooper since she suffered a left foot injury on Nov. 15 in a 98-67 loss to Florida State. Viktorija Dimaite, a player coach Amanda Butler hoped would provide another option on the low-block, suffered a torn ACL before the season in practice on Nov. 3.
“We’ve faced a lot of adversity this year,” redshirt freshman Carlie Needles said. “Losing George is obviously [big], but losing Chandler, one of our best three-point shooters, and [Dimaite], a big body in the paint, we have faced a lot of different things.”
George suffered the injury with 5:06 remaining in the second half on Sunday. She got tangled defending LSU’s Adrienne Webb and fell awkwardly on her right shoulder.
Florida’s medical staff assisted George off the court and popped her shoulder back into place in the locker room. George watched the duration of the second half from the bench with her right arm in a sling and her shoulder heavily wrapped.
George leads the Gators with 14.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. George is also the SEC’s active leader in career double-doubles with 26, seven of which have come this season.
Florida (12-4, 1-1 SEC) will be challenged to stop Mississippi State (8-7, 0-2 SEC) without George. The Bulldogs are led by 6-foot-4 sophomore Martha Alwal, who averages 11.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.
Redshirt sophomore Kayla Lewis acknowledged the Gators would be undermanned without George but said fighting through adversity has become one of the team’s strengths the past two seasons.
“Our coaches have done a great job of letting us know that adversity was going to come even before we had it,” Lewis said. “You’ve just got to be resilient. That’s what defines a great team, is being resilient.”
Florida posted a season-opening 71-49 victory against Fairfield on Nov. 9, a game George missed due to personal reasons. Lewis scored 12 points and pulled down seven rebounds.
Butler said the Gators will need to bring that type of intensity into Starkville, Miss., particularly if George’s balky shoulder causes her to miss the game.
“It’s just an unfortunate part of our game,” Butler said. “It’s not something that affects our expectation. It doesn’t affect our momentum or our mood. I think our team understands that.”
Contact Phillip Heilman at pheilman@alligator.org.
Senior forward Jennifer George dribbles in the lane during Florida's 77-72 win against LSU in the O'Connell Center.
