The lasting image from Florida’s near upset of No. 9 Tennessee was the anguished look on the face of freshman Christin Mercer.
Mercer, who played 21 minutes in place of an injured Jennifer George during Sunday’s 78-75 overtime loss to the Volunteers, had the opportunity to give the Gators the lead with nine seconds remaining in overtime.
Following coach Amanda Butler’s decision to foul Tennessee’s Kamiko Williams the previous possession — Williams made 1 of 2 free throws to give the Volunteers a 76-75 lead with 24 seconds left — Mercer worked herself into position near the rim and was fouled by Jasmine Jones while attempting a shot.
But Mercer missed both attempts from the foul line, and Florida’s upset bid was spoiled.
Two days later, the frustration of failure in the game’s waning moments against the Volunteers was still written across Mercer’s face.
However, she expressed an understanding that there was a lesson to be learned from the experience.
“Honestly, still now, the free throws kind of hurt,” Mercer said.
“But I did take a step forward. I played well, especially with Jennifer out. As a team, we all progressed. By myself, I took a couple of steps forward.”
Mercer made only 3 of 9 field goal attempts and shot just 1 of 4 from the free-throw line.
But the freshman showed toughness and a willingness to battle inside against Tennessee’s Bashaara Graves.
Toughness in the paint is something Mercer lacked early in the season, but she is beginning to relish the responsibility.
“At first, I didn’t like being a post player,” Mercer said.
“[George] just helped me out by showing me what I can do and how great I can be.”
Florida needs Mercer to continue her rapid development.
George suffered a second dislocation of her right shoulder with 3:56 remaining in the first half and did not return.
With no remaining eligibility after this season, George is forced to play through the pain or simply sit out and rest the injury.
Either way, George will be playing at less than 100 percent for the remainder of the season.
“Having Jennifer down is unfortunate for us, but it’s definitely not something that we are hanging our heads about and thinking our season is done,” redshirt sophomore Kayla Lewis said.
Mercer is averaging 5.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in 17.2 minutes per game this season but will be asked to do more to help offset the loss of George.
She is a key piece on Florida’s productive bench.
In four conference games, the Gators reserves are averaging 24.5 points per game. Opponents have averaged just 6.25 points off the bench during that time.
UF outscored UT 33-3 in bench points on Sunday.
“We don’t bring subs in off the bench; we bring in a new wave of attack,” Butler said. “That’s the way we look at it, and that’s one of the reasons we don’t put a lot of emphasis on who starts.”
Butler and her coaching staff believe Mercer can use the down performance against Tennessee to further her development.
“Christin — even though she missed a lot of shots she wishes she had back — I think she woke up this morning knowing she took a step in the right direction,” Butler said on Monday.
“(We have) a lot more confidence in her than we had to be in certain game situations. Going forward, I hope that we will see that more consistently.”
Contact Phillip Heilman at pheilman@alligator.org.
Freshman forward Christin Mercer attempts a shot during Florida’s 78-75 overtime loss to Tennessee on Sunday in the O’Connell Center.
