Rarely does a Florida program — no matter the sport — settle for less than a chance to compete for an NCAA championship. Coach Amanda Butler and the Gators are stuck in that situation this season, but through two games they have made the most of their opportunity in the WNIT.
Florida (20-14) skidded to a painful eighth-place tie in the Southeastern Conference by losing nine of its final 13 games. But the Gators have recovered in the postseason, piecing together two of their better performances to collect a pair of road victories, which were difficult to come by during the regular season.
After surviving a back-and-forth contest to beat Florida International 75-68 on Thursday, Florida dismantled Winthrop 85-53 on Monday night — one of UF’s best performances this season.
“We are no longer the underdog team,” Kayla Lewis said. “We are the biggest school in this tournament, and we have to play as such.”
Butler has encouraged Lewis and the rest of her inexperienced squad to embrace being a high-profile team and adopt a road-warrior mentality.
Florida is four wins away from earning its first postseason title in program history. But the Gators will be on the road for the remainder of their season, which continues tonight against Charlotte (26-5) at 7 in the Halton Arena.
“It’s a special place,” Butler said. “A hard place to win. We’ve got to go up there and really be ready to play tough defense and do the things that make us a good team.”
The Gators will have added momentum against the 49ers as they continue attempting to redeem a disappointing season with a deep run in the WNIT.
Charlotte ended Florida’s season two years ago with an 81-77 overtime victory on March 24, 2011 in the third round of the WNIT.
Lewis watched helplessly from the bench after suffering a season-ending leg injury earlier in the 2010-11 campaign.
She said the team has not forgotten the feeling of watching the 49ers celebrate their come-from-behind victory.
“It’s important for all of us, not just the players that were there,” Lewis said.
But the disappointment resonated with Butler more than her players. She spent two seasons as coach of Charlotte from 2005-07 and finished 40-22 with a pair of WNIT appearances.
After Carolyn Peck was fired during a 9-22 season in 2006-07, Butler returned to coach UF, where she played four years from 1990-94.
Four years later — in her first opportunity against Charlotte — she fell flat.
“We want to win this one for her,” Jaterra Bonds said. “I can tell you that.”
Butler knows her second chance will be a challenge — one that, if conquered, would go a long way toward continuing the momentum her young team has built thus far.
“They’re very good,” Butler said of Charlotte, which finished second in the Atlantic 10 this season.
“They are a team, like us, that knows without a shadow of a doubt that they are good enough to be in the other tournament that is going on right now.”
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
Contact Phil Heilman at pheilman@alligator.org.
Sophomore Kayla Lewis shoots during Florida’s 68-57 loss to Vanderbilt on Feb. 21 in the O’Connell Center.
