As she has throughout the WNIT, Sydney Moss dominated for most of Wednesday night.
Unfortunately for the Gators, her teammates failed to provide the balanced attack that had proved so successful during postseason play.
Moss notched a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, but Florida (22-15) was eliminated with a disheartening 67-57 loss to Drexel in the Final Four of the WNIT in the Daskalakis Athletic Center.
“She was really unstoppable in the first half,” coach Amanda Butler said of Moss. “I think she got a little tired in the second half. It was not any secret that we were short manned tonight. … That was difficult.”
Moss entered Wednesday averaging 19.5 points per game during Florida’s WNIT run and single-handedly kept the Gators within striking distance during the first half.
The freshman guard scored 16 of her team-best 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting prior to halftime. But the rest of the Gators struggled to score, making only 6 of their 18 attempts from the floor. Drexel (27-10) jumped out to a 27-16 lead on a three-pointer by Meghan Creighton with 5:04 remaining in the first half.
Although the Gators cut the deficit to 34-28 at halftime, the Dragons led by double-figures for much of the second half.
“Once they got a lead, they did a great job of slowing it down and milking that shot clock and scoring, “Butler said. “We just did a really poor job of defending.”
Hollie Mershon was Drexel’s catalyst throughout the game.
As instrumental as Moss has become for the Gators, Mershon fills a similar role. She entered Wednesday averaging a team-best 19.4 points per game this season and continued her strong play against Florida, scoring a game-high 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting.
Florida has faced multiple talented mid-major players during the WNIT, but Mershon proved to be the best.
“She’s so aggressive, so confident, very well-rounded,” Butler said. “You’ve got to give her a lot of credit. … Mershon is very special, and they deserved to win tonight.”
Florida’s improbable postseason run followed a disappointing regular season.
UF finished in a tie for eighth place in the Southeastern Conference and won only 5 of its final 15 games entering the WNIT.
But after looking listless in many contests, the Gators thrived during the WNIT, helping erase the memory of a tumultuous regular season.
Florida earned victories against Florida International, Winthrop, Charlotte and James Madison — becoming only the second team to win four consecutive road games to make the Final Four of the WNIT since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 2010.
The Gators lose just one player — senior Jennifer George, who ended her UF career with 10 points and three rebounds in the loss — from this season’s squad, which gives Butler confidence in the trajectory of her program.
“Nobody expected us to get this far,” junior guard Jaterra Bonds said.
“Quite frankly, nobody ever expects us to win and advance, especially against good teams. But it’s just motivation for next year. We have to remember how we feel after this game, after this loss and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
Contact Phil Heilman at pheilman@alligator.org.
Freshman guard Sydney Moss loses her grip on the ball during Florida 69-58 loss to Arkansas on Feb. 28 in the O’Connell Center.
