Sophomore January Miller is on a little bit of a tear early in the season.
For the second straight game, Miller led the Gators in scoring.
On Tuesday against St. John’s, she notched 17 points in the Gators’ 72-68 victory over the previously undefeated Red Storm.
Although the Gators eked out a victory late in the game, they were up by as much as 21 points with 17:58 remaining in the second half.
Fortunately for Florida, it was able to hang on.
“It was crazy, but we needed to dig down on defense,” Miller said. “I’m just glad we had enough fight to finish it out and I think it’s great that we were able to finish it out because in past games we haven’t, but we just really have to work on that.”
The Gators dominated the first half, shooting 53.1 percent from the field with an 18-point lead.
“We held them to 25 points in the first half, which I was just ecstatic about because that’s something we’ve been working on,” coach Amanda Butler said.
The demons that have haunted Florida so far this season reared their ugly heads in the second half.
The Red Storm roared back to within two points with just under six minutes remaining in the game.
“We had given up 25 by the 10-minute mark,” Butler said. “That just continues to be the thorn in our side of defensive consistency; recognizing as individuals, ‘what are they doing to me?’ Again, I thought St. John’s did a great job of adjusting and said, ‘Hey, we’re just going to get to the rim’. Whether they’re in man or zone and we didn’t do a good job of handling that, but I’m sure the film will show us a lot more and there will be other opportunities for us to learn. That first half was something to build on, defensively. That was a great effort and that’s what we want to look like for 40 minutes.”
Although the second half was defined by St John’s’ furious comeback, it was also when Miller scored 13 of her 17 points.
With the Red Storm within two points late in the game, Miller attempted a three-point shot. She missed, but collected her own rebound, made the layup and got fouled, sinking the ensuing free-throw attempt to cement a crucial three-point play.
“I was mad I missed the shot,” Miller said. “So I was like ‘I need to get this rebound.’ I knew they were going to foul me; it was a matter of making sure I finished and I just felt good when I was going down. I felt like it was going in. At the moment it was great.”
Now, the Gators face a quick turnaround. Florida is headed to the Bahamas for the Junkanoo Jam, beginning on Friday against Illinois State.
Follow Gordon Streisand on Twitter @GordonStreisand.
Sophomore guard January Miller attempts a floater down the lane during Florida's 72-68 win against St. John's on Nov. 26 in the O'Connell Center.
