Florida powered its way to its fourth consecutive Gator Holiday Classic championship with a 90-74 win over Florida International on Saturday night.
FIU’s Jerica Coley was hardly contained, scoring a game-high 35 points. However, the Gators’ offensive firepower proved too much for the Golden Panthers to handle.
“It was a good win,” coach Amanda Butler said. “We certainly didn’t play perfectly. There are a lot of things when I have a chance to look at the film that will be some great things to practice come Dec. 26.
“Give Florida International credit. (Cindy Russo’s) teams are always really well coached and always put up a fight. Jerica Coley is just amazing. That’s what we were talking about in the locker room – when you play against that type of competition it gets you ready for what’s down the road. We’re going to see players that can rise up and shoot jump shots like that. It’s great preparation for us. Most importantly, we got the win and a chance to win a championship and do that in front of our home fans. Now, we get to go home and take a little bit of a break and celebrate what’s most important.”
Although Coley lit up the Gators, Florida sophomore Christin Mercer and redshirt sophomore Cassie Peoples had career nights with 31 and 24 points, respectively.
Mercer went 15-for-17 from the field coming off the bench, playing only 22 minutes.
“Tonight was just like any other night,” Mercer said. “What got me so excited was that my mom was in the stands for the first game. I feel like that’s why I showed out. The game was just coming to me and I knew that I was the energy factor to my team because when I was out I could, not see a lot of drop, but there was something. I just wanted to win with my teammates. They kept giving me the ball so I scored.”
Peoples, who was named MVP of the tournament, went 10-for-14 from the field and 3-for-4 from beyond the arc on Saturday night.
“It’s been a fun tournament,” Peoples said. “It was definitely exciting having my family here and being able to put things together as far as my game. It was also great to see the team come together the way we’ve known that we can come together. I think what was most enjoyable for me was seeing our team play so well together.”
The Gators’ fifth win in a row and sixth win in seven games comes with just one game remaining before Southeastern Conference play begins.
Florida plays Georgetown on Saturday in the O’Connell Center before opening 2014 against Mississippi State on Jan. 2.
Follow Gordon Streisand on Twitter @GordonStreisand.
UF soccer coach Becky Burleigh and mascot Alberta present redshirt sophomore Cassie Peoples with the tournament MVP award after Florida's 90-74 win over FIU on Saturday in the O’Connell Center.
Sophomore Christin Mercer scores two of her career-high 31 points on a layup during Florida's 90-74 win over FIU on Dec. 21 at the O’Connell Center. The Gators claimed their fourth straight Gator Holiday Classic championship.
