Florida’s nine-game winning streak came to an end on Sunday in Baton Rouge, La.
The No. 12 Tigers physically dominated the Gators, handing Florida an 82-68 loss.
However, the deck was stacked against the Gators heading into Sunday.
Sophomore Christin Mercer, who has averaged 11.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest this season, was suspended and did not make the trip to Baton Rouge, leaving the Gators with only two bench players for the afternoon. A reason and timetable for the suspension have yet to be released.
The 6-foot forward’s absence was clearly felt in the paint, where LSU nabbed 50 rebounds compared to Florida’s 29.
“We just got crushed on the boards,” coach Amanda Butler said. “We had one player that really came with the intention of grabbing rebounds and making plays in the paint.”
Kayla Lewis was that player, collecting a career-high 17 rebounds and scored 15 points on the afternoon. Lewis accounted for seven of Florida’s 10 offensive rebounds and 10 of its 19 defensive boards.
“She did about all she could do,” Butler said. “Grabbing 17 rebounds is fantastic, but then when the next person only has three, it’s going to be very hard to beat a really talented team like LSU.
“If you give up 50 rebounds — 20 of them being offensive and you only get 10 — things are not going to go your way.”
The first half of Sunday’s matinee was a rough one for Florida. The Tigers laid it on thick with a 10-0 run and two 8-0 runs, putting the Gators in a steep 40-25 hole at the half.
At the time, the Florida was shooting 22.2 percent from the field compared to LSU’s shooting clip of 50 percent.
“It was really a soft first half for us, and you can’t do that against a team like LSU,” Butler said, “especially when you’re on the road.”
The second half was a little brighter for Florida, as it outscored LSU 43-42 during that half. However, rebounding and foul trouble ultimately did the Gators in, as Williams fouled out with 6:15 on the clock and LSU outrebounded Florida 27-15 in the half.
“They’re significantly bigger than us in the paint, but that’s not a new challenge,” Butler said. “We’re used to that. They did a great job positioning for rebounds. We needed to make boxing out more important, and we didn’t.”
Overall, the Gators struggled shooting from the field, sinking 30.4 percent of their shots. Senior Jaterra Bonds went 2 for 11, while three of Florida’s other six players laid eggs in the shooting percentage column — senior Lily Svete, freshman Ronni Williams and sophomore January Miller went a combined 0 of 13.
However, redshirt sophomore guards Cassie Peoples and Carlie Needles put up strong numbers in spite of the teams poor percentages on offense. Peoples scored 22 points and went 10 for 10 from the charity stripe, while Needles scored 17 and sunk a game-high 5 of 8 attempts from beyond the arc.
Unfortunately for Florida, the strong play of its guards was not enough to propel it to victory.
Follow Gordon Streisand on Twitter @GordonStreisand
Carlie Needles attempts a three-point shot against Arkansas in the O’Connell Center on Thursday. Needles scored 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting in UF’s 82-68 loss to LSU on Sunday in Baton Rouge, La.
