With two games remaining in the season, the Gators hope to round back into the form that’s given them a shot at making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012.
But Florida has found itself in the midst of its second three-game losing streak in Southeastern Conference play thanks to inconsistencies on both sides of the ball.
Against Georgia, Florida racked up 19 personal fouls and turned the ball over 18 times in a 67-58 loss. Against Missouri, Florida surrendered 81 points and 12 threes to the hottest three-point shooting team in the SEC.
On Sunday against South Carolina, Florida mustered only 55 points after an 8-for-32 shooting performance in the first half.
“The one thing that hurt us down the stretch and in parts of the game were critical plays and not being very smart in making the right decisions and trying to overdo things at times,” assistant coach David Lowery said.
Redshirt senior Lily Svete may be one of those individuals “overdoing” things.
Since posting a career-high 17 points in a home win against then-No. 15 Kentucky, she has failed to score a point in the three games since.
“Teams are paying attention to her a little bit more,” Lowery said. “We haven’t really tried to change what she’s doing. This is crunch time. Our kids have got a lot of pressure on them. I’m not saying that’s part of it, but I think it’s a lot that they’re thinking about. I think she’s just got to relax and let the game flow to her. When she gets opportunities, she’s got to take advantage of them.”
Redshirt sophomore Cassie Peoples has been another player who has struggled with consistency.
Heading into South Carolina, Peoples was 3 for 33 from beyond the arc.
“Cassie just hasn’t shot the ball well,” Lowery said. “It’s not like she’s taking bad shots. You talk about a kid that gets in the gym all the time and is shooting the ball and really working on focusing on hitting the shots she needs.”
Against the Gamecocks, however, Peoples went 2 for 4 from three-point range, sinking both of her shots in the first half.
“Hopefully, she’s finding some rhythm here,” Lowery said. “We know she can score, but she’s got to also keep shooting. It’s like every shooter or kid that can score; you’re going to go through times where you’re not going to hit shots. I think she’s gaining that confidence more now.
“She knows she has the ability to hit the shots. She’s just got to hit them.”
However, Peoples was held scoreless in the second half.
The loss to the Gamecocks exemplified Florida’s half-to-half inconsistencies it has been experiencing during its three-game skid.
In the first half, the Gators shot 25 percent from the field and were down 32-22 at halftime.
In the second half, they shot 40.7 percent and scored 33 points, but they surrendered 37 to the Gamecocks in the same half.
“I thought, for the most part, we started the game the way we wanted to,” Lowery said. “We jumped out 7-0 on them. We got some big plays down the stretch defensively, but on the offensive end, we weren’t being very tough at trying to get to the rim or getting in the paint and making the plays we needed to.”
Florida’s most consistent post player, Kayla Lewis, had only three points and four rebounds in the first half. In the second half, she scored 12 points and grabbed five more boards.
“Going down the second half, I thought Kayla Lewis, for one, really stepped up,” Lowery said.
“In the first half, she was, I’m not going to say non-existent, but I didn’t think she was the player that she could be. I think our defense led to that offense.”
Follow Gordon Streisand on Twitter @GordonStreisand
Cassie Peoples attempts a shot during Florida’s 81-76 loss to Missouri on Thursday in the O’Connell Center. Peoples averages 9.9 points per game.
