After a preseason that featured a considerable focus on the defensive side of the court, Florida women’s basketball coach Amanda Butler was content with the team’s play in the season-opening 84-73 win over Jacksonville on Friday.
"All in all, there are a lot of positives for us to build on," Butler said. "We’ve got a realistic sense of the things we have to work on, primarily our defense, just giving up too many points too easily."
Butler knows that in order for the Gators to win games against Southeastern Conference opponents, the team will have to rotate better defensively.
The Gators allowed the Dolphins to shoot 3-of-5 in the first half from long-range, with Florida’s guards repeatedly giving Jacksonville’s shooters open looks from deep.
With the game competitive until the end, Butler was encouraged to see the team close out the Dolphins down the stretch and win a tough game.
"I thought Jacksonville did a fantastic job, showed a lot of fight, a lot of resilience," Butler said.
"It’s a great team to play against this early in the season, and be tested in specific ways…it’s just going to help us going forward."
Junior Antoinette Bannister, who led Florida’s bench players with 16 points, said the improvements in Florida’s defense were noticeable, crediting the defensive-focused "Camp Hector" the Gators did with strength and conditioning coordinator Tyler Stuart in the offseason as the cause.
"Everything we do in practice, out of practice, it challenges our toughness," Bannister said.
"Pulling out this game was very big for us."
The Gators get another crack at fine-tuning its defense before the competition improves, with Florida taking on Longwood today at 4:15 in the O’Connell Center.
The Lancers opened the season with a competitive 64-60 loss to Wake Forest, with junior Daeisha Brown scoring 29 points in the defeat.
Along with the early focus on the defensive end, Butler has stated the importance of the Gators out-rebounding its opponent.
Florida outrebounded Jacksonville 41-34 on Friday, with redshirt senior Kayla Lewis grabbing seven boards and redshirt junior Carlie Needles recording six.
The Gators have another encouraging rebounding matchup against a Longwood team that features 6-foot guard Khalilah Ali as its tallest active player.
Still, Butler knows the key to the team’s success lies in its defense.
If the Gators play with a steady level of high defensive intensity, the wins will continue to come.
"The thing we’re the most concerned with is our defensive consistency," Butler said. "We’ve got to close the gap a little bit better between good possessions."
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Antoinette Bannister looks to pass the ball during Florida's 84-73 win against Jacksonville in the O'Connell Center.
