The slow starts haven’t improved, and Florida is seemingly still figuring out what lineup can keep the team competitive in the opening minutes.
In a contest that saw the Gators women’s basketball team come out flat and lackadaisical with the basketball, Florida fell to Ole Miss at home 64-57 after being run out of the gym in the opening minutes.
A day removed from stressing the importance of each Southeastern Conference game, the Gators came out sluggish against Ole Miss, with the team lacking the sense of urgency that is critical in claiming a lead within the opening minutes.
The Rebels opened the game on a 18-2 run in the opening eight minutes, and Florida spent the rest of the game attempting to claw back, albeit unsuccessfully in the end.
After trailing by as many as 22, Florida went on a 23-5 run to cut the lead to 60-57 with 1:17 left to play, but the Rebels sealed the game at the free throw line to stop the Gators from completing the comeback.
A stifling Ole Miss (12-4, 2-1 SEC) defense forced the Gators into 23 turnovers, with 15 coming in the first half. Florida (9-7, 1-2 SEC) had a rough night shooting the basketball, with guards Cassie Peoples and Carlie Needles unable to create any space and get open shots for the team.
Neither team could get anything going from behind the three-point line, with the Rebels using solid ball movement and penetrating passes to hand Florida its third loss in five games.
Coach Amanda Butler spoke of the importance in defending the post against the Rebels, who scored just 20 points in the paint against the Gators, despite another strong performance from senior Tia Faleru. Ole Miss won the rebounding battle against Florida 48-35, with the Rebels grabbing 18 boards on the offensive end.
"The story of the game ultimately was rebounding, but I’m really proud of the fight amidst nothing going our way," Butler said. "I think that’s the heart of this team, and I think that’s what we’ll continue to see."
Ronni Williams had 15 points for Florida, a strong performance for a player who has been slow to regain her form from a high ankle sprain suffered early in the season against St. John’s.
Butler was visibly upset with multiple calls in the game, as the Gators shot just 13 free throws compared to the Rebels’ 38.
"Well, that’s a lot of points, a lot of opportunities they got from the free-throw line," Butler said. "We just didn’t put ourselves in the same position to score from the line like they did."
Kayla Lewis finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, although it was apparent after the game that the redshirt senior was far from satisfied with the performance of the team in the first half.
"It’s a lack of composure and poise in the beginning of the game that lead to their scores," Lewis said. "They weren’t running any offense that we couldn’t guard, it was us shooting ourselves in the foot."
Defending the perimeter has been a weakness of late for the Gators, with the team losing close games to Eastern Washington and LSU that can be attributed to an inability to close out on shooters.
Florida may have suffered more than just a loss in the game, as the team lost Antoinette Bannister to an apparent ankle injury in the first half and later lost Needles after she appeared to take a hit to the mouth and was helped off the court near the start of the second half.
Follow Graham Hall on Twitter @Graham311
Ronni Williams goes up for a layup during Florida's win against Longwood on Nov. 17.
