Just four games into Southeastern Conference play, the Gators women’s basketball team is fighting for its season.
Sitting at 1-3 in conference play, Florida is searching for answers to fix an offense that has sputtered at times and failed miserably at others.
Thursday night’s contest at Kentucky has all of the potential to be a statement game for the Gators – just like it was last year.
Florida went into Lexington and upset the then-No. 6 Wildcats 83-73 in Rupp Arena on Jan. 5, 2014, a signature win for the team.
The win helped give the Gators the necessary momentum to push forward and make the NCAA Tournament.
For Florida, it is all about the next game. The Gators know that any game could spark a run and turn their season around.
"In this league, it’s dog eat dog," said freshman Brooke Copeland in reference to SEC play. "You can not stop playing, you can not give any less effort or any less intensity throughout the entire game. We just have to learn to play with that (intensity) consistently throughout the entire game, not let up at all."
With the team unable to keep the intensity up in numerous games, the Gators have either found themselves down by a significant margin in the opening minutes or the team has developed a sizable lead only to watch its opponent chip away and make it a ball game.
For a team that loves to run the court, the Gators have been unable to run teams out of the gym — every victory is seemingly hard fought and close.
There is no time to get comfortable against any opponent.
"We have to put the past behind us, and know that what’s happened has happened and all we can do is go forward from here," Copeland said. "After (the loss to) Missouri, we can only go up from here. If we stop here, it’s not going to be good for us at all."
Finding success will likely come from getting Florida’s shooters out of the slump they’ve been in since the start of conference play. With Carlie Needles sidelined for the near future with a concussion, the Gators need starting guards Cassie Peoples and January Miller to step up in her absence.
While Peoples has done a sizable job this season, her first in a dual point guard role, both she and Miller have struggled with shooting the ball as of late.
Peoples heads into Thursday’s matchup with the Wildcats shooting 12-for-56 from the field over the last five games.
Miller has been even worse, going a ice cold 6-for-42 over the same span.
The shooting woes have downed the Gators repeatedly, and the answers the team is searching for can be found amongst all the misses. There doesn’t seem to be an easy fix, however, when your ball handlers can’t knock down shots they’re used to making.
After the Gators went 14-for-61 from the field against Missouri, one would think the team would focus its efforts on working on its shooting.
Not so, said redshirt senior Kayla Lewis.
"We’re really focused on our defense," Lewis said. "A shooting night like that can happen to any team. Even if you’ve shot a thousand shots the night before, sometimes the ball doesn’t go your way."
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January Miller drives into the lane during Florida's win against Jacksonville on Nov. 14.
