Already up by 11 points with 5:02 to go in the first quarter, Delicia Washington snagged a rebound and called for her teammates to sprint up the court. She dished an outlet pass to Sydney Searcy, who promptly drained a three-pointer just six seconds after Washington came down with the ball.
All the shots seemed to go down for the Gators Thanksgiving night on their way to a 90-40 win over the Savannah State Tigers in the final game of the Savannah Invitational.
Their play exemplified how coach Cam Newbauer imagined his offense operating this season, with quick outlet passes and shots from distance going up early in the shot clock.
It was also a night for breaking records for UF. Just two days after setting the school record with 15 made threes in a game, the Gators broke that mark by pouring in 17 against the Tigers. Thirty-six seconds into the fourth quarter, Searcy, who notched her second career start in as many days for the injured Funda Nakkasoglu, nailed the 16th and record-setting three-ball. Searcy was on fire Thursday night, leading the Gators on 6-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc and adding another bucket in the paint off a rebound from her own miss. She set a new career high in points with 20, eclipsing her previous mark of 11, which she set last night. She said she felt she was in a zone while shooting.
“It’s honestly so much fun” Searcy said. “You don’t realize it during the game, obviously, because you’re not there counting it, but it’s just amazing to be a part of history. I can’t thank my teammates enough.”
Washington, who struggled from the floor Wednesday night, played like a woman possessed against the Tigers. She was efficient from the floor, hitting 4-of-7 shots for 12 points, while coming away with 12 rebounds and serving up 10 assists to record the Gators’ third triple-double in program history.
“Hats off to her, but also her teammates,” Newbauer said. “If her teammates don't make shots, she doesn't get 10 assists.”
Newbauer said he was pleased that his team registered 21 assists on 30 field goals in the game.
The game was never in doubt from the opening bucket to the last second. Florida led by as many as 58 points in the fourth quarter. The Gators defense surrendered just six points in each of the first two quarters while blanketing the Savannah State shooters, who converted just 13.3 percent of their shots in the first half.
The Gators travel back to Gainesville to take on Jacksonville at the O’Connell Center Tuesday night at 7.
A video from floridagators.com contributed to this article.
You can follow Morgan McMullen on Twitter @MorganMcMuffin, and contact him at mmcmullen@alligator.org.
Delicia Washington was efficient from the floor, hitting 4-of-7 shots for 12 points, while coming away with 12 rebounds and serving up 10 assists to record the Gators’ third triple-double in program history.
