In the last game before conference play, it might have been the bench that got the most tuning.
The Gators (7-6) hosted their last game of the decade against Jacksonville University (1-9) and rang in the end of the year with an 80-54 victory. The win marked coach Amanda Butler’s 50th win at UF.
Jacksonville native Steffi Sorensen drained a 3-pointer within the first 20 seconds of play and opened up a 9-0 run for the Gators to start the game. It was the players coming off the bench though that thwarted the Dolphins. UF’s bench alone managed to outscore Jacksonville 20-18 in the first half, where Florida built a 23-point lead that was never in jeopardy.
“I like the tone we set in the first half,” Butler said. “We wanted to come out swinging and make sure we were up on our toes.”
Trumae Lucas set a career high with 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting, to go along with five assists in 24 minutes. She also went a perfect 7 of 7 from the free-throw line.
Jennifer George, also coming off the bench, chipped in another 15 points to add to her five rebounds and four blocks.
“Fifteen points apiece for those guys is a great night,” Butler said. “That’s the best game (Trumae’s) played this year. It’s what you want to see this time of year, players coming into their own when it matters most.”
Sharielle Smith notched a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds and had eight boards in the first frame alone — more than half of the total rebounds Jacksonville amassed in that same period.
With the game well in hand before the final buzzer, Butler continued to give the younger players some playing time to see how they fared. Eleven players saw the court and 10 of them scored.
For the second game in a row, Florida pressured its opponent with increased man-to-man defense that left the Dolphins struggling from the field. Courtney Jackson finished with a game-high 18 points, but it did little to quell the damage the rest of her team’s ineffective shooting was causing. Jacksonville’s best shooting percentage came from the free-throw line at 68 percent. UF held the Dolphins to 26-percent shooting from the field.
While Florida didn’t shoot lights out from beyond the arc (4 of 16), the team made 16 of 19 attempts at the charity stripe and through a balanced inside-outside attack, shot 54 percent from the field.
After an unexpected loss to High Point on its own home floor on Dec. 21, UF has reeled off consecutive victories for the second time this season, outscoring Ohio and Jacksonville 158-103.
With non-conference play behind them, the Gators travel to Fayetteville, Ark., and will play the Razorbacks on Sunday to begin their Southeastern Conference schedule.
“The biggest thing we take away from these two wins is a lot of confidence, which we really, really needed,” Butler said. “We needed that shot in the arm. Hopefully we’re feeling that momentum as we’re going to roll into Fayetteville.”
