Facing its toughest test of the young season, the Florida women’s basketball team clawed back against a double-digit halftime deficit but ultimately fell short against St. John’s (2-0) in Queens, New York, on Thursday night.
The Gators (2-1) fell to the Red Storm 72-66, getting 16 points from redshirt junior Carlie Needles, who turned in another strong shooting performance from downtown with four three-pointers.
"Carlie hit big shots," coach Amanda Butler said. "Her teammates expect her to do that, her coaches expect her to do that and most importantly she expects to do that."
Butler said Needles kept the team in the game in the second half with her shooting, giving UF a chance to overcome an early deficit.
The Gators found themselves down 40-26 at halftime, a half in which Florida failed to capitalize on opportunities.
Redshirt junior Cassie Peoples missed all four shots she took from the field, and the team was out-rebounded and missed all four of its free throws. The Gators mounted a comeback in the second half, outscoring the Red Storm and taking a 55-54 lead with 6:07 remaining in the game on a fastbreak layup from junior January Miller.
But Florida couldn’t complete the comeback, with St. John’s outrunning the Gators the rest of the way to secure the win.
As was the case in the home opener against Jacksonville last Friday, the Gators failed to start with a considerable amount of pace. Coach Amanda Butler has repeatedly reminded the team that the slow starts must be improved upon – slow starts will lose the team games when Southeastern Conference play begins.
The fast pace applies to not only the offense, but the defense as well. The Gators had spent significant time working on its man defense, but often found themselves unable to defend the Red Storm outside of the zone.
"We weren’t able to defend them in man, and we worked hard on defending in man, so that was disappointing," Butler said.
Sophomore Ronni Williams, Florida’s leading scorer through its first two games, appeared to twist her ankle in the second half. It was the latest in a string of unrelated injury scares for Williams, a result of her tough and aggressive play.
"Ronni had a tough night, in a lot of ways," Butler said. "We need her to be there on the floor."
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Carlie Needles drives into the paint during Florida's win against Longwood.
