Redshirt sophomore forward Lily Svete fired from
beyond the arc and watched her shot find the bottom of the
basket.
Svete’s 3-pointer gave the Gators a 21-13 lead,
marking the first time Florida has reached the 20-point plateau
before halftime since its win over Ole Miss on Jan. 5.
UF (12-6, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) defeated LSU
(13-4, 4-1) 62-58 Sunday.
Defeating the Tigers earned the Gators their first
league win at home in three tries this season.
Redshirt senior Jordan Jones said it was good for the
Gators to get the “monkey off of [their] back.”
“If there’s such a thing as a ‘must-win’ four games
into the SEC season, this was it,” Jones said.
Florida’s success stemmed from its defensive effort,
especially in the first half.
After falling behind 12-10, the Gators went on a 20-4
run, holding the Tigers without a field goal for 10:22.
During that span, LSU was 0 for 12 and turned the
ball over three times.
“As you can look at our numbers the last few games,
we are not an offensive team that’s going to come out and rely on
our offense to win games,” Jones said.
“[Defense]’s what we focus on in practice, that’s
what we focus on amongst ourselves in our huddles, and it’s going
to win games.”
Coach Amanda Butler has maintained that UF prides
itself on defense.
However, she said she was also pleased with the
20-point outburst during the Tigers’ offensive dry spell.
“A team having a field drought isn’t significant
unless you’re putting points on the board going the other
direction,” Butler said.
“To be able to go down on the other end and get the
reward for that good defense and not put so much pressure on our
defense every possession to get a stop just felt good for
them.”
Jones led Florida’s offense with 16 points, shooting
50 percent from the field and finishing 4 of 9 from 3-point
range.
Jones was instrumental in holding off a rally by the
Tigers midway through the second half.
With the Gators leading by seven with 8:36 to play,
Jones scored eight points on a 10-3 run over two minutes to open up
a 14-point lead.
But a 12-0 run by LSU over the next four minutes made
it a one-possession game with 2:35 remaining in regulation.
According to Jones, Florida’s senior leadership is
what helped the team hold onto the win. Butler cited experience in
close games.
All four of the Gators’ conference games have been
decided by six points or less.
“I really was very confident,” Butler said. “We have
been through enough moments in this season to know who we need to
put in different game situations to get the result that we
want.”
While Jones led the scoring effort, every Gator that
saw the floor put points on the board.
Seven different players scored Florida’s first seven
field goals of the game against one of the best defensive teams in
the nation.
LSU has the No. 3 scoring defense (46.6 points) and
No. 2 field-goal percentage defense (29.9 percent).
“To be able to look at that statistical column
(points) — which is what most people gauge success by — and to see
a number next to everyone’s name, I think it’s great,” Butler said.
“I’m just proud of them for them all taking their own individual
opportunities and making the most of them.”
Contact Joe Morgan at
joemorgan@alligator.org.
