Junior forward Jennifer George is on a roll heading into Southeastern Conference play in 2012.
George scored 10 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for her fifth consecutive double-double in Florida’s 81-56 win against Samford on Wednesday.
With her performance against the Bulldogs, George becomes the first Gator since Vanessa Layden during the 2003-04 season to notch five straight double-doubles.
“It makes us hard to guard … with the way Jennifer is playing in the paint,” coach Amanda Butler said.
George was one of five Florida players to score in double digits against Samford.
Senior guard Deana Allen led the pack with 17 points and sophomore guard Jaterra Bonds was not far behind with 15.
Senior guards Jordan Jones and Lanita Bartley rounded out the leading scorers with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
“That’s an indication that we’re playing our best when you see several people in double figures,” Butler said. “That’s just really hard to guard.”
The Gators’ offensive outburst resulted largely from accurate shooting and dominance on the glass.
UF finished the night 31-of-63 from the field, including a 50 percent mark from beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, Samford (6-6) shot 43.6 percent against Florida (10-3), but only attempted 39 shots.
The Gators also racked up 21 offensive boards and outrebounded the Bulldogs 43-20 overall.
George led the charge with a team-high 13 rebounds and senior center Azania Stewart added seven boards.
“We knew that rebounding was an advantage for us going in, but what’s on paper before the game doesn’t matter if you don’t make it happen,” Butler said.
Florida was advantageous in multiple facets of the game, scoring 26 points off turnovers against Samford.
Additionally, the Gators outscored the Bulldogs 19-4 on second-chance points and 27-7 in bench points.
Florida will need to continue to exploit every opportunity it can in order to open SEC play with a win against No. 6 Kentucky (11-1) on Jan. 1.
The Wildcats — the highest-ranked squad in the conference — defeated the Gators 59-58 in their last trip to the O’Connell Center as the No. 19 team in the country during the 2010-11 season.
“It’s going to be a little bit harder, a little bit different in SEC play to try to generate those turnovers,” Butler said. “Just playing stingy defense … that generally ignites our transition game.”
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
