The Gators finally got over the close-game hump.
After losing nine games by six points or fewer, Florida (17-10, 7-7 Southeastern Conference) upset No. 18 Georgia (20-7, 9-5 SEC) 61-57 Sunday in the O’Connell Center.
The win over UGA marks UF’s third victory in a game decided by six points or fewer this season and its first since defeating LSU at home Jan. 15.
“[Playing close games] is what we’ve been doing all year long,” Jones said. “We’ve faced so much adversity, so many close losses, and each time, we’ve bounced back and given someone more than they gave us the night before.”
By knocking off the Bulldogs, the Gators remain in contention for their first bid to the NCAA Tournament since the 2008-09 season.
Going into Sunday’s contest, UF ranked 39th in RPI and 15th in strength of schedule.
Should Florida place fourth or better in conference at season’s end, it would clinch a first-round bye in the SEC Tournament.
“Obviously, (we’re) improving where we stand in the league and continuing to improve our NCAA resume,” Butler said.
Jennifer George led Florida’s upset bid despite playing just eight minutes in the first half due to foul trouble. The junior logged 17 second-half minutes, scoring nine of her 15 points and grabbing five of her six rebounds after halftime.
“We’re one of the hardest-working teams in the SEC and just for us to get the reward, it feels good,” George said. “We’ve had so much challenges in the past in our close losses, and we’re just at a point where we refuse to lose.”
The Gators, led by George’s six boards, outrebounded the Bulldogs 42-32. But UF’s success on the glass was a shared effort.
Ndidi Madu finished right behind George with five rebounds, while Deana Allen, Andrea Vilaro Aragones, Lanita Bartley and Azania Stewart each had four.
“Our first effort was good, but our second effort was always better,” Butler said. “We were really tenacious on the boards, and persistent. We didn’t just go away when someone had us boxed out.”
In addition to her rebounding, Aragones made her mark offensively.
The Spanish guard set a career-high with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting, besting her previous mark of eight points against Vanderbilt on Thursday.
“If we were able to measure basketball IQ, [Aragones’] may be the highest on our team,” Butler said. “I don’t think that her teammates and her coaches are surprised at all by such a great offensive outpouring.”
Florida went into halftime leading 27-25 after outrebounding Georgia 6-0 during an 8-0 run in the last 3:33 of the first 20 minutes.
By holding on for the win, UF’s record when leading at the half improved to 15-1.
“My prayer was before the game was that they would get what they deserve and that is absolutely what happened,” Butler said. “They made that happen. A lesser team would have folded under what we’ve experienced.”
Contact Joe Morgan at joemorgan@alligator.org.
