Kayla Lewis had a birthday to remember.
On her 22nd birthday, Lewis recorded a season-best 21 points while shooting 9 of 11 from the field and notched six rebounds in a 83-62 victory against Kennesaw State.
“Kayla did a great job of keeping it simple and playing fundamental, low-block offense, which is not something we ask her to do a lot,” coach Amanda Butler said. “I thought she did a great job of adjusting to the opportunity.”
In search of their first road victory of the season, Florida had to right the ship after a disappointing 71-59 loss to Virginia Tech three days prior.
Butler had been emphasizing the importance of a fast start — something they did not accomplish against the Hokies.
She was looking for the Gators to have a “better first four minutes of basketball that will hopefully set the tone for the remainder of the game.”
Four minutes into the game, Florida and Kennesaw State were tied at 6. After making a layup to give the Gators an 8-6 lead soon after, Lewis and the rest of her team cruised to victory.
“Our post players really did a great job of establishing the low block for us,” Butler said. “The battle of the paint was probably a draw. (Kennesaw State) did a great job on the boards. You got to give a lot of credit to the way they hustled and flew around. They gave themselves second opportunities and that’s something we’ve got to do a better job of.”
Although Florida dominated many facets of the game, a consistent problem area seems to be rebounding.
The Gators were outrebounded for the second time this season, losing the battle of the boards 41-29 against a starting lineup whose tallest player was Chloe Branch, who is 5-foot-11.
“That’s something we’ve got to work on,” Butler said. “We showed a lot of attention to detail in our box outs and our rebounding against Virginia Tech, even though we came up short. We were just way too relaxed as rebounders tonight.”
Foul trouble may also be a potential issue down the road for Florida. Freshman Ronni Williams fouled out for the third consecutive game, although on Sunday she did so with less than two minutes remaining in the game and a 23-point lead.
For the 14 minutes of the game she did play, Williams was a force to be reckoned with. Towering over a small Owls team, Williams was in front of the net seemingly all game, putting away easy buckets and tallying 14 points.
“I was really proud of Kayla and Ronni, in particular,” Butler said. “They secured the low block for us and seemed to score at will. They showed a great deal of composure down there and took advantage of one-on-one situations.”
Now, the Gators must ready themselves for an undefeated Seminoles team headed to Gainesville on Thursday. Last season, Florida got thumped by its in-state rival 98-67 in Tallahassee. This time around, the Gators hope their defense can lock things down and maybe grab a few more rebounds.
Follow Gordon Streisand on Twitter @GordonStreisand.
Redshirt junior guard Kayla Lewis poses during Florida women’s basketball’s media day.
