After falling behind Florida International 11-1 to open its first-round WNIT matchup, Florida needed someone to kindle the offense.
Sydney Moss provided the spark.
The freshman guard, who came into the game averaging 10.6 points per contest, scored 12 points in the first half as the Gators clawed back to within two after 20 minutes.
Florida (19-14) rode Moss’ career-high 28 points to a come-from-behind 75-68 victory against Florida International (19-13) Thursday night at U.S. Century Bank Arena in Miami.
“We had a few folks that definitely came to play,” coach Amanda Butler said. “Sydney having a career game tonight – we needed it.”
Florida came out flat for much of the first half. Florida International held the lead for the entire first half. The Gators got within one with 11:40 left in the half, but the Panthers went on a 13-3 run for the next five and a half minutes.
“There’s a lot of things that if we had time, we’d work on them and go and correct,” Butler said. “But we don’t have time. It’s survive-and-advance time of year. We’ve got to play a much, much better ball game in this next round.”
In the second half, the Florida offense came alive.
Down 40-38 with 17:58 left in the second half, Moss led the Gators on an 18-9 run that gave Florida the lead. Moss scored 10 during the run, despite missing two free throws.
But the Panthers would not go down without a fight.
Led by junior guard Jerica Coley, Florida International charged back, tying the game with 2:43 on the clock.
Coley dominated the Gators’ defense, scoring 37 points on 9-of-24 shooting and an 18-of-18 effort from the free-throw lineup.
But with the game on the line, guard Jaterra Bonds took over.
The junior scored five points in the final 2:21 of the game, sealing the Gators’ victory.
“One of [Bonds’] nicknames is ‘J.T. Money’, and that’s why,” Butler said. “She lives for those moments. She’s that type of competitor. There is no one on our team that our team wants more on the line in that situation.”
Bonds finished the game with 19 points, one of two Gators to finish with double-digit points.
Florida will play Winthrop in the second round of the WNIT on Monday.
“We know we’re playing Winthrop, and that’s all we need to know,” Butler said. “It doesn’t matter when, it doesn’t matter where, it doesn’t matter what time. We know who our opponent is, and that gives us something to focus in on.”
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
Contact Adam Lichtenstein at alichtenstein@alligator.org.
Junior guard Jaterra Bonds shoots during Florida’s 69-58 win against Arkansas on Feb. 28 in the O’Connell Center. Bonds scored 12 points against Winthrop on Monday.
