La Salle’s Brittany Wilson hit her second free throw, knotting the score 51-51 with 13:37 remaining in the second half.
Then, Florida came alive.
Over the next five minutes, the Gators went on a 20-6 tear, which paved the way for an 85-75 victory Friday in Brooklyn, N.Y.
“We didn’t crumble down the stretch,” coach Amanda Butler said. “We certainly should have won with more of a lead.”
Senior guard Jordan Jones led the Gators with a UF career-high 28 points on 9-of-18 shooting.
Florida posted its best 3-point shooting effort of the season at 53 percent, led by a 50 percent mark by Jones.
“She just hit big, timely threes, came out of the gates hot as well, and just established a really confident mind set,” Butler said.
Junior forward Jennifer George was also a major player in UF’s victory, recording her second consecutive double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds.
Despite George’s effort, the Gators outscored the Explorers just 36-30 in the paint.
Florida was also efficient from the charity stripe, led by senior guard Lanita Bartley.
She knocked down nine shots in 10 attempts, spearheading a 14 of 20 day for the Gators from the free throw line.
Bartley scored 18 points overall, adding nine rebounds and four assists.
“She is really slippery and you look at that rebounding stat and think, “Golly, how in the world did that happen?’” said Butler. “She gets in there and fights and has a great nose for the ball.”
Florida dominated La Salle in the early going, building a 29-15 lead with 8:05 left in the first half.
However, the Explorers whittled down the deficit to three and trailed the Gators just 41-38 at halftime.
Early in the second half, Florida had extended the lead to 49-44 before La Salle went on a 7-2 run to make the score even.
The Explorers never held the lead.
A radio broadcast contributed to this report.
