The Gators have enough foul trouble on the court. Now, the problem has made its way off of it.
Sophomore Christin Mercer was arrested on Friday for conspiring to commit a robbery after deputies served a warrant for her arrest.
Most arrests are considered untimely, but this one could serve as a potentially lethal blow to Florida’s season.
The Gators’ (13-4, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) struggles this season have been primarily on defense. However, they seemed to be finding a groove in their recent nine-game win streak, allowing an average of 67.4 points per game during that stretch.
Mercer was subsequently suspended and didn’t make the trip to Baton Rouge, La. On Sunday, No. 12 LSU walloped Florida 82-68, winning the rebounding battle 50-29 and emphatically ending the Gators’ streak.
Mercer’s presence was sorely missed, as she’s currently second on the team in points (11.8) and third on the team in rebounds (5.8) per contest this season.
The Gators are now left hoping seven is their lucky number. And they’re going to need all the luck they can get.
Florida has only seven active players on its roster heading into the heart of its conference schedule, thanks to the indefinite suspension of the 6-foot forward.
The Gators began the season with only nine active players after center Viktorija Dimaite suffered an ACL tear in her left knee, and have been playing the majority of their games with eight due to a torn ligament in sophomore Antoinette Bannister’s right hand.
This season, coach Amanda Butler has often praised her team’s ability to overcome adversity. Overcoming Mercer’s absence will be tough, to say the least, but Butler has faith in her team’s mettle.
“I don’t think there are many adjustments for us to make,” Butler said. “We’ve played with a short bench all year and found ways to overcome whatever it was that we were missing in a particular game. I think the spirit of this team will continue push forward. Certainly, one less person on any given Thursday or Sunday is significant for any team.”
“We’re already having to play with an extra measure of toughness, because most people have a longer bench than ours. I think we’ll just stay the course of what we’ve been doing.”
But what the Gators have been doing surely won’t serve them well down the road this season, at least in some aspects.
Rebounding has been a nagging issue for Florida. Freshman Ronni Williams is one of the Gators’ two remaining consistent rebounders, the other being redshirt junior Kayla Lewis.
“Both of those young ladies feel an extra measure of responsibility, and that’s just because they’re great competitors and they want to do whatever they can for their team,” Butler said. “I don’t think the other five that are able to play right now look at it at all as just Ronni and Kayla’s job.”
“I think that responsibility is going to be spread across the team. The first two rebounders on LSU on Sunday were guards. We’ve got to have more rebounding contributions from everywhere.”
As previously mentioned, foul trouble has also been problematic. Williams has fouled out often this season, with the latest happening in Sunday’s contest against LSU.
With the team now down to only two bench players, fouls become increasingly magnified.
“It’s a tough thing to correct,” Butler said. “You can certainly try and teach and drill things in practice.
“People are going to come at you. People are going to throw the ball in your way and you’ve just got to take things to another level. I fully expect Ronni to do that. She’s made great strides. Sunday, she slipped back a little bit, but she’s a great player and awesome competitor.”
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Ronni Williams attempts a layup in Florida’s 59-52 win against Arkansas on Jan. 9 in the O’Connell Center. Williams fouled out for the 11th time this season on Sunday.
