UF captains Jordan Jones and Azania Stewart stepped up in a big way Sunday.
Playing against a less experienced foe for once, Stewart and Jones combined for 37 points and Florida won 67-60 at Mississippi State, its second straight victory.
On the heels of a four-game losing streak, Florida has now notched back-to-back Southeastern Conference wins for the first time this season.
“It’s just huge,” coach Amanda Butler said. “Every win is huge, whether it’s the first game of conference season or the last. They’re hard to get, especially on the road.”
The Gators (14-9, 4-5 SEC) jumped out to a 13-2 lead over a Bulldogs squad that struggled to find a rhythm in the early going.
MSU (8-12, 0-8 SEC) returns just one starter from a season ago and features 11 new players on its roster.
The lack of experience was evident throughout, particularly in the Bulldogs’19 turnovers.
But Florida’s second road win of the season was contested to the final minute — thanks, again, to ball control issues of its own.
Apart from Ndidi Madu fumbling a pass on the game’s first possession, the Gators didn’t turn the ball over while establishing an 11-point lead in the first five and a half minutes.
But four UF turnovers allowed MSU to tie the game at 18 with less than nine minutes to go in the first half. The two teams then combined for eight turnovers in an ugly span lasting just more than two minutes, but the Gators (21 total giveaways) were able to escape with the lead thanks to the offensive post presence of Stewart.
She worked easily off high-low looks and scored 12 of her season-high 19 points in the first half, including UF’s first bucket after MSU tied the game.
“There’s no question Azania’s play today was the difference,” Butler said. “That impact — when she’s that type of player in the paint – makes us a completely different team.”
Butler said she has inspired Stewart to be more aggressive offensively and encouraged the guards to look her way more often. The plan worked to perfection Sunday, as Stewart’s inside scoring led to plenty of open outside shots for Jones.
The junior’s three-pointer from long range opened the scoring, and she was feeling it all afternoon, making 4 of 7 from beyond the arc en route to 18 points.
Her trey with 1:48 left in the game extended the Gators lead to eight. But after a turnover and three pivotal misses from the free-throw line, the lead was down to three and the Bulldogs were in position to win a game in which they never led.
As good as Jones was, MSU’s Mary Kathryn Govero was even better. The Bulldogs’ lone returner scored 22 points on 6-of-8 three-point shooting, single-handedly keeping MSU within striking distance as the minutes ticked away.
The Gators’ late-game struggles have been well documented, and Butler said redshirt freshman forward Lily Svete spoke to the team beforehand about avoiding breakdowns in composure.
“We did a good job of that, especially at the free-throw line,” Butler said.
After missing two from the charity stripe 20 seconds earlier, guard Lanita Bartley was sent to the line again with 16 seconds left to play.
She coolly stepped up and drained both, extending the lead to five. Jones added two more seconds later, and the Gators survived to get the win.
But now, standing only one win away from climbing back to .500 in the conference, Butler said Florida’s attention would quickly turn to Ole Miss on Thursday.
“We’re going to let them enjoy it,” Butler said, “at least until the plane touches down in Gainesville.”
