After a disappointing performance in a season-opening loss to Michigan, Florida junior forward Jennifer George knew something had to change. Now, with three additional games on the stat sheet, it’s looking like the transformation didn’t take long.
“I just had a different mentality,” she said. “In the Michigan game, that wasn’t me. I had to come out and be more consistent for our team and just play better.”
On Tuesday night, George recorded her fifth career double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds to lead UF (3-1) to a 63-46 win against Hampton (2-1) in the O’Connell Center.
The Gators’ win was a reversal of last year’s outcome when they traveled to Virginia to play the Pirates and lost a first-half lead as part of a disappointing defeat.
Tuesday’s first half was not for the faint-hearted. Florida stumbled out of the gates with its worst half of shooting of the young season. The Gators shot just 25 percent from the field and fell behind 12-2 early, shooting an anemic 0 for 9 from beyond the arc and just 50 percent from the free-throw line.
Florida turned the ball over on its first three possessions and didn’t register a basket until its fifth possession.
“It was the play of Lanita Bartley,” coach Amanda Butler said. “Not that the three turnovers were all her fault, but I put a lot of responsibility on our point guards and didn’t think she set the tone for us the way that we all know she’s capable of.”
Luckily for UF, Hampton was struggling with many of the same issues. While the Pirates made 2 of 4 from three and were perfect from the charity stripe, they managed to shoot just 27.6 percent from the field, collapsing toward the end of the half to let the Gators back in the game.
Florida came out with a renewed focus in the second half due in large part to smarter play by Bartley. Instead of three turnovers, the team had six points and a 26-22 lead after its first three possessions.
George took over in the second half, racking up eight points and eight rebounds to cap a stretch in which she has scored double digits in three straight games for the first time in her UF career.
After providing a defensive boost in the first half en route to a four-block performance, center Azania Stewart chimed in after the break with eight points after she was held scoreless in the opening 20 minutes of play.
“[It’s] just good timing and good defense and just staying disciplined,” Stewart said.
Florida’s offense picked up, with the exception of a woeful three-point shooting performance. While it was Jordan Jones in the first half, Jaterra Bonds and Brittany Shine took the load in the second half, combining to go 1 for 7 as part of a 6.7 team shooting percentage from long-range.
“We know that we’re a good shooting team, but we also know that that’s not why we’re going to win ball games,” Butler said. “We know we’re capable. We also know we’re capable of missing a lot of shots.”
Florida junior forward Jennifer George (32) finished with her fifth career double-double in UF’s 63-46 win against Hampton on Tuesday. George led a dominant post game that helped the Gators erase last year’s loss to the Pirates.
