Jordan Jones stood at the free-throw line, the whole game dependent on how she would perform in the coming moments.
With only 2 seconds left in the second overtime of a game tied at 78, Jones drove into the lane, where she was fouled by Mississippi State’s Alexis Rack.
Before taking the two momentous shots, Jones thought of teammate Azania Stewart, who tells herself as she walks to the free-throw line that the other team is foolish for giving up a guaranteed two points.
The confidence worked.
“I knew they were going in as soon as they left my hand,” Jones said of the free throws.
Sure enough, both shots found the net. Senior Steffi Sorensen intercepted the ensuing inbounds pass, sealing Florida’s 80-78 victory Sunday in the O’Connell Center.
In the Gators’ previous game, a 66-58 loss to Vanderbilt, Jones shot 1 for 4 from the charity stripe. UF coach Amanda Butler said she got in Jones’ ear after that game, and Jones responded with a perfect 11-for-11 performance on free throws Sunday.
“There was a different look in Jordan’s eye (Sunday), and it was confidence,” Butler said.
Jones led Florida (13-10, 6-4 Southeastern Conference) with 21 points, while Sorensen and senior Lonnika Thompson added 12 points and 11 points, respectively.
To give Jones a chance to be a hero, UF had to make up for a sluggish start to the second half. After trailing by one at the intermission, Mississippi State (15-9, 6-5 SEC) began the second half on a 19-6 run.
The Gators struggled to contain the 6-foot-5 Chanel Mokango, who led all scorers with 22 points.
During the Bulldogs’ run, the Gators gave up easy, often uncontested baskets in the paint.
Down 52-40, Butler took a timeout with 12 minutes left, and UF seized momentum.
Sorensen knocked down three three-pointers, and Sharielle Smith and Azania Stewart made clutch baskets inside the lane with less than two minutes left to force overtime.
Once overtime began, an unlikely star emerged for Florida. Point guard Lonnika Thompson scored all nine of UF’s points in the first overtime. In the game’s previous 40 minutes, Thompson was scoreless.
“Hitting (my first) layup felt good,” she said. “My teammates were like, ‘Ok, L is back.’”
Facing a bigger team, Butler decided to change the defense throughout the game in an attempt to confuse Mississippi State.
“We did a really good job going between man and zone, throwing traps out there,” Butler said. “I thought we kept playing very, very well. I think that, as much as anything, had an impact on how they shot the ball.”
