The Gators women’s basketball team has struggled against the Southeastern Conference for years.
With the expansion of the conference two seasons ago, Florida can add another team to the list of opponents that have the Gators number: Texas A&M.
UF lost to the No. 15 Aggies 66-46 on Sunday afternoon in just the second conference matchup between the two opponents and fourth matchup ever, making Florida winless in every attempt against the SEC’s newest member.
The first time the Gators (12-14, 4-9 SEC) traveled to College Station to face Texas A&M (21-6, 9-4 SEC) was on March 16, 1994 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, with the Aggies getting the 78-76 win to send the Gators packing.
That game holds special significance for coach Amanda Butler -- it was her last game in a Gator uniform, a game in which her 15 points and five assists weren’t quite enough to get her team into the second round and extend her collegiate career.
However, Sunday’s game wasn’t as close with Butler on the sidelines.
Texas A&M opened the game on a 12-2 run, forcing the Gators to spend the half clawing back to make it a contest. But the Aggies still held a 10-point lead at the break as UF missed shot after shot.
Coming in to the game, Florida had made a three-pointer in 156 straight games -- dating back to when redshirt senior Kayla Lewis was a freshman -- but that streak ended after nearly five seasons.
The Gators went 0-of-8 from behind the arc, failing to convert on a long-range shot for the first time since Nov. 30, 2010 against Old Dominion.
Considering Florida has hit a three-pointer in 252 of its previous 254 games, the Gators struggled to score without a vital part of their offense.
Florida couldn’t slow the Aggies down in the second half, either, as Texas A&M didn’t let the lead fall below eight digits for the rest of the game.
A lone highlight for the Gators – their defensive intensity – went unrewarded on the offensive end.
Florida forced the Aggies into 18 turnovers by using stifling defense to cause loose-ball opportunities.
But the Gators couldn’t convert on the other end, scoring just 12 points off of their opponents’ miscues.
“I thought our turnovers were really timely,” Butler said in a release. “They came at critical moments and really any momentum that we generated was a cold bucket of water on our effort.”
Ronni Williams scored a game-high 14 points for Florida, giving her 16 double-digit scoring performances this season. Haley Lorenzen had 10 points while Kayla Lewis scored eight points despite struggling with foul trouble.
Follow Graham Hall on Twitter @Graham311
Amanda Butler calls out a play during Florida's 64-56 loss to No. 6 Tennessee on Feb. 8 in the O'Connell Center.
