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Friday, March 29, 2024

When put to the challenge of having to respond to adversity Monday night against Jacksonville, the UF women's basketball team did in a big way.

After letting a 20-point, first-half lead slip away to a 1-point advantage early in the second half, the Gators (1-1) made a statement in claiming a 74-51 win against the Dolphins.

UF answered the call by going on a 26-3 run and putting the game out of reach.

UF coach Amanda Butler said it was the team's defense that made the difference when the game got close.

"Our full-court defense we really drew a lot of energy from tonight, and it didn't allow us to relax," she said. "To be able to hold a team as dynamic and versatile as Jacksonville to 18 points in one half, I just felt really good about where we were at defensively."

It was quite a contrast to Friday's loss to Florida Gulf Coast, when the Gators allowed 45 points in the first half and 43 in the second.

Butler was disappointed with the way her team closed out the first half, and she addressed her team at halftime about that.

"I don't know that I said things that would necessarily calm them down because I don't think we're our best when we're calm," Butler said. "I think we're our best when we're the aggressor."

The Gators appeared to be on their way to a blowout in the early going, building the big lead midway through the first half.

UF shot the lights out at the start, literally.

After the Gators' pregame introductions, the lights remained off for about 10 minutes, delaying the tip-off.

It was a sign of things to come as UF opened the game shooting 7 of 8 from the field and outscored the Dolphins 19-3 in the first five minutes.

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The Gators eventually cooled off and allowed Jacksonville to close the first half and open the second on a 25-6 run to cut the lead to 38-37.

That's when UF got hot again and went up by as many as 27.

Jacksonville downed the Gators last season, 75-64, in the teams' only other meeting, so UF wanted to change this year.

"I told the team that our goal is to be aggressive," said guard Sha Brooks, who added 14 second-half points to spark the rout and finished with a team-high 16. "If we come out and be aggressive then we'll do our part, and it showed tonight."

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