After fighting and clawing for narrow victories in six of its first seven games, Florida seemed to finally put it all together Saturday.
The Gators had their best shooting performance of the season and continued their dominance on the boards as Florida (7-1) romped Providence College (5-5) 73-56 at the Brown Bear Classic in Providence, R.I.
Florida made 28 of 57 shots (49.1 percent), precipitated mainly by the style of play that fans of the Gators are quickly becoming accustomed to.
“Hustle plays are one of the bricks of our foundation,” coach Amanda Butler said. “About two or three games ago we felt we weren’t getting every loose ball, so it’s really been something that we’ve been aware of. You’ve got to try to find every edge you can.”
Effort plays were in abundance as the Gators used the half-court and full-court press to their advantage, forcing 17 Friars turnovers and grabbing 10 steals.
The Gators started 4 of 6 from long range and shot over 40 percent from the field for the first time in four games.
Also, Florida posted a 38-30 rebounding advantage over Providence and has yet to be outrebounded by an opponent all season.
Junior guard Jordan Jones led the way for the Gators with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Jones’ first points of the game couldn’t have come at a better time.
Tied at 14 with 9:21 to play in the first half, Jones drained a 3-pointer that ignited an 11-2 run and gave Florida a lead it would never relinquish.
But the true spark came from forward Ndidi Madu.
The junior posted her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 boards and led multiple fast-break opportunities that were crucial to Florida’s success.
“I thought everyone fed off of that, and when I say everyone, I mean everyone,” Butler said. “Our bench did a great job. Again we had different people at different parts of the game that stepped up and made a difference.”
Eight Gators scored at least five points and freshman Deaundra Young had a career-high nine points and five boards while also blocking two shots.
Florida, on the heels of an 11-4 run, took a 39-26 lead into the break and came out just as hot. The Gators held Providence to just two points in the first 6:19 of the second half extending the margin to 20 points at 48-28 and extinguishing any hopes of a Providence comeback.
The win marks the Gators’ fifth in a row. They can clinch their second tournament title of the season with a victory over Brown today at 2 p.m.
