When slapped with a technical foul late in the second half, Florida center Azania Stewart flashed a smile.
Florida State center Cierra Bravard also earned a technical on the play, causing her to foul out with 3:48 remaining in the game.
“We knew that she gets frustrated when she can’t get her way, so that was kind of intentional, that intentional foul,” Stewart said.
The Gators (2-1) never trailed in a 72-58 upset victory against the No. 21 Seminoles (2-2) on Thursday night in the O’Connell Center.
Going into the game, Stewart, a senior, and junior forward Jennifer George planned to outdo Bravard, who was named a preseason All-American by The Sporting News.
Although Bravard scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds, the combined efforts of Stewart and George resulted in 28 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks.
Eighteen of those points came from George — a team-high mark — on 9-of-11 shooting, giving her 39 points in Florida’s last two games.
“It was very important for us to match Florida State’s post (players) in the paint,” George said. “We just wanted to try and defend them and hopefully get our points in the paint as well.”
FSU outrebounded UF 41-38, a number that displeased Butler. However, she was “thrilled to death” with her squad’s effort in the post.
“[Stewart and George] battled,” Butler said. “They had a we’re-not-going-to-let-this-slip-away-from-us attitude, which really dictated the momentum for our team.”
In addition to post play, Florida utilized the transition game to its advantage, scoring 15 fastbreak points compared to just four for Florida State.
Instrumental in running the floor was sophomore guard Jaterra Bonds, who came into Thursday’s game struggling offensively.
Bonds scored 14 points, which tied her with senior guard Jordan Jones as the Gators’ second-leading scorer.
She also grabbed six rebounds, tying her with Stewart for the team lead.
“If we run, we knew they couldn’t keep up with us, so that’s what we had to keep doing,” Bonds said.
The stretch that sealed the game for UF came shortly before halftime.
The Seminoles were on the heels of a 15-6 run that cut the Gators’ lead to 27-23 when Butler called a timeout with 4:07 left in the first half.
Following the stoppage in play, Florida went on a 14-4 run to go into the break with its first halftime lead of the season at 41-27.
“We knew they would make a run at us,” Butler said. “But then, to be able to answer and sustain the effort and sustain the energy, I was really, really proud of that.”
One issue the Gators faced last season was protecting leads in the second half.
Florida’s inability to do so led to five losses after being ahead by double digits in the second half.
UF held its 14-point halftime advantage, only allowing FSU to pull as close as seven points in the second half.
“[Holding onto the lead] really showed a lot of toughness, which is something that we value and we talk about all the freaking time,” Butler said. “That’s just what you saw.”
