After a 16-point second half deficit was trimmed to three, back-to-back missed one-and-one attempts by South Carolina gave Florida the chance to complete its comeback.
The only problem was the Gamecocks rebounded both shots, dashing the Gators’ hopes of a successful second-half rally.
“You have to credit South Carolina for those free-throw rebounds mattering more to them than they did to us,” coach Amanda Butler said. “There clearly was a breakdown. It’s really hard to understand.”
The Gators lost to the Gamecocks 49-44 on Sunday in the O’Connell Center, dropping their second consecutive Southeastern Conference home game. While the final score saw Florida (11-5, 1-2 SEC) fall five points short of South Carolina (14-2, 3-0 SEC), a tightly contested finish was in doubt after the first half.
The Gamecocks went into the break leading 31-15, scoring 13 points off 14 Gators turnovers.
“It was a very frustrating game, especially that first half,” Butler said. “Some of the things we’ve got to figure out (include), ‘Why are we starting games so poorly?’ I’m not sure.”
While UF managed to win the battle on the boards 19-15 in the first 20 minutes, South Carolina outscored Florida 16-10 in the paint.
The Gators’ luck down low changed after halftime largely due to the play of junior forward Jennifer George. She scored 12 of her 16 points and pulled down eight of her 11 rebounds in the second half.
George’s performance — which included a season-high six blocks — was her eighth consecutive double-double.
“Finish consistently with contact,” George said of ways UF’s paint play can improve. “Even though they’re not calling fouls, we still need to finish.”
George was the Gators’ lone offensive threat in the post, accounting for 76 percent of the points scored by UF’s frontcourt.
Center Azania Stewart and forwards Ndidi Madu and Lily Svete combined for just five points and three rebounds.
“(George’s) post partners have got to help her out,” Butler said. “In particular, we need Azania to step up and make some plays on the offensive end.”
Butler has maintained throughout the season that due to the nature of her guard-heavy squad, Florida’s outside players would need to help crash the boards.
Senior guards Deana Allen and Lanita Bartley pulled down 10 and six rebounds, respectively, but it was not enough to put the Gators over the top. South Carolina finished with a 39-37 advantage on the glass, including a 16-12 edge on the offensive boards.
“We’ve got to get ourselves second chances on offense,” Butler said. “We’ve got to have more perimeter rebounding other than just from Deana.”
Florida had several opportunities to complete its comeback late in the second half, but failed partly due to a reliance on outside shooting.
In the game’s final five minutes, George attempted — and made — just one shot, which she took after rebounding a missed jumper from Allen with 22 seconds left.
South Carolina’s guard play defensively presented UF struggles in getting the ball to George down the stretch, Butler said.
“They did a really good job of pressuring the ball and that was certainly what we expected to happen,” Butler said. “But we just didn’t handle it with a lot of composure.”
Contact Joe Morgan at joemorgan@alligator.org.
