Gators women's hoops defeats fifth ranked team for first time since 2005-06

Special to Gators Online

For just the sixth time in program history, the Gators women’s basketball team defeated No. 14/11 Georgia in Athens, 54-51, earning its fifth victory against a top-25 opponent for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign.

Florida (17-6, 7-3 SEC) snapped a nine-game losing skid to the Bulldogs (17-5, 6-4 SEC) and move ahead of their rivals in the Southeastern Conference standings. Four Gators ended in double-figures, led by Zippy Broughton and Jordyn Merritt with 11 each, while Kiara Smith and Nina Rickards each tallied 10.

Despite shooting 18-of-55 (32.7%) with only three made triples, the UF defense made life difficult on Georgia all afternoon. The Gators tallied eight steals, led by Merritt, Rickards and Smith with two each. The Orange & Blue held Georgia to 22-of-64 (34.4%) shooting and just 1-of-10 from deep.

The Gators assisted on nine of their 18 made shots. Another key to victory for UF in the defensive struggle, Florida ended an impressive 15-of-17 (88.2%) from the free throw line while the Bulldogs shot just seven on the afternoon, connecting on six of them.

On the glass, Florida managed to take care of business, outrebounding the Bulldogs 46-35 in Stegeman Coliseum. Merritt and Rickards each pulled-down nine rebounds with Smith getting up for eight of her own.

Que Morrison led the Georgia effort, finishing with 12 points and seven rebounds.

With 6:05 remaining, the Gators found themselves still trailing by four after trading baskets to open the period, but Smith found Merritt on a flare for her first three of the game, pulling within one at 47-46. A 4-0 flurry from the opposition extended their lead back to five, but it would again be Merritt with the answer at the top of the key, keeping UF within striking distance.

Riding what got them to that point of the game, Florida’s defensive pressure led to a Smith steal who converted a pair of free throws to bring the Gators within 51-50 with just over two minutes remaining. On the following trip, Broughton would give the Orange & Blue the lead for good following a contested layup, 52-51, holding on for a 54-51 win.

Florida ended the game on an 8-0 run while also holding the Bulldogs scoreless for the final 4:30.

It was a slow offensive start for both teams on Sunday afternoon, with the first field goal of the day coming from a Broughton stop-and-go layup at the 7:48 mark. The Gators’ defense was flying to the ball throughout the first 10 minutes, holding the Bulldogs scoreless on their homecourt until 2:40 was left on the clock.

The Florida pressure led to an 0-of-12 start from UGA, helping the Orange & Blue to a 7-0 early advantage. Georgia would respond with an 8-2 run over the remaining two minutes of the quarter, as the Gators took a 9-8 lead into the second frame.

Georgia used a quick 4-0 spurt at the start of the second quarter to take a 12-9 lead with 7:13 remaining, but the Gators would answer with six of their own, capped off by a Smith fast break layup, to regain a 15-12 lead. In a highly contested second period that featured seven lead changes and three ties, the teams found themselves knotted at 22 with 1:51 remaining.

Not shying away from attacking the basket, the Orange & Blue used aggressive play to get to the line and drain four-consecutive free throws to end the half and take a 26-22 lead into the break. Despite shooting just 8-of-30 (26.7%) from the field in the opening half, the defense kept the Bulldogs scoreless from deep while out-rebounding the opposition, 27-18.

Another quick start for the Bulldogs saw the home team take the lead, 28-26, following a 6-0 run before a Rickards jumper evened the scoreboard at 28 with 6:53 remaining. With the score knotted at 28, the Bulldogs put together a 9-2 run to give them their largest lead of the game at 37-30 with 3:44 remaining on the clock.

The run didn’t force the Gators out of their game, however, as they responded with a 5-0 run of their own, thanks to a Merritt lay-in and old-fashioned three-point play from Smith, to close the gap to 37-35. In keeping with the theme of the quarter, Georgia would again respond in kind, eventually taking a 42-38 lead into the final frame following a triple from Emanuely de Oliveira.

The Gators will be back in action on Thursday, Feb. 10, when they head to Starkville, Miss., for another road test at Mississippi State.

Postgame Notes:
– Florida won in Athens for just the sixth-time in program history and first time since Jan. 22, 2017.
– The Gators snapped a nine-game losing skid to the Bulldogs dating back to Jan. 28, 2018 and pick up their first win over a ranked Georgia squad since a 51-48 win over No. 24 on Feb. 12, 2015.
– With the victory, Florida has now defeated five ranked teams in a season for the first time since the 2005-06 season when the Gators downed No. 18/16 Temple, No. 19 Vanderbilt, No. 21/23 Kentucky, No. 2/3 LSU and No. 5 Tennessee.
–  The victory also marks the first time since the 2003-04 season that the Gators have defeated five ranked SEC opponents in a season. That season UF defeated No. 22 Vanderbilt, No. 11/9 Georgia, No. 24 Vanderbilt, No. 19/15 Georgia, and No. 18/20 Auburn.