After an 11 year losing streak in Athens, Georgia the Florida women’s basketball team (12-12, 4-7 SEC) ended that streak Thursday night when they defeated the No. 24 Georgia Bulldogs (17-8, 5-7 SEC) 51-48. Florida is now 15-50 all-time against UGA and last night’s game was only their fifth win ever in Athens. Cassie Peoples finished with 11 points followed by Carlie Needles and January Miller with 10.
“I’m just really, really happy for our players, especially Kayla (Lewis). It’s very fitting. You don’t always get what you deserve,” said Gator coach Amanda Butler.
“You can work really, really hard sometimes and still fall short in this league. To be able to honor her as our Gator Peach in this building is absolutely what she deserves and I’m proud we could do that for her.”
Lewis, who was born in Decatur, Georgia, finished the game with three points, seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
Florida began the game slowly. In the opening minutes, Georgia went on a 13-5 run and did not look back. The Bulldogs entered halftime with an eight point lead. The Gators shot 25% in the first 20 minutes and were only 2 of 7 from three. They also turned the ball over 11 times.
The second half was full of rallies. For every Florida point, Georgia just seemed to score and continue to pull away. That all changed with a Cassie Peoples three-pointer with 1:15 left that gave the Gators their first lead of that half, 46-45.
Butler says that the comeback was no surprise to her.
“It’s practice. I’ve talked all year long about how good this team is in practice and some of these specific game situations we’ve been working on. It gives you a tremendous amount of confidence. You don’t have to wonder what to do and how to do it. You’ve already achieved a desired outcome in preparation. I’m really, really proud that they were able to transfer that success from the practice court into the game.”
From there on out the Gators held onto the ball and made free throws finishing the game on a 15-3 run and giving them the win. Next up for Florida is a road match up against Mississippi State (23-4, 8-4 SEC) Sunday afternoon in Starkville.
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