The young Florida women’s basketball team was lead by upperclassmen Sunday afternoon as the team improved its record to 2-0 after taking down the Georgia State Panthers(1-1) 84-65.
The Gators were outrebounded in the first half by 10 boards but bounced back to grab six more than the Panthers in the second half. Florida coach Amanda Butler was glad to see her team turn it on when they needed to.
Senior forward Jennifer George led the way with 19 points and six rebounds after sitting out the first game of the season because of personal reasons. She was just happy to finally get on the court.
One of the only other upperclassmen who has experience is junior point guard Jaterra Bonds. She continued to drive the ball right up the middle on Georgia State’s end, and she kept on finding success. Bonds ended the day with 17 points along with five rebounds and five assists. She understood in the game that the team had an opportunity to be aggressive, and it paid off.
In the game, the Gators forced Georgia State to turn the ball over 28 times. Florida committed 17 steals and played an aggressive press defense most the game. Butler prides her team on going hard each and every play.
This was Butler’s 100th win of her career as Florida’s coach. Though it was a milestone for her career and the Gator program, Butler has her sights on improving that record to 101 wins.
The Gators next opponent in Thursday against Florida State in Tallahassee.