Gator Women’s Hoops roll past Charleston Southern, 92-64

 

A slow start was easy to overcome for the Gator women’s basketball team (3-1) as it defeats the Charleston Southern Buccaneers (2-2) 92-64 Tuesday in Gainesville.  After six minutes in the first half, Florida had only accumulated seven points and was shooting only 14% from the field.

Despite the slow start for the team, it was the opposite of a slow start for UF freshman forward Haley Lorenzen who scored five of the team’s first seven points. She says she credits her career high 17 points to her teammates.

“To be honest, I was honored to have an opportunity, but I could not have done it without my teammates. Cassie Peoples told me if I ran the floor she would find me.  It’s not about me making 17 points, it’s about my teammates finding me. I am just trying to make my open looks.”

It wasn’t until 5:44 left in the first half that the Gators begin to play like the team head coach Amanda Butler recognized. They stretched their 23-17 lead to a 22-point lead going into the half with a 43-21 score. The team’s defensive efforts led to 25 points off turnovers in the first half alone.

“We want to be challenged in these early games and continue to find out the things we need to work on. I thought we played a really great second half of the first half, and that’s when we were able to separate ourselves in a meaningful way,” said Butler.

Florida also had a big game from the non-starters. The bench scored 51 of the team’s 92 total points.

“We don’t go here’s our staring five and here’s our bench. Everybody at some point is going to be on the bench and just about everyone has been in the starting lineup and we just expect that consistency, we expect that second and third wave to give us energy, to elevate, and to build off of what the five that were in there before them did,” said Butler.

The team kept the spark going in the second half with 10 quick points. They shot 55% compared to the 34% they shot in the first half. Florida also only missed three free throws the entire game shooting 90% from the stripe.

Next up for Florida is a match up against Georgetown Friday night in Washington D.C., and Butler says that her team is prepared.

“There were a lot of positives, but a lot of stuff we still have to work on. We have things we have to quickly turnaround and work on because we have a great Big East opponent on Friday. We had some really nice individual performances that are indications of growth, and that is what we are looking for.”

For audio of the story click the links below:

Butler on her bench

Lorenzen on career night

Butler on Charleston Southern

About Britneé McCoy

Check Also

Orange & Blue Sports Network

Catch the student-led broadcasts from the College of Journalism and Communications right here.

LIVE THREAD: National Signing Day

Here’s an updated thread of all the recruits who picked the Gator hat today! RB …

AFC Divisional Round Preview: Pittsburgh Steelers

During last weekend’s NFL Wild Card round, the Steelers made a statement by handing the Dolphins a …

Houston Looking For an Upset in Foxborough

The saying has always been “it’s hard to beat a good team twice,” and in …

Blue Jackets vs. Lightning Tonight

The Columbus Blue Jackets and the Tampa Bay Lightning will be facing each other once …

Possible Additions to McElwain’s Recruiting Class Visiting this Weekend

With National Signing Day less than three weeks away, the Gators are hosting several talented …

Florida Gymnastics Prepares for Season Opener

GAINESVILLE, FL – The Florida Gator gymnastics team will kick off their season this Sunday …

Surprised Gators Promote Randy Shannon To Defensive Coordinator? You Shouldn’t Be

Florida’s head coach, Jim McElwain, announced Friday morning that Randy Shannon would be making the …

Quarterbacks in Spotlight for NFL Wild Card Weekend

The NFL Wild Card kicks off Saturday and the quarterback situations could not be any more different. On …

College Football Playoff Shakes Up Schedule

The College Football Playoff was a success in its first year. Yet, that doesn’t stop …

Michael Jordan Speaks out about Shootings, Police Officers

NBA great Michael Jordan opened up about his thoughts about shootings of African-Americans and the …

Treon Harris to Transfer

With the college football season approaching, the Florida Gators have announced that former starting QB …

USA Basketball Wins Second Exhibition Game

Just a few short days after their big win over Argentina, team USA won its …

Charlotte Is No Longer The Home Of The 2017 NBA All-Star Game

The House Bill 2 came between Charlotte, North Carolina and the 2017 All-Star Game. The …

Tampa Bay Rays Continue Series Against Oakland

The Tampa Bay Rays are continuing their three-game winning streak. The Rays defeated the Oakland …

MLB Preview Tonight

It’s summer time—the best time to go to a baseball game and experience the atmosphere. …

Braves Begin Series With Rockies

The Atlanta Braves (33-62) open up a four-game road series with the Rockies (43-51) tonight …

Marlins To Close Out Series With The Phillies

The Miami Marlins are in the middle of a crucial ten game span against NL East …

Rays Crush Rockies 11-3, Face A’s Next

In the midst of a terrible season that has seen the Tampa Bay Rays (37-57) …

American League Second Half Outlook

The second half of the baseball season is in full swing which translates to? Pennant races. Teams …

National League Evening Preview

Tonight is a busy night for the National League in the MLB. Starting with the …

Big 12 Looks To Expand

Following a Tuesday meeting between Big 12 presidents, Oklahoma president David Boren announced that the …

LSU Looks To Capitalize On Its Opportunity

The Louisiana State University Tigers will enter the 2016 college football season with high expectations, …

Muschamp Helps Close Out SEC Media Days 2016

It wasn’t Will Muschamps first SEC Media Days experience, but 2016 marked the first time …

Phil Mickelson Leads British Open After First Day

The 145th annual 2016 British Open is underway at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. The …

Missouri’s Football Crisis: Rebuilding A Program

On the final day of SEC Media Days, Barry Odom took the stand as Missouri’s head …

Second Half Of MLB Season Begins

The All-Star Break is a good time for teams to rest up and reform themselves …

British Open Underway

The 145th Open Championship is already underway at the Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. Welcome …

Boone

Justus Boone Talks Return to Gator Football

Redshirt junior edge, Justus Boone, is slowly returning to the field after a season-ending ACL …