With the victory over Mississippi State, Florida now owns eight SEC wins for the first time since 2015-16.
STARKVILLE, Miss. – It wasn’t easy by any stretch, but Florida women’s basketball put together a gritty performance and earned their first victory at Mississippi State for the first time since 2013, battling back from a halftime deficit for a 73-64 win in Starkville.
Senior Zippy Broughton led the Gators (18-6, 8-3 SEC) with 21 points in addition to seven rebounds and four assists while Kiara Smith added 12 points, nine rebounds and seven assists of her own. Emanuely de Oliveira added to the double figures scoring effort, ending with 13 on the night.
Despite a slow offensive start, Florida ended the game shooting 25-of-55 (45.5%) from the floor and 5-of-12 (41.7%) from three. Mississippi State (14-8, 5-5 SEC) finished the evening 24-of-62 (38.7%) from the field and just 5-of-16 (31.3%) from deep. The Bulldogs averaged 10 three-pointers per game entering Thursday evening.
Florida managed to make the most of a size advantage, outrebounding the opposition 45-29 in Humphrey Coliseum. Smith’s nine and Broughton’s seven boards led the way as the Orange & Blue recorded a 14-3 edge in second chance points.
The bench shined as well for the Gators, outscoring the short-handed Bulldog bench, 24-1. Defensively, UF forced the opposition into 11 turnovers, helping translate into 21-14 advantage in fast break points.
Mississippi State was led by Anastasia Hayes with 22 points, five rebounds and two steals.
Looking to exploit a size advantage early, Smith went over-top with a lob to find Faith Dut for an easy layup and the first points of the game. The Bulldogs managed to rattle off six-straight points to take a 6-2 lead before a cutting Smith ended the run with a layup.
With the Bulldogs threatening to extend their lead again at 11-6, Alberte Rimdal connected on a triple from the top of the circle to pull within two. Again, Mississippi State would answer, but a 4-0 run, capped off by a fast break layup from Broughton, brought the Gators even with the Bulldogs at 13. Broughton’s layup would serve as part of a 10-1 run, helping UF to a 19-14 lead before a late triple from MSU ended the quarter at 19-17 in favor of Florida.
After a slow start from the floor, the Gators managed to end the first quarter shooting 8-of-16 (50%) while cooling off the Bulldogs who ended 7-of-17 (41.2%).
A quick four points from Mississippi State at the beginning of the second quarter helped bring the home team within one of the Orange & Blue, but Kristina Moore found the bottom of the net on a corner three, sparking a 9-1 run that gave UF a 30-21 lead with 5:13 left on the clock.
The Bulldogs answered with a 7-0 run of their own, six of which came at the free throw line, to make the score 30-28. Nina Rickards put an end to the run, shooting down the sideline for an easy bucket with 3:29 remaining in the quarter. Mississippi State went on to end the period with an 8-1 run, taking a 36-33 lead into the break.
Mississippi State managed to make the Gators uncomfortable in the second quarter, forcing UF into seven turnovers. The Bulldogs also managed to get to the line nine times in the second quarter, connecting on seven attempts, while the Gators ended just three-of-four.
Florida would not back down to start the second half. After a bucket from Anastasia Hayes of Mississippi State, Dut and Broughton would string together back-to-back buckets, one of which was a triple, to tie the game at 38. Broughton, a Wetumpka, Ala., native, would give the Gators their first lead of the half with her second three in as many attempts, giving UF a 41-40 lead at the 7:15 mark.
Leading 43-42 with 6:17 left in the third, the Orange & Blue locked down defensively, holding Mississippi State without a field goal for over four minutes to extend their lead to 48-43. The score would again be evened following a 5-0 run from MSU, but Jordyn Merritt would convert an old-fashioned three-point play to once again give UF a 51-48 lead with 1:20 left in the quarter. The Gators would take a 51-49 lead into the fourth.
The Orange & Blue used a 7-1 run to take a 58-50 lead less than two minutes into the final frame, with Broughton and de Oliveira scoring all points during the stretch. Mississippi State managed to close the gap to three with 2:52 remaining, but a 6-0 response, and another triple from Broughton, helped put the Bulldogs away from good, giving the Gators a hard-fought 73-64 victory.
The Gators will be back in action on Thursday, Feb. 17, when they return home to Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center for their Play4Kay game against Arkansas.
Postgame Bites
– Thursday’s victory marks the first time since Jan. 10, 2013 that the Gators have defeated the Bulldogs on the road.
– The win also snaps an eight-game losing skid to Mississippi State, dating back to Feb. 15, 2015.
– With the victory, Florida has now won eight SEC games for the first time since the 2015-16 season when they finished with 10 conference wins.
– It also marks the first time since 2015-16 that the Orange & Blue have won five road conference games, ending with five exactly that season.
– Now holding an 8-3 SEC record, Florida has reached eight wins in conference season the earliest since beginning 8-1 during the 2008-09 season.
– The win marks the first time in school history that Florida has defeated Kentucky, Mississippi State, LSU, Tennessee and Georgia in the same season.
– The all-time series with the Bulldogs moves to 27-25, in favor of Mississippi State.
– Kiara Smith now owns 408 career assists, passing Amanda Butler (1990-94) for sixth in school history.
– Emanuely de Oliveira scored 13 points for the Gators, her first time in double figures since the Florida State game earlier this season.
– #GoGators –
