NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Down two starters in Friday’s Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinal round, Florida battled until the final horn with fourth-seeded Ole Miss, but was unable to overcome the Rebels, falling 70-60 in Bridgestone Arena.
Playing without Kiara Smith and Jordyn Merritt (who left the game just three minutes into the first quarter after a hard fall), Zippy Broughton stepped-up for the Gators (21-10, 10-6 SEC), scoring 26 points in addition to seven rebounds and two steals. Senior Kristina Moore, playing in her last SEC Tournament, was the lone other Gator to score in double-figures, ending the afternoon with 11 points.
Florida struggled from the field offensively, finishing the day shooting 21-of-63 (33.3%) from the field, but converting on 7-of-13 (36.8%) attempts from three-point range. On the other side of the court, the Rebels (23-7, 10-6 SEC) shot 24-of-60 (40%) from the floor, but were held to just 2-of-18 (11.1%) from deep.
On the glass, Florida put up a fight with the Rebels, but Ole Miss edged-out the Gators for a 41-36 advantage. Nina Rickards again led the rebounding effort for UF, pulling-down eight boards while Broughton’s seven contributed to the total.
Friday’s game saw the free-throw line play a key role in the outcome, as the Orange & Blue made the most of their attempts, going 11-of-12 (91.7%) from the charity stripe. The opposition, however, converted on 20-of-26 (76.9%) attempts, helping to secure the victory.
Ole Miss was led by Shakira Austin with 27 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks.
The Gators were first on the scoreboard on Friday as Moore found Broughton for a triple less than two minutes into the game. The next six points would come from the Rebels, but it would again be Broughton to knock down a three-pointer and even the game.
Broughton, the Wetumpka, Ala., native would record her third triple of the period with 3:44 on the clock to keep UF within three at 14-11 while the final four Gator points of the period would come from freshman Jeriah Warren at the line, making it 20-15 in favor of Ole Miss heading into the second quarter.
Ole Miss began the second quarter on a 6-0 run, opening up an 11-point lead with just under eight minutes left in the half. Unphased, the Orange & Blue responded with five points of their own following a contested layup from Rickards and a Moore triple, closing the gap to six points.
The Rebel lead would again swell to 11 points, but the last four points of the quarter came from Rickards to make it 32-25 at the break. Despite shooting 8-of-34 (23.5%) during the first half, Florida’s defense managed to hold the Rebels scoreless from behind the arc as the rebels ended 0-of-9 from deep in the first 20 minutes.
Coming out of the locker room, both squads continued to exchange buckets through the under five media timeout. Again, it was Broughton to kickstart the UF offense, scoring eight of the team’s first 10 points, helping UF to hold even from the half at 40-35 at the 4:51 mark.
Broughton continued to push the Rebels’ defense, knocking down a jumper at the top of the key to make it just a three-point game. Freshman Alberte Rimdal cut the lead to one-point on the next possession after a baseline drive and layup, but Ole Miss would answer with a triple to push their lead back to four. Ole Miss stayed active on offense, eventually taking a 48-41 lead into the final 10 minutes.
It was all Moore in the beginning of the final frame for UF, scoring the first five points after a contested layup and-one to bring the Gators back within three at 49-46. Despite the continued toughness from the Gators, three would be as close as Florida would get, falling to the Rebels 70-60.
Florida will now wait to find out their postseason fate, with the NCAA Selection Sunday Show to take place on Sunday, March 13 at 8 p.m. ET.
SEC Tournament Quick Hits
- Florida moves to 23-42 all-time in the SEC Tournament
- The Gators are now 4-19 in the quarterfinal round of the SEC Tournament
- The Gators are 1-2 against the Rebels in SEC Tournament play
- #GoGators –
