UF WBK: Late Push by Gators Falls Short at George Mason
Kiara Smith led the Gators in her homecoming matchup with 19 points.
FAIRFAX, Va. – Florida women’s basketball made a late push at George Mason on Wednesday evening, but wasn’t able to overcome an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit, falling to the Patriots, 75-71.
In her homecoming matchup, Kiara Smith led the Gators (6-3, 0-0 SEC) with 19 points and six assists while Lavender Briggs contributed 15 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Jordyn Merritt and Nina Rickards were also in double-digit scoring at 12 and 10, respectively.
Briggs’ double-double marked the 12th of her career, helping the Gators to a 40-38 rebounding advantage over the Patriots (6-3, 0-0 A10). The Gators also outscored GMU in the paint, 34-24. For the game, Florida shot 29-of-68 (42.6%) while the Patriots shot 25-of-55 (45.5%), including eight triples.
Both teams took care of the ball on Wednesday, with the Gators only recording 13 turnovers and George Mason ending with 14. The opposition did hold a 16-10 advantage in points off of turnovers, however.
The Gators wasted no time establishing a presence on the offensive end of the court, opening up the game on an 11-3 run. Briggs led the charge during the run, collecting four early points while Smith connected on a deep three to further increase the lead.
George Mason would battle back with a 6-0 run of their own, pulling to within 11-9 with 2:14 on the clock. Florida would respond with back-to-back layups from Smith and Merritt, but a last second three-pointer from the Patriots’ Jordan Wakefield would close the gap to 15-12 at the end of one.
In similar fashion to the first quarter, the Orange & Blue used a strong offensive start to open-up a 22-15 lead following an Alberte Rimdal triple. George Mason would get hot from the field, utilizing an 8-0 run in just over a minute to take a 23-22 lead over the Gators. After an exchange of buckets, the opposition would put together a quick 5-0 spurt to take a 33-29 lead into the break.
The three-point line was an important theme in the Gators’ success or struggles, holding the Patriots to just 1-of-6 from behind the line in the opening frame, but allowing a 3-of-5 effort in the second quarter. A consistent positive for UF, Briggs matched a career-best effort with two blocks during the first half.
The Gators found themselves in a battle into the third quarter, closing a five-point gap to just one after a Smith layup with 7:10 remaining. The Patriots would push their lead back up to four following a three of their own, but strong defense would help the Gators to a 6-0 run, capped off by a Smith steal and Rickards lay-in to give UF their first lead of the half at 41-39.
Holding the lead at 45-44 with 2:40 remaining, George Mason would regain the lead at 49-45 following a 6-0 outburst of their own in less than a minute. A Briggs jumper would end the run help pull the Gators within two, but the opposition would hold a 51-48 lead with one remaining.
George Mason extended their lead to seven early in the fourth following a Tamia Lawhorne three-pointer, but Merritt would answer with a layup after battling for two-straight offensive rebounds. The Patriots would again push their advantage back to eight, but Smith would spark an offensive spurt, scoring five quick points to trim the lead down to three with 4:28 on the clock.
Florida would make things interesting after falling behind by eight at the 2:19 mark, pulling back to within one with 1:05 remaining thanks to a Briggs triple and two freebies from Rickards. The comeback would fall just short, however, with the Patriots earning a 75-71 victory.
The Gators are back in action on Sunday, Dec. 5 when they travel to Dallas for a Big XII/SEC matchup with Texas Christian.
Postgame Bites
– George Mason’s victory evened the all-time series to one-a-piece.
– Briggs now sits at 898 points, just 102 away from joining the 1,000-point club.
– Smith now boasts 1178 career points, 332 assists and 172 career steals.
– 172 steals moves Smith to 14th in school history.
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