Gators' Grit Falls Short Against Lady Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena
The Florida Gators, with a rank of 0, faced off against the Tennessee Lady Volunteers in a closely contested match that ended with an 81-88 scoreline. The Gators displayed a strong performance throughout the game but couldn't secure the victory. Both teams fought valiantly, with the home team ultimately taking advantage of their opportunities to clinch the win.
At Thompson-Boling Arena, fans witnessed an intense battle where both teams had their moments of brilliance. The Florida Gators started strong, outscoring the Lady Volunteers 21-19 in the first quarter. However, Tennessee responded by winning the second quarter 24-22 and maintained their momentum to lead through subsequent quarters.
The Gators showcased impressive defensive skills with 11 steals and managed to block two shots. Offensively, they were able to convert on fast breaks adding up to 11 points which kept them in contention throughout the game. Their efforts inside were notable as well; they scored 34 points in paint and secured nine offensive rebounds contributing to second-chance opportunities that resulted in nine additional points.
Florida's shooting was decent from beyond the arc at a rate of 35 percent making six three-pointers during playtime. From two-point range, they made 24 out of a total of 54 attempts which translated into a conversion rate of approximately 44 percent for those shots. Free throw accuracy was modest at around 62 percent with fifteen successful free throws out of twenty-four attempts.
Despite these efforts by Florida Gators players who turned over possession ten times equaling their number of assists for an assist-turnover ratio standing at one point zero (1.0), it wasn't enough against Tennessee's robust gameplay which included higher overall rebounding numbers (50) and better free throw precision (87 percent).
The Lady Volunteers capitalized on turnovers scoring twenty points off them compared to thirteen by Florida and also edged out slightly more assists than their opponents totaling fourteen for themselves while committing fewer personal fouls (18). Their field goal percentage was marginally better than that of FLA's at around forty-three percent.
Looking ahead after this hard-fought contest between conference rivals, fans can look forward to supporting FLA when they take on Georgia Lady Bulldogs next week on January fourteen at two o'clock PM Eastern Time Zone at Exactech Arena located within Stephen C O'Connell Center situated in Gainesville FL zip code thirty-two thousand six hundred eleven (32611). This upcoming game will be available for viewing so supporters can cheer on from home or join live if possible as these athletes continue their season journey.