State Farm Classic Most Valuable Player Marshae Dotson (Columbus, Ohio)
notched her first double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds
as the No. 18/20 Florida women’s basketball team extended its winning streak
to a school-record 13 games with a 75-56 win against Miami (Ohio) on Tuesday
in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

The Gators (13-1), who have now won the State Farm Classic in 15 of the 17
years it has been contested, broke the school record for most consecutive
victories, besting the 1993-94 team’s stretch of 12 consecutive wins.
Florida also tied for the best 14-game start in program history.

“This is a great day for our program,” Florida head coach Amanda Butler
said. “Whenever we have the opportunity to set a record and win a
championship and have the pleasure of doing so on your home court in front
of your home fans, it’s a great day. We pushed our win total up, made some
corrections from yesterday which is hard to do playing back-to-back days,
and we won the rebounding war. I’m especially proud of our rebounding today
because it’s something we’ve been dwelling on in practice for the past
couple of weeks.”

Florida, which has won the rebounding battle in nine of its 14 games this
season, tied its season high in rebounds with 50, including a season-high 20
offensive rebounds. The Gators’ +17 edge (50-33) on the boards was their
largest in a game this season.

“The thing that was most pleasing to me was our play on the boards,” Butler
said. “We had 50 rebounds with 20 of them on the offensive end. I thought
that was the best way that we consistently attacked them (Miami) throughout
the ballgame.”

Dotson, who has now been named the State Farm Classic’s Most Valuable Player
in each of the past two seasons, notched her 17th career double-double and
the second by a Gator player this year. She has now scored in double figures
on nine occasions this season.

Junior guard Steffi Sorensen (Jacksonville, Fla.) turned in a game-high 14
points, one shy of her career high, with four 3-pointers. Sorensen, who has
hit at least two 3s in nine games this season, is averaging 4.0 3-pointers
per game over the last three contests. Senior guard Sha Brooks (Jackson,
Tenn.), who also was named to the All-Tournament Team, added 12 points and
six rebounds.

Junior guard Susan Yenser (Marietta, Ga.) scored a season and UF-high 10
points with two 3-pointers and a season-high four rebounds in just 12
minutes of play.

“I was pleased with our bench play today, especially from Susan Yenser,”
Butler said. “She was outstanding, scoring 10 points and getting four
rebounds in 12 minutes. That’s very efficient work, but it’s not a surprise
for us based on how well she has been performing in practice.”

Junior forward Sharielle Smith (Bradenton, Fla.) brought down 10 rebounds,
giving her double-figure boards in back-to-back games, while junior guard
Jennifer Mossor (Orlando, Fla.) extended her streak of consecutive
free-throws made to 13. She has not missed a free throw since failing to
connect on her only attempt vs. UAB on Dec. 3.

Senior center Aneika Henry (Coconut Grove, Fla.) tied her season high with
three blocks.

Florida took a 29-17 advantage into the locker room at intermission after
out-rebounding Miami 27-17. It was a poor shooting half for both teams, as
the Gators connected on 28.6 percent (8-of-28) of their shots, while the
RedHawks shot 25.0 percent (7-of-28).

The two teams battled evenly to begin the game before the Gators broke a 7-7
tie when Yenser was fouled while attempting a 3-pointer on the right wing.
She knocked down two of three free throws, but her miss on the third was
snagged by Henry, whose put-back at the 13:44 mark gave Florida an 11-7
lead.

Ohio cut its deficit to one on a 3-pointer by Maggie Boyer, who scored a
career-high 19 points on Monday night vs. Towson, but Brooks answered with a
trey of her own on the next possession. That 3-pointer was the beginning of
an 8-2 run that put the Gators ahead by seven, 19-12, with 7:20 left until
intermission. Florida closed the half on a 10-5 run.

The RedHawks raced out of the locker room on a 6-0 run over the first 1:11
of the second half, forcing Butler to burn a timeout.

“What was concerning to me was the beginning of the second half,” Butler
said. “We didn’t come out with the type of the energy that we needed. We
challenged them at halftime and they didn’t respond, which caused us to call
an early timeout to try to refocus and get our attention to where it needed
to be.”

A basket by Dotson at the 17:11 mark of the second half stopped Miami’s
scoring streak, but the RedHawks knocked down back-to-back hoops to cut
within four, 31-27, with 16:33 left. The two teams continued to battle back
and forth before the Gators, leading 39-36 with 13:46 remaining, went on a
6-1 run over the next 1:58 to go up by eight, 45-37.

Each of Florida’s six points during that span was scored by Lonnika Thompson
(New Orleans, La.). That run sparked a larger 14-1 scoring spree by the
Gators that put them ahead 53-37 with 10:06 to go. Miami responded with six
consecutive points of its own to cut within 10, 53-43, with 8:16 remaining.
Back-to-back 3s by Sorensen and a lay-up by Thompson extended Florida’s lead
to 18, 61-43. Miami could get no closer than 16 points the rest of the way.

Miami was led by junior guard Courtney Reed’s team-high 12 points. Boyer and
Jenna Schone, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, each chipped in 11.

“I think we grew together as a team at this tournament,” Miami head coach
Maria Fantanarosa said. “I think the level of competition last night and
tonight showed that we are able to step up as far as our intensity and our
competitive attitude. We scheduled this tournament because we knew that
Florida was going to be a top-25 team and we were hoping to get to the final
game to be able to play them. This experience of playing against a team that
has such a talented inside and outside attack and is so athletic is a great
learning experience and one we will grow from.”

Florida returns to action on Saturday when it travels to Athens, Ohio, to
take on Ohio University (4-7). Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. EST, and is the
second-half of a Bobcats’ basketball double-header.