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Home > SECWB News & More! > SEC Teams > Florida > Florida Defeats Robert Morris; Off to 2-0 Start
Florida Defeats Robert Morris; Off to 2-0 Start
by LeAnne Harrington, SECWB.com
Posted: November 13th, 2007 @ 10:31am
Source: View Box Score
The Florida Gators had a battle on their hands against the Robert Morris University Colonials Monday evening, Nov.12, but they finally came through with a hard-fought 67-63 win. Great teams find ways to win even when things aren’t going their way, and although the Gators are far from being a great team, they seem to be making strides into becoming a fairly good one under new coach Amanda Butler.
It was a sloppy game, with way too many turnovers on both sides of the ball (RMU committed 18 for the game and Florida topped them with 19), and each team shot only 38% from the field for the game. Florida had struggled out to a 10 point lead twice in the first half, and just when it seemed they would finally notch a comfortable lead, RMU went on a 15-6 run to cut the Gator lead to 1 with less than two minutes remaining in the first half. From that point on, the Colonials matched the Gators almost shot for shot. The second half battle was just as tight, with the score tied 5 times and RMU even taking the lead on 4 occasions. But each time the Gators fought back, taking the lead for good at the 14:27 mark. RMU cut the Florida lead to 1 point five more times in the second half, but the Gators answered each time and never relinquished the lead or the game. Florida was led by junior forward Marshae Dotson, who powered up for 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field while pulling down 16 rebounds, 11 of them on the offensive board. This was Dotson’s 8th double-double of her career and 11th time she has scored 20 points or better. Coach Butler said, “Marshae Dotson had a fantastic performance. We ask her to do a lot, but when you are a great player, a lot is expected from you. She knows we are going to keep throwing the ball to her until the other team stops her.” Joining Dotson in double figures was senior guard Depree Bowden with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals, and sophomore guard Brittaney Thomas, who added 14 points, 5 boards and 3 swipes. Coach Butler was also impressed with the solid play of junior guard Kim Critton, who notched 7 points and 7 rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench. When asked about Critton’s play in the post-game interview, Butler stated: “Big minutes. BIG minutes. That’s what Kim Critton gave us off the bench.” Florida won the battle of the boards 50-41, with 27 of those on the offensive end. Coach Butler was pleased with that stat, but also noted that it pointed to a lot of missed shots by the Gators. Which leads us to the fact that junior point guard Sha Brooks was held scoreless, going 0-of-10 on the night.
The Colonials were led by Sade Logan with 20 points on 8-of-21 shooting, Chinata Nesbit totalled 16 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, and Angela Pace chipped in 12 points along with a game-high six assists. Coach Butler had good things to say about the Colonials as well, predicting RMU will be a post-season team again this year. Robert Morris made their first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament this past season, notching a school record 24 wins before falling in the first round to NC State.
The Gators return to action on Saturday, November 17, when they travel to Nebraska for the first time in program history, playing the Cornhuskers (2-0) in Lincoln. Game time is set for 6 pm. EST.
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