Kenny Brooks was not a happy man at the half. Kentucky started out blazing against Florida, but then they let their foot off the gas. Brooks said the Cats needed to "communicate" and noted that they were leaving their man wide open. He credited Florida for making shots, but admitted it is much easier to make one when it is wide open.
Tonie Morgan again paced the Kentucky offense
With Kenny Brooks, it seems his team will go as far as the point guard play will take them. Last year it was Georgia Amoore, and this year it is Tonie Morgan.
She did not disappoint in the opening 20 minutes, tallying 15 points, 7 assists, and a rebound. However, after a few stellar games limiting turnovers, she had 4 in the first half, a trend that had been on the upswing. Joining Morgan in double figures in the first half was Clara Strack, who was dominant in the first quarter, ending the half with 10 points.
The Florida comeback
After falling behind 29-14 in the 1st quarter, the Gators roared back, cutting it to just 4 before Kentucky put on a little run near the end of the second quarter. Me'arah O'Neal and Caterina Piatti both ended the first half in double figures.
The Cats went to halftime with a 45-38 lead, but you simply should not let a team that has lost 4 straight back into the game.
The third quarter collapse
The third quarter was just a continuation of the second, with the Gators attacking Kentucky and the Cats failing to match their intensity. Florida made another run, this time 10-0, and with 3:36 remaining, the Gators took their first lead of the night at 57-55.
The Gators average five 3-pointers a night, and they were 3-of-4 in the 3rd quarter alone. Much like the game against Alabama, it was like the Cats were stuck in quicksand. There was no ball movement, no communication on defense, and a lack of rebounding—compounded by Clara Strack picking up her 4th foul.
During the 2nd and 3rd quarters, Florida outscored Kentucky 59-37, exploding for 35 third-quarter points. Florida's 73 points through three quarters were more than they had scored in any previous SEC game through four quarters. It was an atrocious defensive effort that threatened a very bad loss on home soil—something you cannot have if you want to compete for an SEC title and a top seed come tournament time.
The Gators were 11-13 from the field in the quarter, but more importantly, 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. For the entire game up to that point, Kentucky had shot just 10 free throws total.
The fourth quarter rally
The Cats came out with fire to start the 4th, cutting the lead to just one at 73-72. But a missed box-out led to an easy put-back and a quick timeout from Florida to try and stem the tide the Cats were building.
Florida had not won on the road against an AP Top 10 team since 2014, while Brooks' Kentucky teams had 19 straight home wins vs. unranked opponents. The last 8 minutes would determine which of those streaks was going to end.
An Asia Boone 3 tied the game up with just over six and a half minutes left, but again, Florida just kept attacking the paint and getting layups. The Cats had a chance to retake the lead, but Morgan committed another uncharacteristic turnover that led to a run-out for Florida to take the lead again, all of this happening with Clara Strack sitting on the bench.
The Gators kept going right to the rim, attacking a usually stout defense, and pushed the lead back to 4. But then Amelia Hassett brought Historic Memorial Coliseum to its feet with a clutch 3-pointer. After a charge taken by Jordan Obi, Clara Strack finally entered the game after being on the bench for nearly 10 minutes and drained a baseline jumper to put the Cats back up.
However, the defense let them down again, with Florida getting another easy layup. It went back and forth, with Jordan Obi making a layup before another Florida bucket put the Gators back on top. Strack was eventually fouled and calmly put the Cats back up with 2 minutes to go.
A Florida layup rolled off the rim but the Cats couldn't tack advantage of it with Strack missing a turnaround jumper, leaving their lead periously at 1 with 1 minute to go. A Jordan Obi steal gave the Cats the ball right back with Asia Boone pulling up from 15 off the dribble to give the Cats a little breathing room with 36.4 to go.
The Gators went for the tie, but Clara Strack blocked a corner jumper out of bounds. The Gators got another clean look but could not convert from deep. Asia. Boone was fouled and made 2 free throws, but the game was far from over.
Florida got a quick foul on Jordan Obi to cut the lead back down to 3 with 16 seconds left. Kenny Brooks called a timeout to advance the ball. Morgan was fouled, but missed the second, leading to a Clara Strack foul. Luckily, the Cats had a foul to give. Florida could not make their layup, and Hassett finished the game from the line.
Strack and Morgan finished with a combined 46 points led a really balanced offensive night for the Cats. They had 5 players in double figures (Tonie Morgan 25, Clara Strack 21, Asia Boone 12, Amelia Hassett 12, Jordan Obi 12, Lexi Blue with 8, and KK Carroll with 3).
Florida was lead by Me'Arah O'Neal 23, Liv McGill 20, Jade Weathersby with 18.
Kentucky escapes 94-89.