Gators improve to 3-2 after second straight win
After slipping up in the preseason WNIT classic, the unranked Florida Gators returned home to Gainesville to take on Grambling State in a shooting tug-of-war.
The teams went blow-for-blow in the period but once Florida found their confidence in their shooting, the game was all but over. Sophomore guard Brynn Farrell went a perfect 3-3 from downtown while recording 15 points and graduate student Lavender Briggs found her own rhythm to go 4-9 from the floor with 14 points.
Senior forward Emanuely De Oliveira also shared the spotlight to place 14 points on the scoreboard and recover five boards.
But guard Brynn Farrell carved her own legacy on Friday night playing off the bench and going perfect from all points on the court. The sophomore went 3-3 from three-point land and 5-5 inside the field.
Interim head coach Kelly Rae Finley praised Farrell’s work ethic during the post game interview.
“Farrell is another person whose always ready. She’s in the gym, she’s working,” Finley said. “To be perfect from the floor tonight, I thought she made some really big toughness plays and huge moments for us.”
Grambling State went on a 8-0 run late in the fourth quarter to threaten a comeback but Finley made the right adjustments down low to fend off the anxious visitors. Six straight field goals by the Gators in the final minutes of play filtrated to a runaway victory even though the Tigers found a few baskets to inch closer.
Overall, the Florida defense did well to shut down Grambling for most of the game and held the team to 39% shooting and won the rebound battle 38-28.
Now the Gators (3-2) will look forward to another home stance on Monday against the USC Upstate Spartans at 6 p.m. on Billy Donovan Court.