Coming off their first SEC win of the season against Georgia, the Florida Gators (10-7, 1-4 SEC) looked to get back on track after a rough start to conference play against the Mississippi State Bulldogs (16-5, 3-3 SEC). After a back-and-forth battle all the night, the Bulldogs pulled away in the fourth quarter for a win, 89-77.
The Bulldogs started off on a fast break. After winning the tip-off, Mississippi State completed an 8-0 run through the first minutes of the first quarter.
Quickly falling behind, Florida’s Alberte Rimdal went on a scoring run of her own with a pair of layups and a three-point jumper to reduce an eight-point deficit to three at a score of 10-7.
Once able to contain the Bulldog’s three-point shooting, the Gators outscored the Bulldogs 10-4 in the final four minutes of the first quarter. The Gators successfully forced fouls and used the easy points to their advantage.
A pair of three-pointers from Leilani Correa helped, too.
Florida closed the gap, and the two teams ended the first tied at 19.
The second quarter contained back-and-forth play between the teams. The Gators struggled to defend the Bulldogs’ points in the paint, but forced turnovers. The two teams went into the locker room at halftime in a tight game, 44-40.
The Bulldogs’ three point shooting went almost uncontested to start the second half. Combined with an inability to finish at the net, the Gators’ deficit extended to 54-45 halfway through the third quarter.
The Bulldogs committed critical fouls which allowed the Gators to slowly gain traction back. A three-pointer from Aliyah Matharu trimmed the Bulldogs’ lead down to one point.
Lailia Reynold’s free throw tied the game at 59. The Bulldogs had the slight 61-59 edge going into the fourth quarter.
After Mississippi State’s 6-0 run to start the fourth, Correa added a jumper and three-pointer to allow the Gators, only down by three points, to creep up on the Bulldogs.
However, the Gator defense quickly fell behind, allowing wide open lanes for the Bulldogs as they extended their lead to 78-66.
Although fighting to the last minute, the Bulldogs topped the Gators 89-77.
Following a 30-point game against Georgia, Correa finished the night with a season high 33 points. She also grabbed five rebounds, a block and a steal.
The Gators will travel to Oxford, Mississippi to take on the Ole Miss Rebels on Thursday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion.
ChompTalk.com 
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