Tide Women?s Basketball Loses Heartbreaker to Florida
2/18/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Good fortune continues to be hard to come by for the University of Alabama women’s basketball team, as two Tide shots at the buzzer failed to find the bottom of the net in a 66-64 defeat to visiting Florida this afternoon in Coleman Coliseum. Alabama, facing the only other winless team in Southeastern Conference, fell to 0-12 in the league and 10-17 overall with the loss.
“You have got to give Florida a lot of credit,” Alabama head coach Stephany Smith said. “It got down to basket-for-basket going down the stretch and they made all the plays they needed to make to win the game. We had every opportunity, we just weren’t able to get the job done.”
After Florida forward Marshae Dotson scored a layup with just under a minute to play to give her team a two-point lead, the Tide had two chances to tie the game or take the lead.
A turnover on the first possession gave UF the ball back, but the Alabama defense forced a Gator miscue, giving the Tide one final chance.
Senior Navonda Moore, who finished the afternoon with a team-high 24 points, missed a driving jumper with two seconds on the clock and teammate Tamara Williams’ put-back rimmed in-and-out as time ran out, giving Florida its first win in SEC play.
The Gators earned the win on a strong shooting performance in the second half. Florida knocked down 52.4 percent from the field in the frame, helping UF climb back from a nine-point deficit in the final 11 minutes of the game.
Moore, who came into the game shooting 74.4 percent from the charity stripe in SEC play, went 9-of-10 from the free-throw line in the game and grabbed nine rebounds for the Tide. The Jackson, Miss., native dished three assists and nabbed a pair of steals in the losing effort.
True freshman Talisha Chandler posted the fourth double-double of her young career, as she scored 12 points while pulling down 14 rebounds, setting a new career high. Chandler added four steals on the defensive end for the Tide.
Kate Mastin was the third Tide player in double figures, finishing the afternoon with 10 points on the offensive end.
Alabama returns to action on Thursday, Feb. 22, when it plays its final home game of the season against Mississippi State. The Tide and Bulldogs meet at 6 p.m. in a game to be broadcast by Fox Sports Net.
