Alabama
11-12, 3-7
Florida
6-17, 2-8
Alabama Falls in Final Seconds Against Florida, 57-55
2/7/2019 8:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Crimson Tide led for 34 minutes of the game
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Alabama fell in the final seconds against Florida, 57-55, on Thursday night inside Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla.
"I thought we had a couple of critical turnovers that led to transition three's," head coach Kristy Curry stated. "They had a lot of good looks in transition and Funda (Nakkasoglu) got cut loose a couple of times and we just have to take care of the ball on the road."
With the game tied at 55-55, Delicia Washington knocked down the go-ahead mid-range jumper with 15 seconds remaining to secure the win for the Gators (6-17, 2-8 SEC) over the Crimson Tide (11-12, 3-7 SEC).
The Tide was led by junior Cierra Johnson who scored in double-digits for the sixth consecutive game after finishing with 15 points and six rebounds. Freshman Megan Abrams provided a spark with 11 points in the loss.
Alabama jumped out to a 5-0 led to begin the game before Florida cut the deficit to 13-12 at the end of the first. UA started the second quarter with a quick 6-0 run to go up 19-12, again UF had an answer and cut the Tide lead to 26-23 after 20 minutes of action.
In the third period the Crimson Tide held its largest lead of the game when UA went on a 9-0 run including a layup from Johnson to put Alabama up 39-30 with 3:38 to go. Florida responded with a mini 5-0 spurt and trailed the Tide 41-37 heading into the fourth.
The two sides battled back-and-forth in the final quarter, with Alabama holding the 51-48 advantage with 4:26 to go. Florida answered with a 7-0 run to go up 55-51 with 2:27 remaining in the game. Johnson put in four-straight points to tie the game with one minute left. After UF grabbed an offensive rebound, Washington found an opening and made a 16-foot jumper to go up 57-55, the eventual final.
Alabama led for 34 minutes in the game and were ahead by as many as nine points in the second half. The UA defense held the Gators to just 36 percent (22-of-61) from the field and won the rebounding battle, 44-36.
The Tide will return to action on Monday, Feb. 11 when it hosts No. 19 Kentucky in Coleman Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT and will air live on SEC Network.
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