The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
11-6, 1-3SEC
Florida
14-3, 2-2SEC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| UF | 20 | 46 | 66 |
| Ole Miss Lady Rebels | 22 | 36 | 58 |
Lady Rebels Fall To Florida 66-58
1/19/2006 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 19, 2006
Final Stats
OXFORD, Miss. - Carlee Bartee and Danetra Forrest both scored in double digits, but it wasn't enough as the visiting Florida Lady Gators slipped past Ole Miss 66-58 Thursday night in front of 1,782 in Tad Smith Coliseum.
Trailing 22-20 at the half, the visiting Lady Gators (14-3, 2-2) rode the hot hands of Brittany Davis, Dalila Eshe, Danielle Santos, and Marshae Dotson to shoot an impressive 42.4 percent from the field in the second half. The loss marks the first time that Ole Miss has dropped a game this season when leading at the half and also marks Ole Miss head coach Carol Ross' first loss to UF since taking over the Ole Miss program.
"This is obviously a very disappointing loss for us," said Ross. "We simply could not put the ball in the basket. We played hard enough to win, we just were not able to capitalize when they broke down defensively and they were when we did. That was the difference in the ball game."
The Rebels out-rebounded Florida 52-50, but had difficulty scoring points, shooting 29.5 percent from the field. Bartee and Forrest combined for 39 points to keep Ole Miss neck in neck with the Lady Gators throughout the game, despite the Lady Rebels starting guards connecting on just 5-of-39 shots from the field.
The Lady Rebels pulled ahead by four points at 43-39 with just under nine minutes to play. Florida then reeled off a 13-1 run off of three three-point baskets by Santos to put too much distance between the two teams for Ole Miss to overcome. The Lady Rebels pulled within five on three occasions but never could get over the hump.
The 19 points tied a career high for Forrest and the 14 rebounds shattered her career high of 10 set last season. The double-double was the first of the season for Forrest and second of her career.
Junior guard Armintie Price also pulled down 14 rebounds, but managed only eight points, nine shy of her average. Price was still all over the court for Ole Miss, tallying six assists and four steals, both team highs.
For the game the Lady Rebels hit just 23-of-78 shots. Ole Miss also struggled from the foul line making just 6-of-15 from the charity stripe, compared to 14-of-19 for the Lady Gators.
Davis led Florida with 15 points, while Eshe finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, Santos had 13 points and 13 rebounds and Marshae Dotson tallied 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Ole Miss will play host to Kentucky on Sunday at 2 p.m., in Tad Smith Coliseum. The Wildcats arrive in Oxford boasting a 13-4 overall record and a 2-2 mark in SEC play after falling at home to Auburn on Thursday.
