The MSU Lady Bulldogs (16-6, 6-4) went into Gainesville Sunday afternoon and left with a huge road win against the Florida Gators (6-20, 0-11), 79-74. The Gators started the game with a 5-0 lead, but the Bulldogs responded with a 12-point run of their own followed by a 13-4 run to take a 26-13 early lead.
The Lady Bulldogs controlled the game for much of the first half.
They forced 13 Florida turnovers and converted the Lady Gator miscues into 14 points.
The Lady Bulldogs’ largest lead of the period was 16, but the Gators crept back into the game slowly and had cut the lead in half to make it 38-30 at the end of the first half of play.
The second half picked up where the last one left off with the Gators surging hard.
They pulled to within one point of MSU before the Lady Bulldogs rattled off nine consecutive points to assert their lead once more.
The Gators chipped away at the lead again late in the second half until they finally tied things up with a pair of Marshae Dotson free throws, making it 69-69 with 1:59 left in the contest.
“We got a 16-point lead and got complacent,” MSU head coach Sharon Fanning said. “We can’t get complacent. Every team in this league can win.”
The Lady Bulldogs quickly gained a sense of urgency, held strong and pulled out the road win 79-74.
Sophomore guard Marniesha Richard paced the Lady Bulldogs in the contest with 24 points, seven rebounds and 3 steals.
“When we made defensive stands, Marniesha made good decisions,” Fanning said. “She is a key quarterback for our team.”
Freshman guard Alexis Rack also added 19 points, including four 3-pointers.
The Florida Gators were led by guard Sha Brooks’ 19 points.
Forward Sharielle Smith also contributed 14 points and eight rebounds.
“You have to have a look of confidence down the stretch,” Fanning said. “We made mistakes but kept our composure down the stretch. We made plays and came up with a huge road win.