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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Florida coach Carol Ross may not have liked how her team began Friday night's game against Rutgers, but she had no complaints about how it finished.
Naomi Mobley had 15 points and 10 rebounds as the 19th-ranked Gators shook off a sluggish start to beat No. 7 Rutgers 66-58 in the championship game of the State Farm Classic.
Brandy McCain added 16 points while Vanessa Hayden had eight points and 11 rebounds. The Gators (11-1) won their holiday tournament for the ninth time since its 1990 inception.
Florida, which scored 100 points on Tennessee State the night before, struggled early against Rutgers' defense. By the time the game was more than 12 minutes old, the Gators had missed 13 of their first 16 shots and had scored only eight points.
"Everybody who plays them has the same problem, so it's either coincidental that we all can't shoot the night we play Rutgers or their defense is consistently good," Ross said. "They always make people look bad, and they certainly had us looking anything but good in the first half."
Florida finally found its offensive rhythm midway through the
second half, taking advantage of Rutgers' weakness in the middle.
The 6-foot-2 Mobley and the 6-4 Hayden combined for 22 points and
15 rebounds after halftime.
"Vanessa and Naomi completely dominated the boards in the
second half," Ross said.
Mobley, the tournament's Most Valuable Player, scored eight
points during the Lady Gators' 12-2 run that put them ahead 41-30
with less than 12 minutes to play.
Rutgers, which closed the deficit to eight points with 9:29
remaining, hurt its hopes of a comeback with foul trouble.
With two shooting fouls and a technical, the Scarlet Knights
sent Florida to the free-throw line six times in an 18-second span.
The Gators capitalized, making all six shots to go ahead 49-35 with
8:27 left to play.
"I had no idea we'd be able to score as much as we did," Ross said.
Kourtney Walton scored 19 points to lead Rutgers (8-2), which
was off to its best start since beginning the 1990-91 season with
13 straight wins.
Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer was disappointed with her
team's offensive play, so much that she wondered aloud after the
game whether she should forgo shooting practice for more defense,
which she said has won her more games.
The Scarlet Knights shot only 33 percent, including a 6-for-27
(22 percent) first half, far below its season average of 46
percent.
"We had the looks, the right looks," Stringer said. "But we
can't hit the broad side of a barn."
The Scarlet Knights' loss is their second to a ranked team from
the Southeastern Conference this month. On Dec. 3, then-No. 7
Georgia beat Rutgers 82-53 at the Elite 4 Classic.
The Scarlet Knights are 10-23 against the SEC.
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ALSO SEE
Women's College Basketball Scoreboard
Rutgers Clubhouse
Florida Clubhouse
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