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Gainesville, FL Junior center Aneika Henry (Coconut Grove, Fla.) grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds and blocked a personal-best six shots to lead a defensive charge that sparked the University of Florida women’s basketball team to a 71-51 win over Florida A&M at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Wednesday evening.
Henry’s 15 boards led a Florida (10-4) effort that hauled in a season-high 55 in the contest and won the rebounding battle by a 55-34 margin. She was also a force in the middle, blocking six of the Gators’ season-high seven shots. The Gators also forced 21 turnovers and limited FAMU (9-2) to just 32.5 percent (20-61) shooting from the field on the night.
The Gators’ +21 rebounding margin was its largest since Dec. 14, 2003, when they out-rebounded UC-Santa Barbara by a spread of 25 boards.
“When you dominate a category as important as rebounding, it’s a good indication that you were the more aggressive team,” Florida head coach Amanda Butler said. “In the first half, shots weren’t falling, but we were chasing them down and giving ourselves second-chance opportunities.
“When Aneika cleans the glass and owns the paint like that, it allows us to be more aggressive on the perimeter," Butler continued. "I’m proud of the fact that not only was this a team-win, but we also had individuals step up and play great games.”
Senior Depree Bowden (Palmetto, Fla.) led the scoring attack with a season-high 24 points – four shy of her career high – that featured a 6-of-11 clip from behind the three-point arc. Sophomore forward Sharielle Smith (Bradenton, Fla.) chipped in with a career high-tying 14 points to reach double figures for the third consecutive game, while sophomore guard Brittaney Thomas (Montgomery, Ala.) went for 10 to give UF three players in double digits.
Junior guard Sha Brooks (Jackson, Tenn.) directed Florida’s offense to the tune of a game-high six assists, while also adding three steals.
The victory gave UF 10 wins on the season, eclipsing its win total from the entire 2006-07 campaign, when it posted a 9-22 record. It also marked the 50th head coaching win of Butler’s career, as the first-year Florida leader has compiled a 50-26 ledger in just over two seasons on the sidelines.
http://gatorzone.com/story.php?id=13155&html=basketball/women/news/20080102084100.html&sport=baskw
Henry’s 15 boards led a Florida (10-4) effort that hauled in a season-high 55 in the contest and won the rebounding battle by a 55-34 margin. She was also a force in the middle, blocking six of the Gators’ season-high seven shots. The Gators also forced 21 turnovers and limited FAMU (9-2) to just 32.5 percent (20-61) shooting from the field on the night.
The Gators’ +21 rebounding margin was its largest since Dec. 14, 2003, when they out-rebounded UC-Santa Barbara by a spread of 25 boards.
“When you dominate a category as important as rebounding, it’s a good indication that you were the more aggressive team,” Florida head coach Amanda Butler said. “In the first half, shots weren’t falling, but we were chasing them down and giving ourselves second-chance opportunities.
“When Aneika cleans the glass and owns the paint like that, it allows us to be more aggressive on the perimeter," Butler continued. "I’m proud of the fact that not only was this a team-win, but we also had individuals step up and play great games.”
Senior Depree Bowden (Palmetto, Fla.) led the scoring attack with a season-high 24 points – four shy of her career high – that featured a 6-of-11 clip from behind the three-point arc. Sophomore forward Sharielle Smith (Bradenton, Fla.) chipped in with a career high-tying 14 points to reach double figures for the third consecutive game, while sophomore guard Brittaney Thomas (Montgomery, Ala.) went for 10 to give UF three players in double digits.
Junior guard Sha Brooks (Jackson, Tenn.) directed Florida’s offense to the tune of a game-high six assists, while also adding three steals.
The victory gave UF 10 wins on the season, eclipsing its win total from the entire 2006-07 campaign, when it posted a 9-22 record. It also marked the 50th head coaching win of Butler’s career, as the first-year Florida leader has compiled a 50-26 ledger in just over two seasons on the sidelines.
http://gatorzone.com/story.php?id=13155&html=basketball/women/news/20080102084100.html&sport=baskw
