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Friday, March 29, 2024

Jennifer George played one of the best offensive games of her young career, but it was Vanderbilt’s Hannah Tuomi who had a career night.

Despite entering the game averaging just 9.6 points per game, Tuomi scored a personal-best 26 points on 10-of-10 shooting and was one rebound shy of a double-double.

Her effort was enough to lead No. 22 Vanderbilt (20-8, 9-6 Southeastern Conference) past UF 71-60.

In a game more tightly contested than the final score indicated, the Gators (14-14, 7-8 SEC) came within one point of tying the Commodores but were never able to claim the lead.

“We were dominated in the paint by Hannah Tuomi,” UF coach Amanda Butler said. “Just really disappointed with our post defense that we couldn’t do a better job on an individual that generally does not perform a scoring role for their team.”

Vanderbilt came into the game as one of the top-shooting teams in the SEC and didn’t disappoint Wednesday night. The Commodores shot 57.8 percent from the field, including 41.7-percent (5 of 12) from beyond the arc.

UF shot 40.4 percent from the field, but that number picked up significantly in the second half, when the Gators improved their shooting to 46.7 percent.

George contributed seven points before the break while UF struggled from beyond the arc, shooting a 27-percent clip.

She was whistled for her fourth personal 16 seconds after coming in at the 10:54 mark in the second half, and her minutes were limited in the rest of the game. She chipped in six after intermission that all came before her fourth foul, and she finished with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting in 23 minutes.

“As good of a job as George did for us on the offensive end today — which I thought she did a fantastic job — we were giving up just as much on the other end,” Butler said.

Vanderbilt outscored Florida 36-30 in the paint and outrebounded UF despite being one of the smaller teams the Gators have faced. UF had previously bettered some of its taller opponents, like Tennessee, on the glass but found itself on the short end of the boards 31-24.

“They haven’t been one of the stronger rebounding teams in our league this season,” Butler said.

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Eleven first-half turnovers allowed the Gators to stay in the game and prevented VU from opening the lead, but  the Commodores’ hot shooting neutralized their miscues. 

Both teams came out more efficient offensively, especially Florida, which used a 9-2 run to chip away at Vanderbilt’s lead. But every time UF threatened, the Commodores either got a three-pointer or a Huomi and-one layup, which is what happened following a Jordan Jones’ free throw that left VU up by one before Huomi converted on the three-point play.

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