All season, the Gators have had a crutch to lean on after making mistakes: six new players trying to adapt at the next level.
But after a devastating 10-point collapse to Kentucky at home, coach Amanda Butler said inexperience would no longer be considered an excuse for the sloppy ball handling and poor defense Florida displayed while handing away yet another game.
No more crutch.
Freshman guard Jaterra Bonds, who leads the team with 65 turnovers, agreed and said the team definitely has to correct those breakdowns.
“We’ve played so many minutes,” Bonds said. “We’re all like sophomores because we play a lot, so it shouldn’t be an excuse. I don’t make that excuse.”
Apart from the obvious issue of turning the ball over, Florida is relinquishing the rock in pivotal moments, leading directly to scores for the opposition.
The Gators gave it away four times in the first two minutes against Kentucky, allowing an early 6-0 Wildcats lead, and five times in the final five and a half minutes during a 15-4 run that ultimately sealed a one-point loss.
Making matters worse, an unhealthy amount of the Gators’ woes seem unforced. Junior guard Jordan Jones agreed with that assessment.
“Definitely,” she said. “And I think coach Butler would agree as well.
“It really sets the tone for how we’re going to play when we have turnovers on the first four possessions. We’re on a losing streak, and I think that’s one of the main contributions to that.”
Jones also echoed the sentiment that UF is allowing teams to take advantage of their mistakes — not that it could be denied.
Florida had a 16-point lead with 14:21 left at Georgia on Jan. 16. Its next three possessions? Turnover, turnover, foul. The Bulldogs scored on each opportunity and cut into the Gators’ lead.
UF’s advantage dwindled to five points with less than six minutes left, but it appeared Florida still had the game in its grasp. Then, the Gators committed five turnovers that led to 10 Georgia points, and all of a sudden, Butler was answering questions about another devastating defeat instead of a thrilling road victory.
Jones said the atmosphere of road games in the Southeastern Conference can be tough on the first-year players, yet agreed with Butler’s opinion that the time for excuses has passed.
“We have to grow up,” she said. “The youth and inexperience can be part of our immaturity. We let teams go on runs, and it kind of gets us down. Part of that can be attributed to youth, but it can’t be used an excuse.”
The catalyst to UF’s problems, Butler said, has been pressure. She recognized the nerves involved in protecting a lead and the ability to handle defensive pressure as areas causing headaches.
While Butler acknowledged the intensity UF faced in recent games is tough to emulate, she said she has dedicated time in practice to recreating similar situations in an effort to ready her team.
“But the hardest part … is getting a lead against such a great team,” Butler said. “The finishing out part shouldn’t be the part that we’re struggling with.”
