Women: Gators go about their business as they await powerhouse guest
By ANTONYA ENGLISH, Times Staff Writer
Published January 13, 2005
GAINESVILLE - Sometimes when you're expecting house guests, it's best to pretend it's just an ordinary visitor on the way. That way you don't spend too much time on unnecessary things like fluffing the pillows and miss something big, such as the sink overflowing.
That's the approach the Florida women's basketball team is taking tonight.
The unranked Gators (11-4, 2-0 SEC) host No. 3 LSU (14-1, 1-0) at 6:30 p.m. in the O'Connell Center, but they aren't pulling out the good china for the pregame meal. In their minds, this is just another formidable SEC opponent in a long line this conference season.
"What we're not trying to do is measure ourselves or get all hyped up because of who we're playing," Florida coach Carolyn Peck said. "We have great respect for LSU, but we cannot put more pressure on ourselves keeping in mind what they're ranked or what their record is or where they are. We've got to stay focused on us."
LSU will be a challenge, regardless of the approach Florida takes. In their 31-year history, the Gators have never defeated a team ranked higher than No. 5. Until Sunday, LSU was the No. 1 team in the nation, but a loss to Rutgers ended that reign at six weeks.
Its ranking has changed, but its formidable team remains the same.
Junior guard Seimone Augustus has scored in double figures in 41 straight games, including 15 or more in 33 of the past 35, and is averaging 20.5. She injured her elbow in Sunday's win over Georgia but is expected to play. Temeka Johnson is a tenacious senior point guard who owns every assist record in LSU history, including career (769 in 108 games), season (289) and game (15). Freshman Sylvia Fowles already has 40 blocked shots in 15 games, five shy of eighth place all-time at LSU.
But LSU coach Pokey Chatman said she doesn't expect Florida will be in fear of the Tigers.
"Florida is 2-0 and playing extremely well," she said. "It is SEC play, and they do not care about our record or ranking. We are at their place and they are going to try to come at us. They use their athleticism just as well as we do, and we match with them well athlete for athlete. It will be a matter of who does a better job executing."
The Tigers' depth poses a serious problem for Florida because of its injury situation. Sophomore guard Kim Dye partially tore her MCL and ACL in her knee Jan. 9 and is out for the season. Danielle Santos, a junior guard, sustained a stress fracture in December and remains in a boot. There is no timetable for her return. The Gators are down to nine players.
"Everybody knows their contributions are extremely valuable to us, whether it be in practice, whether it be in 20 minutes, 30 minutes or two minutes," Peck said. "It's all key for us, and everybody's got to be ready to play when called upon."
The last time the Gators faced a ranked opponent (then-No. 6 Baylor on Dec. 19), some players admitted they got a little too caught up in the hype. They believe the 89-62 loss taught them a lesson.
"I don't think there's any pressure or anything like that on us," junior Bernice Mosby said. "We're taking this game like it's any other game. When it comes down to it, we just need to take a deep breath and act like it's any other opponent, then play our best game. Against a team like LSU you can't make a lot of mistakes because they will capitalize on them."
Wednesday's games
NEBRASKA 103, NO. 2 BAYLOR 99 (3OT): Jelena Spiric made all eight free throws in the third overtime, Kiera Hardy scored a career-high 37 and the host Cornhuskers beat a Top 5 foe for the first time.
NO. 16 UCONN 67, NO. 7 NOTRE DAME 50: Charde Houston had 19 points as the visiting Huskies beat a ranked opponent for the first time this season.
NO. 13 TEXAS TECH 79, NO. 12 TEXAS 62, Alesha Robertson scored 22 of her 26 in the second half to lead the host Red Raiders.
NO. 14 BC 77, VILLANOVA 63: Kathrin Ress scored 17 of her career-high 28 in the first half as the host Eagles won their 11th straight.
NO. 24 IOWA ST. 70, KANSAS 37: Anne O'Neal had 18 points and nine rebounds for the visiting Cyclones.
TAMPA 65, FLA. TECH 54: Tay Mathis had 20 points to lead the host Spartans to their school-record 10th win in a row.
ECKERD 75, SAINT LEO 54: Chimene Gordon had 19 points as the visiting Tritons snapped an 11-game skid.
Information from other news organizations was used in the report.
