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Gators use second-half burst to win

GAINESVILLE -- Vanessa Hayden recorded the second triple double in school history Saturday, leading Florida to a 73-47 victory over Kent State in the final of the State Farm Classic.

Hayden had 17 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks, which broke her school record of nine set this season against Colorado.

With the Gators leading 24-19, Andrea Csaszar scored six consecutive points to give Kent State a 25-24 lead. After a Hayden basket put Florida up 26-25, Csaszar scored again for a 27-26 Golden Flash lead.

Brandi McCain hit a 3-pointer with 5:36 left in the half to give Florida the lead for good.

The Gators closed the first half with a 10-4 run to take a 39-31 lead and opened the second half with a 16-0 run.

"There was some great individual play," Florida coach Carol Ross said.

"But I think the true story was the team's defensive effort, especially in the second half."

Courtney Cooper finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds for her first double double, and McCain had her sixth double double with 12 points and 11 assists.

"(McCain is) definitely playing at a very high level," Ross said.

"She has strung together two great games but has played well even further back than that. She can be very aggressive and is incredible even when being double-teamed."

SAINT LEO 76, GROVE CITY 52: Ebony Winn led a balanced attack for the host Lions with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. Jessica Goneconte added nine points and five assists. Saint Leo took a 26-13 lead with 6:37 left in the first half and coasted.

BRYANT 69, ECKERD 60: Lindsay Hermann had 25 points and eight assists for the visiting Knights.

Top 25

NO. 1 UCONN 84, NO. 23 ODU 70: Swin Cash scored 19 of her career-high 29 in the first half, and Sue Bird scored 22 for the visiting Huskies. The Huskies led 46-30 after a 10-point run bridging halftime, but the Monarchs cut it to 50-40 with 16:16 left.

Diana Taurasi then made her first basket and followed with two free throws for the Huskies. That sparked a 10-3 spurt that all but clinched it.

ODU Fieldhouse was filled with 5,236 fans who jeered the officials for what appeared to be several questionable calls.

"Anybody that's competitive loves to play in environments like this because it challenges you to raise your level of play," Cash said. "The crowd really gets us into it."

NO. 2 UT 92, MEMPHIS 66: Gwen Jackson had 18 points and seven rebounds for the visiting Volunteers. Tennessee led by 14 at halftime and by as many as 29 late. Memphis never really threatened after the score was tied twice early.

NO. 13 TEXAS TECH 81, NO. 3 VANDY 71: Amber Tarr scored 23 and Natalie Ritchie 21 for the host Red Raiders. Tarr went 4-for-8 on 3-pointers and Ritchie was 5-for-12 as Texas Tech scored only 14 points inside the paint. The Red Raiders led 37-28 at halftime and staved off a comeback by hitting key 3-pointers. Tech put the game out of reach with a 14-6 run in the middle of the second half.

NO. 18 COLORADO 86, NO. 21 LSU 65: The Buffaloes made 11 3-pointers -- six by Mandy Nightingale -- in Lubbock, Texas. Nightingale came off the bench for the first time in 77 games. Eisha Bohman scored a team-high 19 for Colorado, which led 38-29 at halftime and pulled away in the second half.

NO. 22 TEXAS 87, OHIO 66: Heather Schreiber's career-high 25 points led the host Longhorns. Texas led 42-25 at halftime, but Lori Moorman, who scored 21 second-half points, scored nine in a 12-2 run that brought Ohio to 60-50 with about eight minutes left. The teams traded baskets until a Texas surge put the game away. Schreiber had a 3-pointer and three-point play between two layups by Tracy Cook, and the Longhorns stretched their edge to 81-62 with 1:36 left.

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