Box Score
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In the second game of the University of Florida Holiday Classic, the Savannah State women's basketball squad fell to Florida 38-88, Thursday evening at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida.

In the opening game, Central Michigan beat Saint Joseph's 98-84. The Lady Tigers play Saint Joseph's in the consolation game at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. It will be the first meeting between Saint Joseph's and Savannah State. Florida takes on Central Michigan in the championship game Friday evening at 7 p.m.

Leading the Lady Tigers in the loss was Jazmin Thomas and Erin Hogue, Thomas scored a career and season high 12 points. Hogue scored 12 points, and led in rebounds with five. The Lady Tigers shot 28.8 percent from the floor. The Gators shot 47.3 and were led by Sydney Moss who scored 17 points off the bench. Jennifer George recorded a double-double (14-11) for Florida.  

Florida jumped out to a 13-point lead early in the first half as Moss sank a layup at the 14:05 mark for a 14-1 Gator advantage. Andrietta Thomas broke the Lady Tigers scoring drought with a jump shot at the 12:27 mark.

Trailing by 19 points with 7:27 to play in the first half, Shawanda Hanton came off the bench and dropped a 3-pointer to cut the home's team lead to 24-8.
The Lady Tigers struggled offensively in the first half as Florida extended their advantage to 37-13 into the locker room. SSU shot 25 percent from the floor, while the Gators managed a 44.1 percent clip in the first half.

Hogue opened the scoring in the second half with a layup at the 18:57 mark. Florida answered with a 7-0 run, taking a 44-15 lead. Jazmin Thomas broke the run with a 3-pointer moments later, cutting the home team's lead to 44-18. Thomas finished 5-for-7 from the field and 2-for-3 from behind the 3-point line.

With three minutes to play, the Gators took their largest lead of the game behind a layup from Moss for an 85-28 advantage. SSU responded with a 10-0 run in the final two and a half minutes, ending with a 3-pointer from Blessing Uba. A good free-throw from Florida set the final score with seven seconds showing.


NOTABLES:
The Lady Tigers have played four Southeastern (SEC) teams this season, the most in the school's Division I record. SSU played South Carolina (L, 47-78), Georgia (L, 57-94), and Mississippi State (L, 55-70) earlier this season.

Florida takes a 2-1 series advantage over SSU. The Lady Tigers fell in the team's last meeting on November 11, 2008, 55-75. SSU beat Florida on January 24, 1976, 90-62.