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Gators Get Past Scrappy Terriers, 66-56



BOXSCORE

BOSTON - Vanessa Hayden and Bernice Mosby combined for a pair of double-doubles to lead the University of Florida to a 66-56 victory over Boston University in the first round of the B.U. Invitational at Case Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.

With the win, the Gators advance to the championship game tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. where they will meet LaSalle, a 67-62 winner over Texas A&M in the other first round match-up. The Terriers and the Aggies meet in the consolation game at 1:00 p.m.

Hayden led the Gators with 15 points and 10 boards while Mosby had 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

"Florida is a good team playing in a great conference," said fifth-year head coach Margaret McKeon. "We knew they would make a run but we wanted to stay with them. Unfortunately we let the game get away."

Florida (1-0, 0-0) earned the victory with a strong inside presence anchored by Mosby, who had five of the Gators 21 offensive rebounds. Florida held a 53-36 edge on the boards, limiting B.U. to just eight offensive rebounds.

Junior forward Becky Bonner (Concord, NH) led the Terriers (0-1, 0-0) with a game-high 20 points, five rebounds, and three steals. Junior forward Adrienne Norris (Delafield, WI) grabbed a team-high eight rebounds to go along with her eight points.

The Terriers took the ball inside early, looking to send Hayden to the bench with foul trouble. Hayden left the court just 3:50 into the game with two fouls and the Terriers capitalized, building a 19-17 lead at 4:01 in the first half.

"Our main goal defensively against Hayden was to put her on the bench," said McKeon. "We wanted to attack her offensively so that she was on the sidelines cheering."

Florida held B.U. to just two points to close out the half as the Gators took a 25-21 lead into the break.

A pair of three-pointers from Bonner and senior guard Katie Terhune (Port Murray, NJ) gave B.U. a 32-31 advantage at 17:12 in the second half.

But Danielle Santos answered with her own three-pointer just 15 seconds later, sparking a 16-0 Gator run to put the game out of reach. Santos, who contributed 13 points and six rebounds, also was responsible for blanketing Terhune. Santos limited Terhune to 10 points off seven shots.

"Despite the final outcome, I really was happy that we played with heart and desire," said McKeon. "I'm looking forward to seeing if we can bounce back from this loss."