Down by one at the half to a Florida team who had dropped four straight league games, Texas A&M needed someone to step up.
The Aggies (14-4, 4-1 SEC) found their game-changer in the SEC’s leading scorer, Danni Williams – who scored 18 second half points – to head a comeback 67-59 road win over Florida (9-9, 0-5 SEC) at the O’Connell Center Sunday afternoon.
Williams was one of three A&M players who finished in double-figures, scoring a game-high 25 points and went 5-of-9 from behind the arc. Curtyce Knox followed with 16, despite having an uncharacteristic nine turnovers, and Khaalia Hillsman added 15.
Coming into the game, the Aggies were second to last in the SEC in three-point shooting, but tripled their season average by going 9-of-15 from downtown. The A&M starters also played phenomenal, scoring 66 of the team’s points, with the lone bench point coming via Taylor Cooper’s free throw with 17 seconds left in the game.
The Gators closed the contest on an 8-1 run, but their efforts were too late as the Aggies outscored Florida 32-23 in the second half.
Knox hit a three at the 7:06 mark of the third quarter, allowing A&M to retake a 40-38 lead – the last time the Aggies would trail.
Florida went ice cold down the stretch of the third period, making just one field goal in the final five minutes and finished 4-of-14 (29 percent) from the field in the frame. A&M took advantage of the Gators’ woes as well, building a 54-47 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The first half featured a pair of contrasting quarters, as Florida hung onto a 36-35 lead at the break.
The first quarter was a high-flying affair, as A&M held a narrow 26-24 lead after the first ten minutes. The Aggies were firing on all cylinders from behind the arc, going 4-of-5 from three-point range in the quarter – including a 3-for-3 mark by Knox.
Both teams were quick and perfect, making their first five combined shots leading to an early 6-6 tie at the 8:27 mark of the first quarter. A&M turned the gas on, however, using a 9-2 run to open a 15-8 lead with 5:29 to go. Florida would fight back, however, and took a 22-21 lead with 1:52 remaining in the opening period.
The Gators began the second quarter on an 8-0 run, forcing Gary Blair to call timeout and regroup with Florida ahead 32-26 with 6:59 to go in the half. The Aggies struggles where in large part due to six turnovers on their first 10 possessions of the period.
A&M used an 8-2 run of their own to tie the game back at 34 with 2:49 left in the quarter, as Florida went scoreless for nearly five minutes.
The Aggies aim to extend their three-game winning streak this Thursday when they cap off a two-game road swing against Missouri. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. and the game will be aired on SEC Network.