GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Georgia point guard Kelly Miller said the Bulldogs never let the game get too close, although coach Andy Landers was just relieved when it was over.

Deanna Nolan scored 19 points, while Miller added 17 as No. 7 Georgia survived a late Florida comeback to escape with a 78-71 victory Thursday night.

Leading 33-29 at halftime, the Bulldogs (16-2, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) went on a 10-2 run behind Nolan and Miller and eventually built a 16-point lead, then nearly watched it slip away.

"We didn't finish the job. We were in a position to pull away and we turned it over or they stole it," Landers said. "They got some momentum out of that and we answered it. All the good things that Florida did, we answered it."

Florida (10-5, 1-2) mounted a 10-2 run to cut the lead to 62-55 with five minutes remaining, and was able to get within five points on Tonya Washington's 3-pointer with less than a minute remaining.

That, however, was as close as the Gators would get.

"Momentum shifted our way," Washington said. "Everyone was hopping around, we got a lot of steals, but, again, the free throw shooting."

Florida struggled down the stretch, connecting on just 6-of-13 from the line, while the Bulldogs made 13-of-16 in the closing minutes.

Washington, Florida's leading scorer, scored her 21 points in the second half. Tiffany Travis had 12 points for the Gators and Naomi Mobley 10.

Florida jumped to a 9-4 lead, but Georgia connected on five of its next six shots move ahead 13-11.

After the break, the Bulldogs seemed to take advantage of a Florida team that was playing its fourth game in eight days, widening its lead with 10 fast-break points before the Gators came back.

"They made a few runs and we did a good job of staying with it," Miller said. "We expected a tough challenging game, and that's what we got."