A trio of Gators ended the evening in double-figures to lead Florida offensively.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Florida women’s basketball opened the San Juan Shootout with a strong showing, dominating Atlantic-10 foe Saint Louis, 69-54 in the final game of the evening.
A trio of Gators (5-2, 0-0 SEC) led a balanced offensive attack, with Jordyn Merritt earning a team-high 13 points off of the bench. Kiara Smith and Nina Rickards each added 11 for Florida who ended the evening 29-of-73 (39.7%) from the field and 7-of-19 (36.8%) from long range. The Gators assisted on 16 of their 29 made shots.
In the paint, UF was dominant, holding a 34-28 advantage in total points while also outrebounding the Billikens (1-4, 0-0 A10), 46-42. Rickards grabbed a game-high seven boards while Lavender Briggs added six and Smith pulled down five.
Defensively, Florida locked-in to force 18 Saint Louis turnovers leading to eight steals and 18 points off of turnovers. From the floor, Saint Louis finished 21-of-61 (34.4%), including just 3-of-11 from long range. The Orange & Blue managed to take care of the ball, ending with just 13 turnovers and allowing only nine points off of those turnovers.
The Gators wasted no time initiating offense early, getting into a shootout to open the game behind back-to-back jumpers from Rickards and Briggs. Consecutive triples from Rickards and Zippy Broughton gave Florida some breathing room at the 4:30 mark with a 13-7 lead.
It wasn’t just an outside affair, however, as a 6-0 run pushed the UF lead to 19-10 thanks to three layups. Equally as impressive early, the Gator defense held Saint Louis to 5-of-18 (27.8%) shooting from the floor in the opening quarter.
The offensive dam broke in the second quarter for Florida as the Orange & Blue opened on a 14-3 run with just one shot coming outside of the lane. Merritt’s triple with 1:04 remaining in the period extended the Florida lead to 38-17. Florida, behind one of their best defensive efforts of the year, would take a 40-19 lead into the break.
During the second quarter, the UF defense held the Billikens to just 2-of-14 (14.3%) shooting from the floor while forcing five turnovers. For the first half, Saint Louis shot just 7-of-32 (21.9%) from the field and 1-of-6 (16.7%) from the floor.
Florida didn’t miss a beat to start the second half, beginning with an 6-0 run thanks to aggressive play in the paint from Smith to extend the lead to 46-19. The Billikens would not back down, however, using a 10-2 run, including six points from Ciaja Harbison, pulled the opposition back to within 48-29 with 1:22 left in the quarter. Freshman Jeriah Warren would put an end to the run, knocking down a free throw after battling for an offensive rebound late to help UF to a 49-31 advantage after three.
In her first game back since playing against #5 North Carolina State, Merritt played a key role in helping the Gators find fourth quarter success. The sophomore knocked down a pair of triples early in the period to help Florida re-open up a 60-38 advantage.
Freshmen contributions also added to the offensive flurry in the fourth quarter, as Taliyah Wyche and Warren each buried back-to-back field goals to help keep the Florida lead at 24. Brynn Farrell would provide the dagger with 4:16 remaining, draining a triple to give UF a 67-42. Florida would go on to claim victory, 69-54.
The Gators are back in action tomorrow, Nov. 27, at 7 p.m. ET against their second-consecutive Atlantic 10 foe, George Washington, in game two of the San Juan Shootout.
Postgame Bites
– Florida recorded their second-best defensive performance of the season during the second quarter against Saint Louis, holding the Billikens to just 14.3% in the frame.
– The 40 first half points by the Gators marked the first time this season that Florida has hit 40 points in the first half.
– The seven triples by the Gators was the second-most on the season and the most in a victory. Only the 10 three against Towson was higher.
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