Florida Falls to No. 1 South Carolina 89 to 66 in SEC Home Opener
The Gators were challenged early by hosting the Gamecocks in their first conference game of the season. Florida was led on offense by Leilani Correa with 28 points marking her season high, followed by another double figure performance from Ra Shaya Kyle, securing 12 points for the Gators.
GAINESVILLE, Fla.- The Gators fell to the number one team in the nation Thursday night with a final score of 89 to 66. South Carolina pressed Florida from the jump, shooting 50 percent (35-70).
After South Carolina secured 32 points in the first quarter, Florida held them to half that in the second (16). The Gators were persistent and cut the Gamecocks 19-point lead to 11 going into the locker room at half.
The Gamecocks went on an offensive run at the beginning of the third, securing 15 points in the first five minutes of play. The Gators were led overall by Leilani Correa with 28 points, but it wasn’t enough with South Carolina having five players in double figures for scoring.
IN THE FIRST:
* Leilani Correa and Ra Shaya Kyle led the Gators in scoring with four points apiece
* Laila Reynolds led on the boards with three rebounds out of the Gators combined eight
* Florida had eight points in the paint and seven bench points to end the first
* Florida grabbed three steals in the first, and were only held to two from South Carolina
IN THE SECOND:
* Leilani Correa secured 17 of the Gators 19 points in the second quarter
* Florida forced five turnovers on the Gamecocks to gain a total of eight in the first half
* The Gators surpassed South Carolina in scoring during the second quarter (19 to 16)
* Florida had an 87.2 points per possession rate going into half
IN THE THIRD:
* The Gators increased forced turnovers on South Carolina with six in the third
* Florida capitalized on second chance points totaling five in the third quarter
* Ra Shaya Kyle led on offense with four points followed by Alberte Rimdal with three
* The Gators totaled 10 rebounds in the third, with Jeriah Warren grabbing three
IN THE FOURTH:
* Aliyah Matharu led the Gators in scoring with six points to put her at 10 for the game
* Florida secured their game high in rebounds with 12 in the final quarter
* The Gators also hit their game high in scoring with 20 points, adding to their second half total of 32
* Zippy Broughton led the Gators on the boards with three rebounds- her most of the season
WORTH NOTING:
* Florida outscored South Carolina in two of the four quarters
* Q2: 19-16
* Q4: 20-16
* Leilani Correa reached her season high in scoring with 28 points
* Florida forced a total of 18 turnovers on South Carolina
* Laila Reynolds led the team in rebounds with five of the teams 38
* This marks her first time leading the Gators on the boards
* Ra Shaya Kyle secured her eleventh game in double figures for scoring this season
* The Gators had three players in double figures for scoring
* Correa (28)
* Kyle (12)
* Matharu (10)
* The Gators totaled 33 bench points and 26 points in the paint
KELLY RAE FINLEY SAID:
UF coach Kelly Rae Finley<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/kelly-rae-finley/1658> on playing the No. 1 team in the country:
“They are a really good South Carolina team, there is a reason why they are the number one team in the country. They are good on both ends of the floor, they play together as a team, they share the ball very, very well. Obviously, their first quarter and third quarter was where they really separated from us, but I was proud of our team’s effort. I thought that we had a relentless mentality and there’s a lot of things that we can learn from this game.
UF coach Kelly Rae Finley<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/kelly-rae-finley/1658> on the home crowd:
I love the crowd that we have and I think we have a really fun team to watch. I hope that people keep coming back to watch us and support us as the season continues because it makes a difference for us and our student athletes. So lots to learn from, lots of growing to do, but if I know one thing about our team it’s that we are determined. We have a really strong growth mindset and we’re very, very connected, so that’s what you’re going to see from us moving forward.
SENIOR GUARD LEILANI CORREA SAID:
Senior guard Leilani Correa on her offensive performance with a season high of 28 points:
“My team needed me. Some of the shots we were taking weren’t falling, so even before the game I was locked in and was like, I just need to be ready to go with my team. I wasn’t going in thinking I’d be knocking down shots like that but we’ve been putting in the work, especially with SEC playing coming and I think that paid off.”
SERIES RECORD:
The all-time series between Florida and South Carolina stands at 22-20 with the Gamecocks leading by two.
NEXT UP:
Florida will travel to Nashville on Sunday afternoon for their first away contest of 2024. The Gators will take on Vanderbilt, marking their second game of SEC play. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. and will be streamed on SECN+.
Vanderbilt is coming off a 71-66 win against Mississippi State with Iyana Moore leading the team on offense, securing 29 points. On defense Jordyn Oliver led Vanderbilt with nine rebounds; four offensive, and five defensive.
VANDERBILT (13-1, 0-0):
* Date: Sunday, Jan. 7
* Time: 2 p.m.
* Site: Memorial Gymnasium
* Stream: SECN<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/70a553a9-3778-4b53-a9c8-c6818cfc4f9a>+
* Radio: ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM / 850 AM<https://floridagators.com/watch/?Live=5273&type=Archive>
* Stats: StatBroadcast<https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=493752&vislive=fla>
* Tickets<https://vucommodores.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetGroupList?groupCode=WB&linkID=vanderbilt-athletics&shopperContext=&caller=&appCode=&_gl=1*1jomrmg*_gcl_au*MTQxMjg4MDUyMC4xNzA0NDExMzM1>
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