The Gators fought hard against the Lady Vols with four Gators in double figures for scoring. The final score stood at 86-78 with Florida shooting 46.2 percent from the field.
GAINESVILLE, Fla.- Florida tallied a tough home loss against No. 15 Tennessee on Sunday afternoon, falling 86-78. Despite the loss, the Gators outrebounded the top-25 team 47-42 and shot 46.2 percent from the field compared to Tennessee’s 40.7.
Overall, the Gators led the Lady Vols for the vast majority of the first half, outscoring them 16-12 in the first and 21-16 in the second. However, the Lady Vols gained momentum in the third as their leading scorer, Talaysia Cooper, reentered the game to contribute on both ends of the floor. Tennessee outscored the Gators 37-20 at the end of the third quarter, marking their only period with more points than UF.
The score stood in favor of Tennessee entering the final 10 minutes of play at 65-57. Florida rallied against the top-25 team getting the score within four points on several occasions, but the Gators were unable to surpass the Lady Vols.
As a whole, seven Gators contributed to UF’s 78 points with Ra Shaya Kyle posting a team high 19. Kyle also led on the defensive end with 10 rebounds to tally her thirteenth double-double of the season. Three other Gators hit double digits in the scoring column: Liv McGill (17), Laila Reynolds (17), and Jeriah Warren (11).
HOW IT HAPPENED:
IN THE FIRST:
* Kyle won the tip to give UF initial possession and the first bucket of the game
* Reynolds led UF in scoring with six points, going 3-5 from the field
* 10 of Florida’s 16 points were secured inside the paint
* UF had 23 possessions in the first ten minutes
* Florida’s 15 rebounds were secured across seven different Gators
* UF held the lead for a combined four minutes and 45 seconds
* Florida was up by four to end the first 16-12
IN THE SECOND:
* The Gators put up 21 points with McGill and Warren posting six each to lead UF
* 14 of Florida’s points were recorded from inside the paint
* Florida shot 53.3 percent from the field (8-15) and went 4-6 from the charity stripe (66.7%)
* Tennessee evened the game at 20-20 (7:01) and 22-22 (5:52)
* UF regained the lead after both tie ups
* Florida outrebounded Tennessee 12-7
* The Gators posted their largest lead of the first half with an 11-point margin (37-26)
* The score was 37-28 going into halftime
IN THE THIRD:
* Florida shot a game high 66.7 percent from the field (10-15)
* UT went on an 11-4 run to start the second half
* McGill led on offense with eight of Florida’s 20 points
* 18 of Florida’s points were tallied inside the paint
* Warren grabbed three rebounds to lead on the boards
* UF trailed for the first time at the conclusion of the period (65-57)
* This marked the only period the Lady Vols outscored the Gators (37-20)
IN THE FOURTH:
* Kyle led Florida in scoring with nine points, shooting 50 percent from the field (3-6) and 100 percent from the line (3-3)
* 10 of UF’s points came from inside the paint and four points were off UT turnovers
* Florida logged five assists with Warren and McGill distributing two a piece
* UF outrebounded Tennessee 11-6
* Kyle led all in rebounds, grabbing four off the boards
* The Gators saw the free throw line six times and converted for an even six (100%)
* Florida and Tennessee both put up 21 points in the fourth
WORTH NOTING:
* UF had four players in double figures for scoring
* Kyle (19), Reynolds, (17), McGill (17) and Warren (11)
* McGill has hit double figures in 26 of her 28 outings as a Gator
* 11 of those games have been 20+ point performances
* Kyle posted her 13th double-double of the season and 25th while at UF
* 52 of UF’s points were tallied inside the paint (67%)
* 15 of Florida’s points came from fastbreak opportunities
* UF held Tennessee to a season low 12 points in the first quarter
* Salgues and Dizeko were the only Gators to secure a three pointer as UF finished 2-17 from the three-point line
* Kyle and Reynolds both went 100 percent from the free throw line
* Kyle (7-7), Reynolds (3-3)
* Florida forced 13 turnovers on UT to convert for 15 points
* The Gators outrebounded the Lady Vols by five (47-42)
* McGill led in assists, distributing five of Florida’s 12 assists
* McGill accounted for half of UF’s steals, snagging three of Florida’s six
* The Gators posted 20 or more points in three quarters
* 21 (Q2), 20 (Q3), and 21 (Q4)
* The Gators have now secured 20+ points in 52 of 114 quarters played this season
* UF secured 22 layups in 32 driving attempts (69%)
* Florida recorded a game total 83 possessions, converting for 0.94 points per possession
* In total UF led over Tennessee for a 17 minutes and 48 seconds
CAREER HIGHS:
Alexia Dizeko
FG Attempts
8
vs Tennessee 02/23/25
3FG Attempts
5
vs Tennessee 02/23/25
GATOR BITES:
Head Coach Kelly Rae Finley on UF’s continued adjustments and improvements:
“I told our team at halftime, thanks for showing everybody else how we practice. It is refreshing as a coach, and we practice really hard every day. That is the effort and intensity that’s required if you want to earn an opportunity to win and I thought that we played with that tonight. Unfortunately, we came up short, but there’s no doubt that anybody who has watched us play over the course of the season, sees that we are continuing to improve every single time out.”
Head Coach Kelly Rae Finley on the upcoming game vs. Oklahoma:
“I think this game gave us great momentum. We have had a great last week and a half, but again, like I said last week, it’s because of the consistency and preparation that our team has continued to improve. A lot of teams at this point in the year find themselves struggling more than thriving, and I think that this was a good game for us leading up to Oklahoma. We will need all of Gator Nation on Thursday and a huge thank you to everybody that came out tonight, we had a great crowd.”
TEAM RECORDS:
Florida: (14-14, 5-9 SEC)
Tennessee: (21-6, 8-6 SEC)
SERIES RECORD:
The all-time series between Florida and Tennessee stands in favor of the Lady Vols at 45-4.
NEXT UP:
Florida will remain at home for a Thursday night showdown against Oklahoma. The game will tipoff inside Exactech Arena at 7 p.m. and mark the Gators final home competition of the 2024-25 regular season. Thursday’s competition will also honor Florida’s seniors with a post-game celebration on center court.
NEXT UP: Oklahoma (20-6, 8-5 SEC)
* Date: Thurs., Feb. 27
* Time: 7 p.m. ET
* Site: Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O’Connell Center<https://admin.floridagators.com/facilities/?id=2>
* Radio: ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM / 850 AM<https://admin.floridagators.com/watch/?Live=5560&type=Live>
* Watch: SECN+<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/1965b96e-3097-42fd-a005-c4adc2d84488>
* Live stats: Statbroadcast<https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=552537>
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