Florida Leaves Jumpman Invitational with 82-65 Victory Over Michigan
Florida Basketball secures their second straight road win in North Carolina at the 2023 Jumpan Invitational. Aliyah Matharu secured 27 points for the Gators, leading them to an 82-65 win over Michigan.
CHARLOTTE, N.C.- The Florida Gators defeated Michigan 82 to 65 Wednesday evening without trailing once in the 2023 Jumpman Invitational. Overall, Aliyah Matharu led the Gators in scoring with 27 points, followed by Leilani Correa with 16. Alberte Rimdal and Ra Shaya Kyle also reached double figures in scoring with 13 points apiece.
The Gators came out strong from the jump, setting the pace against the Big Ten team. In the first quarter Florida secured 19 points, followed by 26 in the second, proving their offensive dominance going into the locker room with a 13-point lead. In the second half, Florida continued to separate themselves from the Wolverines with up to a 23-point margin.
IN THE FIRST:
* Ra Shaya Kyle had the first six points of the game for the Gators
* Florida grabbed eight points in the paint, and four from the bench in the first ten minutes of play
* The Gators were led in scoring by Aliyah Matharu with eight, followed by Ra Shaya Kyle with seven
* Matharu ended the first shooting 100 percent from the field going 3-of-3 from the field and 2-of-2 from the three
* At the end of the first Florida and Michigan were even at 8 rebounds apiece
IN THE SECOND:
* In the first six minutes of the second quarter, Florida was shooting 100 percent from the field going eight for eight
* Florida collected 19 points in the first five minutes of quarter two, with five players putting points on the board
* The Gators had a 15-point margin (45-30) to secure their largest lead of the half
* Florida outrebounded Michigan eight to five and forced six turnovers on the Wolverines to add to their total of 11 in the first half
* Florida secured 14 points in the paint and 11 points from the bench and were led overall by Leilani Correa with eight points
* Both Leilani Correa and Aliyah Matharu hit double figures in scoring before going into the locker room at half
IN THE THIRD:
* The Gators reached their first 20-point lead of the night (6:27), eventually increasing it to a game high of 23 (2:09)
* Alberte Rimdal led the team in scoring during the third with seven points
* Laila Reynolds led Florida on the boards with four rebounds
IN THE FOURTH:
* Florida was led in scoring once more by Aliyah Matharu with eight points, followed by Jeriah Warren with four
* Ra Shaya Kyle led the Gators on the boards in the fourth to solidify her double-double, grabbing three defensive rebounds
* Florida was held to one turnover, while forcing three on the Wolverines in the fourth
* The Gators ended the fourth shooting 53.3 percent from the field
WORTH NOTING.
* Ra Shaya Kyle grabbed her sixth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds
* With six double-doubles, Kyle joins only four other players in the SEC to secure six or more double-doubles this season
* The Gators had four players hit double figures in scoring:
* Aliyah Matharu (27)
* Leilani Correa (16)
* Alberte Rimdal (13)
* Kyle (13)
* After four quarters, Florida outrebounded Michigan 34 to 31, and forced a total of 17 turnovers
* Matharu secured five three pointers in tonight’s contest, marking her highest of the season
* Matharu secured 27 points to tie her career high which has now been hit twice this season (Michigan 12/20, Marshall 12/02)
ROAD STRETCH CLOSING OUT
Florida’s contest against Michigan officially closes out a seven-game road stretch. The Gators last time playing in Gainesville dates back to Nov. 20, making it 42 days without a home game. This is the longest away streak the program has seen since 2016-17, when the O’Connell Center was undergoing renovation.
KELLY RAE FINLEY SAID:
UF coach Kelly Rae Finley<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/kelly-rae-finley/1658> on participating in the Jumpman Invitational
“I think this is the premier event in the country at this time and I think that Jordan brand does an exceptionally good job of celebrating our student-athletes, embracing our coaching staff and all of our support staff. Nobody is left behind on our team and they go above and beyond.”
SENIOR GUARD ALIYAH MATHARU SAID:
Senior guard Aliyah Mathru on tonight’s performance and the team’s love for the game
“I think it’s a testament to what we do and how we are coached. I don’t think anybody on our team has any quit and I can speak for any player, nobody wants to lose, so it’s all about coming together and just being confident in one another… The people on our team have heart, they love the game so when we all come together it shows that we can be really really special.”
SERIES RECORD
Going into Wednesday night’s game, Michigan led the all-time series 2-0 with the last meeting between the two schools dating back to 2012. With the Gators 82-65 win at the Jumpman Invitational the record now stands at 2-1.
NEXT UP
The Gators will return home to Gainesville on Dec. 30 to host Winthrop for their final game of 2023. The contest will tip-off at 3:45 in the O’Dome, and will be streamed on SECN+.
Most recently, Winthrop (6-6, 0-0 Big South) fell to North Florida 55-49 in Jacksonville with three players reaching double figures in scoring. Individually, the Eagles were led by Ronaltha Marc with 17 points, followed by Blessing Okoh with 11. On the boards, Winthrop is averaging 37.4 rebounds a game, with Marissa Gasaway securing an average of 10.2 a game.
WINTHROP:
* Date: Saturday, Dec. 30
* Time: 3:45 p.m.
* Site: Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O’Connell Center<https://floridagators.com/facilities/?id=2>
* Stream: SECN+<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/ff35d27e-1dc4-4abc-baed-635d8b05477f>
* Radio: ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM / 850 AM<https://www.wruf.com/listen-live/>
* Stats: StatBroadcast<https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=490547>
* Tickets<https://am.ticketmaster.com/gators/ism/V0IyMzA1>
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