The Gators return to action on Thursday, Feb. 9, when they welcome Mississippi State to Exactech Arena.
OXFORD, Miss. – A tough afternoon from the field proved too much for Florida women’s basketball to overcome on Sunday, falling to Ole Miss in Oxford, 68-42.
KK Deans led the Orange & Blue (14-9, 3-7 SEC) with her first career double-double, ending with 10 points and 10 rebounds. She was the lone Gator in double-figures, as the team shot 13-of-54 (24.1%) from the field and 4-of-11 (36.4%) from three-point range. Ole Miss (19-5, 8-3 SEC) ended the afternoon shooting 26-of-60 (43.3%) from the field and 4-of-12 (33.3%) from deep, led by 18 points from Angel Baker.
Florida’s defense forced the Rebels into 18 turnovers, resulting in nine steals that was spearheaded by three from Leilani Correa. Faith Dut came up with a block for the Gators as well.
On the glass, Ole Miss outrebounded Florida, 48-34, resulting in a 16-10 advantage in second chance opportunities. Deans’ 10 rebounds led the way for UF while Tatyana Wyche pulled-down five of her own.
Florida’s offense didn’t need warming up to start the game on Sunday, converting on two of their first three triples, one each from Dut and Alberte Rimdal, to open with an 8-4 lead. The Gators held a 10-8 advantage for nearly three minutes before the Rebels broke the stalemate with a 6-2 spurt to end the quarter and take a 14-11 edge into the second quarter. After a strong offensive start, Florida ended the first quarter just 4-of-17 while also holding Ole Miss to just six field goals and forcing nine turnovers.
The Gators struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the second frame, as Correa converted the first field goal with 4:04 left in the quarter to pull within six, 23-17. Deans banked-in a triple as time expired on the shot clock to make it 25-20 with 3:22 remaining, and Dut made it five points a second time at the 1:22 mark, but Ole Miss ended with the last five points to lead, 33-23, with 20 minutes remaining. The Rebels hit just 7-of-16 free throw attempts in the first half.
Both teams began the second half cold, shooting a combined 2-of-11 from the floor in the first four minutes. Correa drained a jumper with 5:17 on the clock to bring the Gators back within eight, but six of the final eight points would go the way of the Rebels, creating a 43-31 deficit heading into the final frame.
The Rebels opened the final period with a 5-0 burst to make it a 17-point game with nine minutes remaining, helping put the Gators away for the 68-42 win.
Up Next
The Orange & Blue will return home on Thursday, Feb. 9, for a matchup against Mississippi State in Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center at 7 p.m. ET.
Notables
– Florida still leads the all-time series history with Ole Miss, 24-22.
– Deans’ 10 rebounds marked a career-best for the senior.
– Sunday also marked Deans’ first career double-double.
– Deans has led the Gators in scoring seven times this season and has scored in double-figures 17 times in 2022-23.
– #GoGators –
