The Gators faced a large amount of adversity Friday evening in the quarterfinals against Ole Miss. The matchup was an intense battle with the Rebels defeating Florida in the final minutes of play, 84-74. Despite the loss, Florida finds positivity and motivation within one another and through their efforts in Greenville.
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Florida fell 84-74 in a physical quarterfinal matchup against Ole Miss, closing out its 2024 SEC Tournament run. The Gators were ahead of the Rebels for upwards of 24 minutes in Friday’s contest before Ole Miss saw the free throw line 17 times in the final quarter making it a tall task for Florida to close out.
Overall the Gators were led on offense by Aliyah Matharu with a 24-point performance, Leilani Correa with an 18-point outing, and Zippy Broughton closing out with a total of 12. Correa also led on the boards with nine of Florida’s 32 rebounds. Freshman Laila Reynolds also played a large role defensively for the Gators recording a career high five blocks.
IN THE FIRST:
* Florida took its first lead of the game at 9-6 off a three-point jumper from Alberte Rimdal
* The Gators first nine points were all from three-point jumpers
* Florida was shooting 100 percent from the three for the first five minutes of play
* Florida led over Ole Miss for upwards of seven minutes
* The Gators totaled 11 rebounds and were led on the boards by Leilani Correa with four
* Florida forced six turnovers on Ole Miss converting for four points
* Aliyah Matharu led on offense for Florida with seven points
* Laila Reynolds followed with four
* Jeriah Warren snagged the Gators only steal of the quarter
IN THE SECOND:
* Florida remained scoreless for the first 2:40 of the second
* Ole Miss went on a six-point scoring run to even the game at 21-points
* The game was tied five times during the second
* Ole Miss only grabbed the lead once after being even with the Gators
* Ole Miss took its only lead of the quarter with less than 90 seconds on the clock at 34-33
* Zippy Broughton led on offense for Florida with six points, shooting 50 percent from the field
* 12 of the Gators 16 points were from inside the paint
* Eriny Kindred led on the boards for Florida with two of Florida’s six rebounds
IN THE THIRD:
* Laila Reynolds recorded three blocks
* The score was tied at 50 all with less than two in the quarter
* Aliyah Matharu led offensively with eight points, followed by Leilani Correa with six
* Matharu shot 100 percent from the free throw line (4-of-4)
* The Gators closed out the quarter with six points in the paint and five points off rebounds
* Florida recorded nine rebounds: five offensive and four-defensive
* The score stood at 56-54 with Florida down by two at the end of the third
IN THE FOURTH:
* Aliyah Matharu secured the first two points of the fourth to tie the game up once more at 56 all
* The Gators largest lead of the quarter was 64-59 with 7:23 on the clock
* Ole Miss took the lead with 4:38 left in the quarter and never trailed again
* Matharu led Florida in scoring once more with seven points, followed by Zippy Broughton and Leilani Correa with six apiece
* Florida had a game low six rebounds with Correa snagging two
* Broughton distributed an additional two assists to bring her game total up to four
* The Rebels outscored the Gators by eight (28-20), collecting 13 of their points from the free throw line
WORTH NOTING:
* Laila Reynolds secured the most single game blocks for Florida this season with a total of five
* This also marks Reynolds’ career high
* The Gators had three players in double-digits for scoring:
* Aliyah Matharu (24)
* Leilani Correa (18)
* Zippy Broughton (12)
* Matharu reached double-figures in scoring for her 28th time out this season
* Matharu has recorded 12 20+ point games as a Gator
* Broughton led Florida in assists for her 13th time this season, distributing four
* Florida closed out the contest with 32 rebounds: 11 offensive and 21 defensive
* The Gators forced 17 turnovers on the Rebels converting for a total of 12-points
* Florida now holds 4-20 program record in the quarterfinals of SEC Tournament play
* The Gators are 1-3 against the Rebels in SEC Tournament play
* Florida’s all-time record stands at 24-42 in SEC tournament play
TEAM RECORDS:
Florida: 16-14 (7-11 SEC)
Ole Miss (22-7, 12-4 SEC)
SERIES RECORD:
The current all-time series between Florida and Ole Miss is still in favor of the Gators at 24-21.
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