Newest Gators Help Secure Exhibition Win Over Florida Southern
The Gators cruised through their Wednesday night exhibition defeating Florida Southern by 50 points. All players saw the floor tonight giving a preview into what the upcoming 2023-24 season entails.
GAINESVILLE, Fla.- Gators basketball started the 2023-24 season with a 93-43 win over the Florida Southern Moccasins. The 50-point victory marks the largest score margin in the two schools’ matchup history, outweighing the previous margin of 34 from December of 1989. Florida only allowed six turnovers during the entirety of the exhibition, while forcing 22 on the Mocs. Overall the Gators were led in scoring by Aliyah Matharu collecting 20 points, and by Ra Shaya Kyle in rebounds with nine.
Florida’s starting five: Leilani Correa, Faith Dut, Ra Shaya Kyle, Aliyah Matharu, and Alberte Rimdal were put under immediate pressure by the Mocs. Aliyah Matharu instantly responded securing the first bucket of the game within the first minute of play. Leilani Correa followed up with a jump shot to give the Gators a four-point lead. The Mocs fought back putting up an initial fight with the score tied at nine, but freshman Laila Reynolds made her collegiate debut responding with seven points in the first quarter. Eriny Kindred also made her Florida debut tonight with back to back rebounds to keep the ball with Florida to close out the first quarter 21-16 in favor of the Gators.
The Second quarter for Florida started similarly to the first with an immediate driving layup from Aliyah Matharu. Alberte Rimdal followed Matharu’s offensive energy, grabbing back to back jumpers for the Gators to increase their lead further. Aliyah Matharu continued on this trend, snagging a steal from the Mocs, to secure another basket, forcing Florida Southern to take a timeout.
Coming out of the timeout, it was Leilani Correa who took the offensive initiative for Florida, scoring immediately off a rebound from Laila Reynolds. Leilani Correa also had the steal of the game, intercepting a long pass from the Mocs to convert it into a layup for Ra Shaya Kyle.
On defense, Faith Dut remained strong for Florida, forcing a Mocs turnover with two minutes left in the half. Continuing on her endeavor, Dut amped up the pressure with 25 seconds left on the clock, giving Florida Southern a shot clock violation to end the first half. Going into the locker room the score stood at 43-24 in Florida’s favor.
Setting the offensive tone early in the second half, Aliyah Matharu started the Gators off once more with a driving layup. Leilani Correa aided in making offensive plays, grabbing eleven points to help the Gators garner a 53-29 lead. Correa went four-of-six from the field leading the Gators in scoring during the third quarter. Correa was also key in moving the ball forcing a steal at 5:40 before assisting Jeriah Warren on a three-point jumper. Jeriah Warren led the team in rebounds during the third, adding another three to her game total of eight.
The final ten minutes of the game started with a steal from freshman-star Laila Reynolds, giving Ra Shaya Kyle a fast break layup to put the Gators up by 36 at 73-37. Ra Shaya Kyle continued on an offensive run in the fourth putting up six points for the Gators with Alberte Rimdal not far behind, securing five. Eriny Kindred continued to shut down the Mocs in the final ten minutes with a large block and defensive rebound to give Faith Dut another layup opportunity. To finish out the game, Aliyah grabbed a jumper with one-minute left to play to give the Gators a 50-point lead and defeat the Mocs 93-43.
Aliyah Matharu (on being back on the floor for first time in nearly 17 months): “I did alright. There were some areas of improvement that I can work out. Just some rust I need to knock off. I haven’t played in more than a year, so it’ll take some time. But I’m excited to keep going and excited about this team.”
Kelly Rae Finley: (On the game): “It’s always good to have a tune-up. I thought we were a little late on rotations all night on the defensive end of the floor, but that’s something that can easily be fixed. We got caught watching the ball more than I would like us to, but that’s correctable. I thought we were more physical, which is something we’ve been focusing on, and a little bit more disciplined on our defense, which has been an emphasis, yet I thought we could have taken a few more chances.”
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