Gainesville, Fla. — Florida hosted No. 16 Kentucky on Thursday evening at Exactech Arena, falling 71-55. Three Gators reached double figures, and nine contributed on the glass. By the end of the SEC contest, UF shot 38.6% from the field and held a 39-32 advantage in rebounding over the Wildcats.

Sophomore Laila Reynolds paced Florida with 15 points, her first game this season as the team’s top scorer. Me'Arah O'Neal also notched a first at UF, leading the Gators in rebounds with nine.

HOW THE GAME UNFOLDED:

Florida opened with its slowest offensive stretch of the season, producing 19 first-half points. After shooting 24% before the break, the Gators sparked at the start of the third quarter, nearly matching the first-half total with 18 points in that frame alone.

The push continued in the fourth, trimming the deficit to 11 (58-47) with seven minutes remaining. Florida added another 18 points and connected twice from beyond the arc, finishing the second half at 50% from the field—a 26-point improvement over the first half.

OPENING QUARTER:

• Reynolds led on both ends with seven of UF’s 10 points and three rebounds
• Florida forced six Kentucky turnovers, the most UK committed in any quarter
• UF shot 27.3% from the field (3-11)
• The Gators trailed 20-10 after one

SECOND QUARTER:

• Florida managed four points in the first five minutes (34-14)
• UF posted a game-low 21.4% from the field (3-14)
• O’Neal led the way on the boards with four of UF’s 10 rebounds
• Florida was perfect at the line in the half (6-6)
• Kentucky led 41-19 at halftime

THIRD QUARTER:

• Florida recorded a game-high 60% shooting (9-15)
• Fourteen of the 18 points came in the paint
• Reynolds added six points and two rebounds
• Five Gators contributed to the 18-point quarter
• UF limited UK to six paint points

FORTH QUARTER:

• Jeriah Warren scored six of Florida’s 18 points
• Florida posted a game-best seven second-chance points
• Five of the team’s eight assists were logged in the fourth
• UF strung together a nine-point run at 8:26, the longest of the game
• The margin tightened to a second-half low of 11 (58-47)

NOTES TO KNOW:

• UF’s 55 points are a season low for 2024-25
• The 19-point first half is also a season-low half
• Florida won the rebounding battle, 39-32
• UF outscored Kentucky in both the third and fourth (18-15, 18-15)
• Twenty-six of Florida’s 55 points were in the paint
• Three Gators finished in double figures:
• Reynolds (15), Warren (13), Liv McGill (10)
• Reynolds’ 15 marked her first time leading UF in scoring this season
• McGill has reached double figures in 15 of 17 games this year
• Florida shot 100% from the free-throw line in three quarters
• O’Neal led UF on the boards for the first time in her career with nine rebounds
• Five Gators recorded one or more assists, totaling eight
• Florida has topped 20 points in 35 of 70 quarters this season (50%)
• UF converted 11 layups on 24 drives
• Florida recorded 67 total possessions
• The Gators forced 13 turnovers on UK

CAREER HIGHS:

Gator Bites

UF coach Kelly Rae Finley on Florida's second-half effort and what comes next: "Kentucky is a tremendous team and I thought we played a great second half. The challenge for us is putting the full 40 minutes together. Heading to Missouri, I think we can use tonight's second half effort to learn and ultimately propel us forward into a better start on Sunday."

Team Records

Florida: (10-7, 1-2 SEC)

Kentucky: (14-1, 3-0 SEC)

Series Record

The all-time matchup between Florida and Kentucky sits at 34-24 in favor of the Wildcats, who hold a 10-game edge.

Next Up

Florida travels to Columbia, Missouri, for its next SEC game against the Missouri Tigers on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET inside Mizzou Arena.

Missouri’s leading scorer is Grace Slaughter, averaging 13.7 points per game and connecting on 50 percent from the field. On the defensive glass and in takeaways, Laniah Randle tops the Tigers with 115 rebounds and 32 steals (6.4 rebounds per game; 1.8 steals per game).

Next opponent: Missouri Tigers (11-7, 0-3 SEC)

• Date: Sun., Jan. 12
• Time: 3 p.m. ET
• Site: Mizzou Arena
• Radio: ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM / 850 AM
• Watch: SECN+
• Live stats: Statbroadcast
• Tickets