Ra Shaya Kyle led the Gators on both ends of the floor in Sunday's contest against Tennessee. Kyle put up 19 points and secured 10 rebounds to record her thirteenth double-double of the season.
GAINESVILLE, Fla.— Florida’s women’s basketball team came up short in a competitive home matchup against No. 15 Tennessee on Sunday, ending with a final score of 86-78. The Gators showed strength on the boards, edging out the Lady Vols in rebounds 47-42, and posted a higher shooting percentage at 46.2% compared to Tennessee’s 40.7%.
Florida controlled much of the first half, leading 16-12 after the opening quarter and extending the margin with a 21-16 second quarter. Momentum shifted in the third when Talaysia Cooper, Tennessee’s top scorer, returned to the court and made an impact on both offense and defense. The Lady Vols surged ahead, outscoring Florida 37-20 in that frame—the only quarter where Tennessee outpaced the Gators.
Heading into the fourth, Tennessee held a 65-57 lead. Florida narrowed the gap multiple times, bringing the score within four points, but couldn’t complete the comeback.
Seven players contributed to Florida’s total, with
Ra Shaya Kyle leading the way at 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to secure her 13th double-double of the season. Liv McGill (17), Laila Reynolds (17), and Jeriah Warren (11).
How It Unfolded
First Quarter
- Ra Shaya Kyle won the tip and scored Florida’s opening basket
- Laila Reynolds led with six points, shooting 3-for-5
- 10 of Florida’s 16 points came from the paint
- The Gators had 23 possessions in the first 10 minutes
- Seven different players contributed to Florida’s 15 rebounds
- Florida held the lead for 4 minutes and 45 seconds
- The Gators ended the quarter ahead, 16-12
Second Quarter
- Florida added 21 points, with Liv McGill and Jeriah Warren scoring six each
- 14 points came from inside the paint
- The team shot 53.3% from the field (8-of-15) and 66.7% from the line (4-of-6)
- Tennessee tied the game at 20-20 (7:01) and 22-22 (5:52), but Florida responded both times
- Florida outrebounded Tennessee 12-7
- The Gators built an 11-point lead (37-26), their largest of the half
- Florida led 37-28 at halftime
Third Quarter
- Florida shot a game-high 66.7% (10-of-15)
- Tennessee opened with an 11-4 run
- McGill led with eight of Florida’s 20 points
- 18 points were scored in the paint
- Warren led the team with three rebounds
- Florida trailed 65-57 at the end of the quarter
- This was the only quarter Tennessee outscored Florida (37-20)
Fourth Quarter
- Kyle led with nine points, shooting 3-of-6 and 3-of-3 from the line
- 10 points came from the paint; four were off Tennessee turnovers
- Warren and McGill each dished out two assists
- Florida outrebounded Tennessee 11-6
- Kyle led all rebounders with four boards
- Florida went 6-of-6 from the free throw line
- Both teams scored 21 points in the final quarter
Noteworthy Stats
- Four Gators scored in double figures: Kyle (19), Reynolds (17), McGill (17), Warren (11)
- McGill has scored in double digits in 26 of 28 games, including 11 with 20+ points
- Kyle recorded her 13th double-double of the season and 25th at Florida
- 52 of Florida’s points came from the paint (67%)
- 15 points were scored on fast breaks
- Tennessee was held to a season-low 12 points in the first quarter
- Salgues and Dizeko hit Florida’s only three-pointers (2-of-17 from deep)
- Kyle (7-of-7) and Reynolds (3-of-3) were perfect from the free throw line
- Florida forced 13 turnovers and converted them into 15 points
- The Gators outrebounded Tennessee 47-42
- McGill led with five assists and three steals
- Florida scored 20+ points in three quarters: Q2 (21), Q3 (20), Q4 (21)
- The team has now scored 20+ in 52 of 114 quarters this season
- Florida made 22 of 32 layup attempts (69%)
- The Gators had 83 total possessions, averaging 0.94 points per possession
- Florida led for a total of 17 minutes and 48 seconds
CAREER HIGHS:
| Alexia Dizeko | ||
| FG Attempts | 8 | vs Tennessee 02/23/25 |
| 3FG Attempts | 5 | vs Tennessee 02/23/25 |
gATOR bITES
Head Coach Kelly Rae Finley praised her team’s effort and growth, reflecting on their performance against Tennessee:
"I told our team at halftime, thanks for showing everybody else how we practice. It is refreshing as a coach, and we practice really hard every day. That is the effort and intensity that's required if you want to earn an opportunity to win and I thought that we played with that tonight. Unfortunately, we came up short, but there's no doubt that anybody who has watched us play over the course of the season, sees that we are continuing to improve every single time out."
Looking ahead to the upcoming matchup with Oklahoma, Finley emphasized the team’s momentum and preparation:
"I think this game gave us great momentum. We have had a great last week and a half, but again, like I said last week, it's because of the consistency and preparation that our team has continued to improve. A lot of teams at this point in the year find themselves struggling more than thriving, and I think that this was a good game for us leading up to Oklahoma. We will need all of Gator Nation on Thursday and a huge thank you to everybody that came out tonight, we had a great crowd."
TEAM RECORDS:
Florida: (14-14, 5-9 SEC)
Tennessee:(21-6, 8-6 SEC)
SERIES RECORD:
The all-time series between Florida and Tennessee stands in favor of the Lady Vols at 45-4.
NEXT UP:
Florida will remain at home for a Thursday night showdown against Oklahoma. The game will tipoff inside Exactech Arena at 7 p.m. and mark the Gators final home competition of the 2024-25 regular season. Thursday's competition will also honor Florida's seniors with a post-game celebration on center court.
NEXT UP: Oklahoma (20-6, 8-5 SEC)
- Date: Thurs., Feb. 27
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Site: Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O'Connell Center
- Radio: ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM / 850 AM
- Watch: SECN+
- Live stats: Statbroadcast
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