Me'Arah O'Neal (8) takes a shot while being guarded by Texas' Kyla Oldacre (00) during the first half Thursday at the O'Connell Center. [Riley Beiswenger/WRUF]

Florida Women’s Basketball Can’t Sustain Fast Start Against No. 4 Texas

In a night that featured a MacBook Pro giveaway, plush Gator hats for the first 500 fans and a visit from NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, Florida women’s basketball could not keep pace with No. 4 Texas, falling 88-68 Thursday night at the O’Connell Center.

The loss dropped Florida to 13-10 overall and 1-7 in SEC play, while the Texas Longhorns improved to 20-2 and 5-2 in the conference. The game marked the middle of an unprecedented three-game stretch for the Gators against top-six opponents that began with a loss at No. 6 LSU on Monday and continues Sunday at No. 5 Vanderbilt. No SEC team and no Division I program in the modern era has faced three top-six opponents in a seven-day regular-season stretch.

Alexia Dizeko (9) shoots a 3-pointer Thursday against Texas at the O’Connell Center. [Riley Beiswenger/WRUF]

Florida came out sharp, opening on a 6-2 run to take a 19-16 lead into the end of the first quarter after Me’Arah O’Neal knocked down a buzzer-beating 3. O’Neal scored 11 of her 17 points in the opening frame, as Florida forced seven Texas turnovers and briefly rattled one of the nation’s top teams.

That momentum disappeared in the second quarter.

Texas opened the quarter with a 10-2 run and never trailed again. The Longhorns outscored Florida 26-12 in the period by shooting 12 of 16 from the field. Meanwhile the Gators managed just four baskets that helped turn a close game into a 42-31 Texas halftime lead.

“I thought the first, third and fourth quarter were good,” Florida coach Kelly Rae Finley said. “The second quarter got a little bit away from us, and that was the separation in the game.”

Despite not making a 3 until the 3:34 mark of the third quarter, Texas controlled the game by attacking the rim. The Longhorns finished with a 60-30 advantage in points in the paint, the defining statistic of the night.

“Obviously, we knew Texas was going to want to get to the paint,” Finley said. “Sixty paint points is just far too many.”

Texas shot 56.1 percent from the field and outscored Florida’s bench 33-15. Aaliyah Crump and Kyla Oldacre combined for 26 points off the bench, while Madison Booker led all scorers with 24. Rori Harmon, playing on her birthday, set the tone defensively by shadowing Liv McGill for long stretches that limited UF’s leading scorer to 6-of-16 from the field with nine turnovers.

Laila Reynolds drives Thursday during the second half against Texas at the O’Connell Center. [Riley Beiswenger/WRUF]

“Rori ran our team and did an unbelievable job,” Texas coach Vic Schaefer said.

Florida showed fight in the second half, but could not string together enough stops to threaten a comeback. A 9-0 Texas run early in the fourth quarter pushed the lead to 23 and effectively ended the contest.

Florida’s “Big Three” all finished in double figures. Laila Reynolds scored 18, O’Neal added 17 and McGill chipped in 15 while extending her double-digit scoring streak to 24 straight games. McGill also led the Gators with seven rebounds and eight assists. Freshman Nyadieng Yiech contributed eight points off the bench.

“Just fighting,” Reynolds said of the Gators’ outlook. “I don’t think we’re out of the game until there’s zero on the clock.”

Florida will look to carry that mindset to Nashville, Tenn., when it faces No. 5 Vanderbilt (20-1, 6-1 SEC before Friday’s game vs. Ole Miss) on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET (SEC Network).

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