Florida women’s basketball junior Kiyomi McMiller set a program record for the most points in a Gators debut to start the Tammi Reiss era with a decisive season-opening victory Tuesday against Bucknell. And it didn’t take long for the guard to make history again, three days later, as the Gators returned Thursday to more fanfare at the O’Connell Center against Central Florida on Thursday.
McMiller’s career-high 42 points powered the Gators (2-0) to a 95-65 victory over the Knights in front of 1,486 fans, and etched her name in the books as Florida’s fourth-highest single-game scoring performance and fifth Gator to record back-to-back 30-point games.
While the Gators struggled beyond the arc against Bucknell, going 5-of-19, there was no déjà vu against the Knights as Florida finished 11-of-25. While McMiller led the charge on 3-pointers, going 7-of-10, Moriah Murray also found her shot, knocking down two 3-pointers on five attempts after going 0-for-2 against the Bison. Murray made a name for herself last year as McMiller’s teammate at Penn State, ranking No. 7 in the Big Ten with a 37.8% shooting percentage.
It was a tight-knit battle in the first quarter with the Gators leading 20-17, but the Knights’ defense that limited Florida A&M to 56 points Tuesday couldn’t withstand the firepower of the Gators’ offense in the second quarter, where Florida outscored UCF 28-11.
McMiller quickly set the offensive pace, reaching double figures in the first quarter and ending the half with 21 points, but it was her ability to initiate plays like snatching the ball from UCF junior Key Roseby to capitalize on the fast break as part of a Gators 9-0 scoring run that steadied the Gators the most. McMiller ended with six rebounds, four steals and one assist.
Knights junior Mahogany Chandler-Roberts fronted the effort for the Knights, proving efficient from the floor, shooting 71% to contribute 11 points in the first half. Chandler-Roberts continued her efficiency, ending the night shooting 64% with 20 points and led the team with seven rebounds. Chandler-Roberts’ only other help was guard Vittoria Blasigh, who found more momentum in the second half, scoring 11 points to end the night with 18.
Gators forward Vivian Iwuchukwu set a new career-high of 20 points surpassing her 11-point mark. Iwuchukwu’s offensive success followed a quiet 7-point Gators debut in which Reiss said she was battling through illness. She ended the night as the Gators’ most efficient scorer, going 6-of-7 from the field. She also proved efficient on the line, going 8-of-12.
The Knights tried to march back in the second half, scoring 37 points, but the Gators offense didn’t take its foot off the gas, adding 47 of their own.
Though the Knights couldn’t keep up with Florida on the scoreboard, they edged out the Gators 40 to 36 in the paint. However, the Gators won the battle on the glass, outrebounding UCF 48-to-26. Their domination down low especially shone offensively, recording 20 offensive rebounds while the Knights only recorded five.
Guard Vanessa Harris and forward Jade Weathersby led Florida with 11 rebounds. While her career-high 26 points against Bucknell didn’t carry over against the Knights, ending the night with nine points, Weathersby contributed 10 points off the bench as the only Gator to record a double-double.
Florida capitalized on the Knights’ inability to protect the ball, scoring 18 points off of their 15 turnovers. But the Gators matched their season-high 12 turnovers, which they will look to fix as Reiss takes her squad on the road for the first time, heading to Tennessee to take on Chattanooga (1-1).
