Florida Women’s Basketball Falls To Ole Miss In OT

The Florida women’s basketball team lost to Ole Miss 77-67 in overtime at home Thursday.

The Gators fall to 13-10 overall and 4-7 in the SEC, while the Rebels improve to 17-7, 7-4.

Final. #GoGators | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/3Q4FVF55HP

— Gators Women’s Basketball (@GatorsWBK) February 16, 2024

First-Half Action

Faith Dut got the scoring started for the Gators with their first five points. The scoring didn’t stop there for Florida as it went on a 9-0 run to start the game. 

Ole Miss was unable to find a spark when it looked rattled the first 10 thanks to Florida’s hostile man defense. 

The Gators consistently attacked the rim early with 14 paint points in the first quarter. Florida led after one, 19-9.

Aliyah Matharu caught fire in the second quarter from behind the arc. Her nine second-quarter points consisted of 60% shooting from deep. 

https://twitter.com/GatorsWBK/status/1758274876547518642

Florida was called for many traveling violations toward the end of the half which led to an 8-0 Rebel run. Despite this energy from the Rebels, Alberte Rimdal hit a 3 before the intermission to put the Gators up 34-26 heading into the third period.

Momentum Shifts

Leilani Correa owned the third quarter for UF. She was the only offensive machine that helped keep Florida up until the fourth. Her eight-point performance helped Florida gain a 49-42 lead after three. 

HER 👑

After another night in double-digit scoring, Leilani Correa now has 2k career points.

Congratulations, @leilani_anais! #GoGators pic.twitter.com/lgR1LExqy6

— Gators Women’s Basketball (@GatorsWBK) February 16, 2024

In most categories, the fourth quarter was close. Except for rebounding. Both teams shot fairly well, but the Rebels dominated the glass. Ole Miss totaled 16 fourth-quarter rebounds compared to Florida’s five. If the Gators could have boxed out and given the Rebels fewer second-chance opportunities, the game may not have seen overtime.

However, this was not the case, as Ole Miss prevailed, sending the game into extra minutes with a score of 64-all across the board.

Overtime

The Rebels dominated overtime. Florida’s shooting struggles led to committing fouls which gave Ole Miss the upper hand. The Gators shot 1-for-8 from the field and 0-for-3 from deep, while only having two free-throw opportunities. 

Ole Miss, on the other hand, shot 50% from the field and hit 7-of-10 free throws. 

The Rebels outscored the Gators 13-3 in overtime, improving to 2-0 against Florida this season.

Off to Lexington

Florida is on the road Sunday at Kentucky (9-16, 2-9) for the first time this season. Tip-off is set for noon (ESPN Gainesville 98.1-FM/AM-850 WRUF)  in Rupp Arena.