Florida Women’s Basketball Bashes Bucknell in Tammi Reiss’ Debut

Two transfers combined for 57 points as Florida opened the Tammi Reiss era Monday night at the O’Connell Center in blowout fashion.

Kiyomi McMiller and Vanessa Harris powered an 83-60 win over Bucknell. The Bison, who held opponents to the 21st-lowest scoring average in Division I last season, had no answer for the offensive firepower of the revamped Gators roster, which shot 55% and outrebounded Bucknell 42-26.

“Our guard play was stellar today,” Reiss said. “I literally could’ve run anything going downhill, and Vanessa and Kiy executed it.”

McMiller set the tone. Last season with Penn State, she helped beat the Bison, scoring 24 points on 11-of-19 shooting. In her regular-season debut for Florida, the point guard scored 31 on 14-of-25 shooting with six rebounds and five assists, tying for the third-most points by a Gator in a season opener. She also showed the winning mentality Reiss said she expected of her, helping seven players get into the scoring column.

Florida’s 27-14 first quarter wasn’t the 18-0 blitz that opened its 107-point preseason win against Flagler on Wednesday, but it was enough to take control. The offense cooled in the second quarter, scoring 15, and the Gators’ size on the glass kept the lead safe. Aurora Almon grabbed 10 rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench, breaking her previous career high of seven.

“I didn’t know how she was going to feel coming in,” Reiss said. “Her activity, her relentlessness, that’s what she does. She’s a rebounder.”

Then Harris found space. The reigning Atlantic 10 Sixth Woman of the Year passed her career high of 19 points, set as a freshman at Rhode Island against Holy Cross, with just under 18 minutes left. She finished with 26 points and six rebounds on 11-of-16 shooting, and Florida stretched its lead to 62-42 by the end of the third quarter.

Although she’s only a sophomore, Reiss named Harris one of the “leaders” of the team. In both the preseason exhibition game and the season opener, Harris was also named Gator of the Game. 

“I just want to be the coach within the team,” Harris said. “All teams are player led.” 

The defense, which Reiss said left her “disappointed” in the second half against Flagler, brought pressure to a Bucknell team that averaged 52.7 points per game last season, the fourth-lowest in Division I women’s basketball. The Bison shot 37% and went 7-of-18 from 3-point range, getting 18 points from Elana Weisman.

Category: Feature Sports News, Gator Sports, Gators Women's Basketball