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Friday, March 29, 2024

Florida claims state bragging rights with a 69-55 victory over the Seminoles

The Gators capture their first win against Florida State since 2015

<p>Florida&#x27;s Jordyn Merritt pictured driving with the ball during a Feb. 15, 2021 game against Kentucky.</p>

Florida's Jordyn Merritt pictured driving with the ball during a Feb. 15, 2021 game against Kentucky.

Junior Lavender Briggs came into Sunday afternoon’s matchup against Florida State averaging 13.8 points per game, and she added a classic performance highlighted by 18 points in the Gators win over Dayton on Wednesday.

She ended Sunday's rivalry game against the Seminoles with just four points over 30 minutes of play.

But the Gators (9-3) still defeated the Seminoles (6-3) 69-55 at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Sunday, something they hadn’t done in six years. A big reason for the victory — ten different Gators scored at least once in the triumph.

The Gator's depth showed off early with 13 of their 19 first-quarter points coming off the bench. Sophomore Jordyn Merritt came into the game and made an immediate impact with five points in the first quarter. Freshman Taliyah Wyche showed great toughness in the paint with a putback layup through contact.

Florida entered the second quarter leading 19-11 and only ramped up the intensity as the game progressed. Senior Zippy Broughton caught fire with nine first-half points and opened up the quarter with a lightning-quick steal, ending in a layup on the other end of the court.

The Gators led by as many as 15 points in the second quarter and took care of the basketball with only three turnovers in the first half and seven for the game. 

Florida’s defense kept Florida State scoreless for the first three minutes of the second half. The Gators went on a 7-0 run to open up their third quarter. UF outscored the scarlet and gold 22-11 and found themselves ahead 60-35 heading into the final 10 minutes. 

A little over a minute into the fourth, Florida forward Faith Dut took an elbow to the face from the Seminoles senior Valencia Myers while trying to secure a rebound. Myers fouled out of the game after picking up the personal, but Dut left the court after taking the hit.

The Gators didn’t lift their foot off the gas as they continued to disrupt Florida State with active hands in passing lanes and off the glass. Florida created 10 steals and absorbed 43 total rebounds to send the Seminoles packing.

Emmanuely de Oliveria led her team with 16 points. Interim head coach Kelly Rae Finley said the senior consistently shows up for her team, especially in the multiple charges she drew on the Seminoles throughout the game.

“She is the president of the charge club,” Finely said. “She just has a steadiness and composure to her game.”

Finley said she was impressed by her team's dominant rebounding presence against the FSU bigs.

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“We thought we had an advantage there with our athleticism and our speed,” Finley said. “And I think that proved to be true today.”

With this win, the Gators remain unbeaten at home this season. 

Up next, the Gators face an interesting matchup in their final home game of the calendar year against Murray State (6-2) on Dec. 21. Florida looks to enter the new year on a roll.

Tip off is at 1 P.M. at the O’Dome and the game can be streamed live on SEC Network +.

Contact Brenda Bogle at bbogle@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @bogle_brenda.

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Brenda Bogle

Brenda Bogle is a UF journalism senior with a specialization in sports and media. She joined The Alligator in the Fall of 2021.


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