After an impressive, undefeated start to the season on its home court, Florida women’s basketball dropped its first game in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center against Tulsa.
When freshman forward Nidi Yiech got going in the fourth quarter and scored 11 points to fuel Florida’s offense, it seemed the Gators might pull off a comeback and overcome a 14-point deficit. However, despite taking the lead with less than three minutes left in the game, Florida couldn’t hold on.
The Gators (11-3) fell to Tulsa (8-4) Sunday at home 74-67, marking their first loss to a non-conference opponent at home since Nov. 16, 2024. After trailing by as many as 14 points, Florida made a late surge in the fourth quarter and outscored the Golden Hurricane 21-17. However, the Gators fell just short of the win.
The Golden Hurricane were strong on both sides of the ball and slowed Florida offensively, especially from beyond the arc. The Gators scored just one 3-pointer in the entire first half, shooting 17% from deep. However, Tulsa grabbed 18 of its first-half points from 3-point range on 6-of-16 shooting and ended the game 9 of 24 from deep.
Tulsa’s junior guard Mady Cartwright had six of those 3’s, one with 26 seconds left in the game to give the Golden Hurricane a four-point lead. She led the contest with 26 points and added three assists and three steals.
She was one of three players on her squad to reach double-digit points. Redshirt senior forward Hannah Riddick logged 19 points, three rebounds and two assists, while junior guard Jade Clack put up 16 points to go along with 3 rebounds and an assist.
The one Gator who found success from beyond the arc was freshman forward Nidi Yiech. She was crucial to their late surge, hitting both of her 3-point attempts and scoring all of her 11 points in the fourth.
Matching Tulsa’s offensive output, Yiech was also one of three Gators to reach double-digit points. Liv McGill fell just short of a double-double, but led the team, as she has for much of the season, with 18 points, three rebounds and nine assists.
Another major contributor was junior guard Laila Reynolds. She had 14 points, four rebounds and two blocks and was Florida’s spark in the early part of the game, logging 10 points and two rebounds within the first 13 minutes.
Still, Tulsa got in the passing lane and limited the Gators’ offensive opportunities. The Golden Hurricane forced 23 turnovers, while committing 19 themselves, six of those coming just in the fourth quarter.
While the Gators managed to utilize those turnovers and take a 65-64 lead with 2:19 left in the game, their first lead since 27-26 in the second quarter, their struggles in converting offensively held more weight.
The Gators take on Furman (6-6) to close out their five-game homestand at 2 p.m. on Dec. 28.
Contact Ava DiCecca at adicecca@alligator.org. Follow her on X @avadicecca24.
Ava is a sophomore sports journalism student and the volleyball beat reporter for fall 2025. She enjoys playing basketball and volleyball in her free time and going on beach trips with friends. She has been a Boston sports fan all her life (Brad Marchand we miss you).
