In warm-ups Thursday afternoon, a few Gators were dancing, laughing and even attempting to dunk, seemingly emotionally distant from their 1-8 SEC record. But from tip-off, the Gators were looking for revenge.
On Jan. 11, Auburn bested the Gators 60-50, keeping UF winless in conference play. However, nearly one month later, the tides had shifted. And by the end of the night, Florida was still smiling.
In front of the fans at the Exactech Arena in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Florida (14-11, 2-8 SEC) bested the Tigers (13-11, 2-8 SEC) 61-53 to win its second conference game.
Despite the team's positive attitude during shootaround, the Gators struggled to button up their possessions in the first quarter, turning the ball over six times and shooting three for nine from the field.
By the end of the first ten minutes, the score was 11-7 Auburn.
It marked the new lowest-scoring first quarter of UF’s season, beating out when Florida first played Auburn and the Gators scored just eight points in the first ten minutes.
Every time Florida attacked the paint, it was swarmed by Auburn players. The foul count reflected this physicality. In the second quarter, Auburn caught three fouls in just eight seconds.
That foul trouble continued throughout the evening. Ultimately, Florida had a whopping 28 free throw attempts, while Auburn only earned 8 shots from the line.
Another theme throughout the night for the Tigers was their inefficiency. One such example was on an inbounds play where Auburn tried to bounce the ball off the back of an Auburn player, but then missed the open layup. As a team, the Tigers shot 21 for 57 on the night (36.8%).
Despite their offensive struggles, one player was unaffected: junior guard Ja’Mia Harris. Shecommanded the Tigers' offense with 18 points, seven rebounds, two steals and two assists. Auburn led by seven halfway through the second quarter.
It was then that the momentum shifted.
Sophomore forward Me’Arah O’Neal hit two pivotal triples; one during the second quarter to give Florida its first, but brief lead of the night, and the second at the beginning of the third quarter, which put the Gators up by four.
She ended the night with 16 points, 12 rebounds, including five offensive, and two steals, marking her seventh double-double of the season. She was beaten out for UF’s leading scorer title by junior guard Laila Reynolds, who ended the night with 17 points, five rebounds and three steals.
In a highlight moment, Florida fans got to their feet and screamed when Reynolds poked the ball for a steal and dribbled high over an Auburn player to go all the way down the court for two.
“She’s a veteran,” UF head coach Kelly Rae Finley said of Reynolds. “That’s what veterans do, step to the moment.”
Sophomore guard Liv McGill put up 13 points, five rebounds and two steals. Overall, UF’s big three combined for 46 of the team's 61 points, 21 of the team’s 38 rebounds and seven of the team’s 11 steals.
“We were composed, we were connected, and we executed our game plan,” said Finley.
The Gators came into this matchup focused on keeping their momentum going after halftime and they executed that game plan and then some, securing the win.
Florida’s next matchup is against Arkansas (16-6, 6-3 SEC) in the Exactech Arena in the O’Connell Center at 12 p.m. Sunday.
Contact Isis Snow at isnow@alligator.org. Follow her on X @isis_snoww.
Isis is a senior sports journalism student who is in her fourth semester at The Alligator. She previously has written for the Avenue desk and has covered the Florida volleyball beat. She also has experience in live broadcast reporting with WUFT. Despite hailing from Las Vegas, Nevada, she is a life-long Michigan and Detroit Lions fan. To make up for the emotional toll of being a fan of those teams, you will often find her in the gym weight lifting and playing basketball.
