Florida Falls to Kentucky After Second-Half Comeback Attempt

Thursday, January 9

Gainesville, FL

5 PM

Florida Gators

10-7,1-2SEC

University of Kentucky

14-1,3-0SEC

Kentucky

Florida

Jeriah Warren posted 13 points to mark her eleventh game in double digits for scoring this season. Warren also matched her career high in steals, snagging six against No. 16 Kentucky.

Florida Falls to Kentucky After Second-Half Comeback Attempt

Thursday, January 9, 2025 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Final Gamebook Photo Gallery

By: Meg Christenson

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — On Thursday evening Florida faced No. 16 Kentucky, falling 71-55 inside Exactech Arena. The Gators had three players secure 10 or more points, and nine players contribute on the boards. At the conclusion of the SEC matchup, UF shot 38.6 percent from the field and out-rebounded the Wildcats 39-32.

Overall, Sophomore Laila Reynolds led UF in scoring with a 15-point performance, marking her first game this season as the Gators' offensive leader. Me'Arah O'Neal also secured a first at Florida, leading the team on the defensive end with nine rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Gators got off to their slowest offensive start of the season tallying only 19 points in the first 20 minutes of play. However, after shooting 24 percent from the field in the first half Florida showed signs of promise at the start of the third. Florida nearly matched its first-half points in the next 10 minutes, posting 18 points in the third quarter alone.

UF continued its offensive effort in the fourth, ultimately getting the scoring margin down to 11 (58-47) with seven minutes left on the clock. Overall, Florida was able to post an additional 18 points and secure two buckets from behind the three-point line to close out the second half shooting 50 percent from the field — a 26-percent increase from the first half.

IN THE FIRST:

Reynolds led on both ends of the court with seven of UF's 10 points and three rebounds
Florida forced six turnovers on Kentucky, UK's most of the game
UF was held to a shooting percentage of 27.3 from the field (3-11)
The Gators trailed by 10 at the end of the first (20-10)

IN THE SECOND:

Florida was held to only four points in the initial five minutes (34-14)
UF shot a game low 21.4 percent from the field (3-14)
O'Neal led on the boards with four of UF's 10 rebounds
The Gators ended the half shooting 100 percent from the free throw line (6-6)
The score stood at 41-19 heading into the locker room at half

IN THE THIRD:

Florida shot a game high 60 percent from the field (9-15)
14 of Florida's 18 points were tallied inside the paint
Reynolds led on both ends with six points and two rebounds
Five players contributed to UF's 18 points
The Gators held UK to only six points in the paint

IN THE FOURTH:

Jeriah Warren led in scoring, posting six of Florida's 18 points
Florida tallied a game high seven points off second chances
Five of Florida's eight assists were logged in the fourth
UF went on a nine-point scoring run (8:26)—marking the best run of the game
The Gators got the scoring margin down to a second half low of 11 (58-47)

WORTH NOTING:

UF's 55-point outing marks their lowest scoring game of the 2024-25 season
UF's 19-point first half marks their lowest scoring half of the 2024-25 season
Florida out-rebounded Kentucky 39-32
The Gators outscored Kentucky in both the third and fourth period (18-15, and 18-15)
26 of Florida's 55 points were tallied inside the paint
Florida had three players in double figures for scoring
- Reynolds (15), Warren (13), and Liv McGill (10)
Reynolds 15-point performance marks her first time leading the Gators in scoring this season
McGill has now hit double figures in scoring for 15 of UF's 17 outings this season
Florida shot 100 percent from the charity stripe in three quarters
O'Neal led UF on the boards for the first time in her career, grabbing nine rebounds
Five Gators distributed one or more assists for a game total of eight
The Gators have secured 20+ points in 35 of 70 quarters played this season (50%)
The Gators made 11 layups in 24 driving attempts
Florida recorded a game total 67 possessions
The Gators forced a total 13 turnovers on UK

CAREER HIGHS:

Eriny Kindred
Assists	3	at Kentucky 02/18/24
Jeriah Warren
Steals	6	vs Ole Miss 02/15/24, at Kentucky 02/18/24

GATOR BITES:
UF coach Kelly Rae Finley on Florida's second half effort and what's next:
"Kentucky is a tremendous team and I thought we played a great second half. The challenge for us is putting the full 40 minutes together. Heading to Missouri, I think we can use tonight's second half effort to learn and ultimately propel us forward into a better start on Sunday."

TEAM RECORDS:
Florida: (10-7, 1-2 SEC)
Kentucky: (14-1, 3-0 SEC)

SERIES RECORD:
The all-time series between Florida and Kentucky stands at 34-24, with the Wildcats holding a 10-game advantage.

NEXT UP:
Florida's next SEC challenge will be a road game in Columbia, Missouri. The Gators will play the Tigers Sunday at 3 p.m. inside Mizzou Arena.

Missouri is currently being led in scoring by Grace Slaughter. Slaughter averages 13.7 points a game and is shooting 50 percent from the field. On the defensive end, the Tigers are led by Laniah Randle with a combined 115 rebounds and 32 steals. Randle averages 6.4 rebounds per game and 1.8 steals.

NEXT UP: Missouri Tigers (11-7, 0-3 SEC)