Florida Women’s Basketball Falls to No.1 South Carolina

Top-ranked South Carolina was too much for Florida in the women’s basketball game Thursday at the O’Connell Center, 89-66, in the teams’ first game of SEC play. 

Back at it Sunday. #GoGators | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/3N2bCLse6E

— Gators Women’s Basketball (@GatorsWBK) January 5, 2024

Gamecocks Dominate First Half

South Carolina (13-0,1-0 SEC) won the tip and many more battles in the first half. Heading into this game, the Gamecocks led the nation in field-goal percentage and teams only shoot 28% when playing against them. 

South Carolina was a powerhouse down low in the first half. The Gamecocks totaled 26 points in the paint compared to Florida’s 16. South Carolina also saw success from beyond the arc, thanks to Tehina Pao Pao. Pao Pao hit 4-of-5 from deep with 14 total first-half points. 

https://twitter.com/GamecockWBB/status/1743062436914303265

The Gators (9-4,0-1) were able to set themselves up for second-chance opportunities, but Florida struggled to knock down shots the entire night. The Gators were out of control at times and not keeping up with the conditioned South Carolina squad. 

Florida held South Carolina scoreless in the first two minutes of the second quarter, however, it only had an offensive spark from Leilani Correa. 

Correa scored 21 of the Gators’ 34 first half-points, shooting 9-for-15 from the field and 3-for-4 from deep. Despite some consistent offense from Florida, South Carolina continued to roll and shot 52.9% from the field compared to the Gators’ 37.5%.

The Gamecocks led at the half, 48-34.

Florida Unable to Fight Back

The Gators came out in a full-court press in the second half, attempting to disrupt South Carolina’s offense. The Gamecocks quickly broke the press and continued to dominate. 

Florida’s Aliyah Matharu averaged 19 points heading into this game. Matharu only scored 10 and didn’t get into a rhythm until the final quarter. 

The Gators did not score in the third quarter until the six-minute mark, missing their first eight shots. This drought for the Gators led to a 15-2 South Carolina run.

15-2 run to open the 3rd … pic.twitter.com/1IDlnL626f

— South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB) January 5, 2024

Florida looked tired and slowed down in the second half. Carolina continued to pick apart the Gator defense to find open looks. The Gamecocks also slowed Florida down with their constant under-the-rim defense, totaling nine blocks on the night. 

Correa was able to score a career-high 26 points for the Gators, but it wasn’t enough.  

Next Up

The Gators will travel to Nashville, Tenn., to battle Vanderbilt at 2 p.m. Sunday.