Gators Start the Season 2-0 at Home

Following a tough loss and a quick trip home, the Florida Gators Women’s Basketball team bounced back today with a 67-52 win over Charleston Southern. In a tough back and forth battle, the Gators prove they had what it takes to pull out the win.

With just under 24 hours to shake off their first loss of the season to Florida State, the Gators didn’t have long to dwell on the loss. However, Florida pulled out what head coach Cam Newbauer thought was missing in Tallahassee; the team’s mental toughness and overall effort.

Standouts

Senior Kiki Smith led the Gators tonight in her third straight game with 10+ points. Smith added 15 to Florida’s score as well as four rebounds and a career-best six steals. Nina Rickards also added 12 points and seven rebounds. All 10 players that appeared in the game for the Gators also scored.

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After a rough defensive outing against FSU, Florida definitely turned that side of their game around. Against the Seminoles, the Gators gave up 15 second-chance points and 11 points off turnovers. However, tonight against Charleston Southern, they did not allow any second-chance points.

How it Happened

It was a game of big runs for the Gators right from the beginning. Charleston Southern got the first points of the night, but Florida responded with an 8-0 run. However, the Gator’s turnover game was not as strong, turning the ball over eight times in the first quarter.

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Heading into the second, the Gators held onto a  14-11 lead. CSU went on a 6-0 run of their own to regain the lead but Florida fell back on what they do best; shooting threes. Sinking threes on three of the team’s next four possessions, the Gators retook the lead 30-24.

Florida shot for over 56% in the second quarter and headed into the locker room at the half with a 42-26 lead. They also would not trail for the remainder of the game.

The Gators came back out hot and score 11 of the first 15 points in the quarter. By the end of the third, the Gators had a sizeable lead of 20.

Although Charleston Southern would cut down on that lead during the fourth, Florida held on to get their second win of the season.

What’s Next

The Gators will get a longer break before their next matchup. They will remain home to take on Cincinnati on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 1 p.m. Live coverage of the game will be on SEC Network+.