Gators Women’s Basketball Defeats Georgia Bulldogs

From blowout to nail-bitter, this one was a roller coaster.

Bounced back!#GoGators | Presented by @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/44FyBVmeRd

— Gators Women’s Basketball (@GatorsWBK) January 14, 2024

The Florida women’s basketball team defended home court by beating the Georgia Bulldogs 78-69 on Sunday. This victory marks Florida’s first SEC win of the season, as well as the first time it has beaten the Bulldogs since February 2022.

Leilani Correa led the way for the Gators (10-6, 1-3 SEC) with a season-high 30 points on 10-16 shooting. Following her was Aliyah Matharu with 21 points, six rebounds and four assists. Another key contributor to the win was Faith Dut with her nine points and two blocked shots. The forward out of Vancouver came into the starting lineup to replace the injured Ra Shaya Kyle.

Georgia (10-7, 1-3 ) was led by Asia Avinger, who had 22 points, four rebounds and four assists.

Clamping Chaos

After losing their first three conference games, the Gators came out of the gate on a mission. That mission was to muzzle the Bulldogs.

ANNNNDDD 1️⃣ @lailaReynolds15

Florida 9 | Georgia 4
Q1 – 6:14 pic.twitter.com/Oy8m9z4NUx

— ESPN 98.1 / 850 WRUF (@ESPNGainesville) January 14, 2024

The Gators clamped down on defense and were able to make Georgia turn the ball over eight times in the opening period. Diving for loose balls and poking away bad handles, they overwhelmed UGA, which led the opposition to shoot 3-12 from the field and only score nine points.

After a three-game losing streak, UF coach Kelly Rae Finley made it clear how big of an impact defense is for this Gators team.

“Our defense sets the tone for our offense,” Finley said. “We really have been focusing on limiting our fouls, being discipline maybe more so with our hands and our our feet.”

Apart from the defensive clinic, the Gators were able to put up 19 points on their own, shooting 7-19.

Correa En Fuego

There is hot. Then there is Correa hot.

another day, another leilani three 🔥

📺 » SECN+ | @leilani_anais pic.twitter.com/9GAVZ5YFYb

— Gators Women’s Basketball (@GatorsWBK) January 14, 2024

The guard erupted for 13 points in quarter two. She accounted for 68% of Florida’s offensive production in that period while shooting 5-8 from the field. 

Despite her offensive onslaught, Georgia put up 17 points to keep the game within 12 points. 38-26 at the half.

Gators Keep Growling

It is easy to take your foot off the gas when up double digits at the half, but Matharu said keep pressing.

https://twitter.com/ESPNGainesville/status/1746618009236767005

The former Texas guard led the way in the quarter with nine points, right behind her was Correa with eight. At the 5:37 mark of the period, Florida passed the 20-point lead mark (54-34).

However, things got interesting once Georgia started to press. The Bulldogs would go on a 7-0 run and force Florida to three turnovers during that stint to make it a 15-point game. But the Gators would remain calm and hold off to extend the lead back to 18, 61-43 at the end of Q3.

Quarter 4 Scare

In the SEC, no lead is safe.

https://twitter.com/ESPNGainesville/status/1746636570420011122

A lead that was 18, started to chip away with some Bulldog runs. For instance, four turnovers led Georgia to go on a 6-0 run to make it an 11-point game (65-54). Then soon after, UGA would go on a 9-0 run to cut it to just four points.

The Bulldog’s relentless press would lead to them causing seven turnovers and outscoring the Gators 26-17. But in the end, it was not enough as Matharu would come up clutch in the final moments by getting a pivotal layup and getting to the line to extend the lead.

“Obviously, we got into a little bit of some foul trouble in the end,” Matharu said. “We stayed composed, which is what we have been working on as a team.”

Up Next

The Gators will host Mississippi State on Jan. 22. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.