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The Florida women’s basketball team travels to Athens to take on Georgia at 1 p.m. Sunday.
The Gators defeated Missouri 86-70 in their last outing Thursday night to snap a two-game losing streak.
https://twitter.com/GatorsWBK/status/1760829620990214498
Gators Use 36-Point First Quarter to Fuel Win
Florida (14-11, 5-8 SEC) opened to a 36-13 lead in the first quarter Thursday in the O’Connell Center, shooting 12-for-12 from the field.
The Gators began the game on an 8-0 scoring run and wouldn’t relinquish the lead. Florida led by at least double digits all game after the 6:23 mark in the first quarter when senior guard Aliyah Matharu made a 3-pointer to go up 15-3.
Missouri (11-15, 2-11) eventually cut the UF lead to 10 with 1:53 left in the fourth quarter, but the Gators responded with a 7-1 scoring run to win by 16.
Up after 1!#GoGators pic.twitter.com/7nhSwMrnb9
— Gators Women’s Basketball (@GatorsWBK) February 22, 2024
Seniors Lead The Way
Senior guards Leilani Correa, Zippy Broughton and Matharu led the way for the Gators, all scoring 18+ points on better than 50% shooting from the field. Matharu put up a game-high 28 points, knocking down four 3-pointers, while Correa and Broughton both scored 18. Broughton shot a near-perfect 8-9 from the field to go along with seven rebounds and five assists.
“She’s been really diligent and determined to improve her game,” UF coach Kelly Rae Finley said about Matharu. “As a coach, I’m really proud of her, I think the team is proud of her. I think when you have her, Leilani, Zip, Alberte (Rimdal) and Laila clicking together, that’s a really hard thing to stop.”
Meanwhile, senior forward Faith Dut anchored the front court for Florida, grabbing a season-high 11 rebounds and adding eight points.
Zippy is showing out tonight ✅
18 PTS | 7 REB | 5 AST#GoGators | @zippydahippie pic.twitter.com/yQRVU4s6zS
— Gators Women’s Basketball (@GatorsWBK) February 23, 2024
Florida Looks to Sweep Bulldogs
The Gators, who were swept by the Bulldogs in 2023, defeated Georgia 78-69 at home in the teams’ first meeting this season Jan. 14. Florida is just 2-11 against Georgia since 2018 and searching for its first consecutive wins in the series since 2017.
The Bulldogs (11-15, 2-11) are in last place in the SEC, having lost 11 our of their last 12 games. They also come into Sunday’s rivalry game on a four-game losing streak with losses to Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, No. 1 South Carolina and Ole Miss. Georgia is seeking its first win since Feb 4. against Kentucky.
Georgia is led by senior forward Javyn Nicholson, who is nearly averaging a double-double with 16.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.
However, it was Georgia guards Asia Avinger and Taniyah Thompson who led the Bulldogs in scoring against Florida last month with 22 points and 16 points, respectively.
Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. (SEC Network+, ESPN Gainesville 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF).
