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The Gators women’s basketball team (3-2) traveled to Tallahassee for a rivalry game to take on Florida State (5-1) and left with a 98-74 loss Friday.
final#GoGators | Presented by @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/iRJYn1OAiF
— Gators Women’s Basketball (@GatorsWBK) November 23, 2024
Florida still leads the series 42-36 againt the Seminoles. The last matchup also resulted in an FSU 79-75 win on Nov. 17, 2023.
Stars of the Night
The stars of the night were Liv McGill and Ta’Niya Latson.
McGill, a freshman, had a season high 28 points. While offensive production was struggling for the Gators, McGill took the matters into her own hands, never getting flustered by the FSU runs. She played like a veteran.
In the first quarter McGill had already put up 12 points. Ra Shaya Kyle got going for the Gators in the second half and finished the game with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
in double digits in the 1st 😤
📺https://t.co/0QJYdjlWhZ#GoGators pic.twitter.com/fsabuHIAyG
— Gators Women’s Basketball (@GatorsWBK) November 23, 2024
It was not enough for the Gators as Latson put up 25 for the Seminoles. The FSU junior is having a phenomenal season, averaging 27.3 points per game. Latson went almost perfect from the line making 13 of 14 foul shots.
FSU pulled away after it went on a 20-0 run in the second quarter behind an explosive spree from Latson. When the Seminoles were halfway through their run, Latson had an and-one then on the next possession was fouled and sent to the line again.
The Gators couldn’t seem to recover after the Latson and-one.
AND 1!!!
Ta'Niya Latson is on fire. She completes the 3-point play and has 17 pts.
Q2: 4:48 | UF 21, FSU 33 #NoleFAM pic.twitter.com/cRQV5u3Pd8
— FSU Women's Basketball (@fsuwbb) November 23, 2024
Key Factors
Florida struggled to convert offensively and stop turnovers.
Turning the ball over, FSU second-chance points and big runs were the factors that put the Gators at a disadvantage for a majority of the game.
Florida had 18 turnovers to the Seminole’s eight. The Gators also allowed the Seminoles to have more offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds, 25-22. The 25 offensive rebounds set up the Seminoles with so many second-chance opportunities.
The Gators only shot six 3-pointers compared to their usual 21 attempts per game.
Another crazy statistic is the amount of times Florida State was sent to the line. The Seminoles were 34 for 40 from the foul line.
The FSU fast-paced, high-scoring offense was too much to handle for the Gators. The Seminoles rank first in the nation in scoring offense with 101.2 points per game. The multiple runs were too much for the Gators to recover from.
With the FSU offense executing and the Florida offense struggling, it wasn’t pretty for the Gators.
Another struggle for the Gators was the quiet game from Jeriah Warren, who averages a team high 19.5 PPG and only put up a quiet nine this game. Adding to that, starter Kenza Salgues couldn’t convert at all this game and finished with zero points.
Up Next
The Gators play Tulane (1-3) at 1 p.m. Thursday in Tampa for the St. Pete Showcase (ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF). Then UF plays James Madison (5-1) at 3 p.m. Friday.
