NASSAU, Bahamas – Florida women's basketball pulled out a 52-49 victory Monday afternoon against the Purdue Boilermakers. The contest was the Gators' first of two at the Baha Mar Pink Flamingo Championships.
The Gators held the lead going into every quarter of the game and were led by
Aliyah Matharu in scoring with 15 points.
Ra Shaya Kyle led Florida on the boards with nine rebounds, followed by
Leilani Correa with eight.
IN THE FIRST:
- Leilani Correa led Florida in the first with five points, adding another three-pointer to her season total of seven
- Florida held Purdue to a shooting percentage of 21, with the Boilermakers going 0-of-8 from the three
- The Gators grabbed three steals in the first 10 minutes
- Florida had 10 rebounds, with nine of them being defensive
IN THE SECOND:
- Aliyah Matharu led the Gators in scoring with six points,
- Florida yielded a 33-percent from the three-point line and held Purdue to eight-percent
- Florida outrebounded Purdue 10-6 in the second with three Gators grabbing three rebounds apiece
- The only blocks of the half came from the Gators (2)
- The Gators led the half for a total of 13:46 minutes, taking a 26-22 lead into halftime
IN THE THIRD:
- The Gators forced two turnovers in the first three minutes of the half, totaling four in the third quarter
- Aliyah Matharu led the Gators in scoring with five in the third to help Florida reach their game high of 16 points
- Florida was perfect from the free throw line in the third
IN THE FOURTH:
- Florida forced four turnovers on Purdue in the fourth, adding to their game total of 16
- With 10 seconds left and the Gators ahead by one, Matharu was brought to the free throw-line sinking both to bring the score to the final of 52-49
- The Gators grabbed their game high of 10 rebounds in the fourth
WORTH NOTING.
- The Gators secured double digits in rebounds for three quarters
- Aliyah Matharu was seven-of-seven from the free throw line (100%)
- Florida's win marks their first against the Boilermakers in the schools' respective history
- Kelly Rae Finley is the first Florida women's basketball head coach to defeat the Boilermakers
SERIES RECORD
Florida takes first win over Purdu, as the Boilermakers lead all-time 3-1
NEXT UP
The Gators continue on their seven-game road stretch on Wednesday, playing Columbia. The game will be their second and final contest of the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship.
Columbia (2-3, Ivy) lost to Georgia 73-56 Monday to drop to 0-1 in the Bahamas.
COLUMBIA
#GoGators
