Florida vs. Bethune-Cookman
- When: Thursday, 6:00 p.m. (ET)
- Where: Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center / Gainesville, Fla.
- Records: Florida (1-0) / Bethune-Cookman (0-1)
- TV: SEC Network+ (Kyle Crooks and Brittany Davis)
- Radio: ESPN 98.1FM/850AM WRUF
- TicketMaster info: Click here
THURSDAY'S CONTEST
Thursday's matchup for the Gators will be their second contest of the 2023-24 season. On Monday, Florida faced North Florida at the Exactech Arena for their season home opener, defeating the Ospreys 82-65. The Gators are looking to gain their second non-conference victory to give them a 2-0 record heading into week two of regular season play.
THE SERIES
Florida will play Bethune-Cookman for the eighth time in program history on Thursday with Florida leading the series, 7-0. The Gators won the last meeting between the two schools by nine points (64-53) in December of 2018.
LAST TIME OUT
The Gators last game was Monday (11/6) against North Florida. The Gators came to life with three players collecting double figures in scoring (
Leilani Correa,
Ra Shaya Kyle, and
Aliyah Matharu).
Ra Shaya Kyle also grabbed her first double double of the season and Correa led the way with 21 points, 2 steals, and 2 assists. Overall Florida finished out shooting 48% from the field.
POTENTIAL STARTERS:
CORREA LEADS THE WAY
Leilani Correa showed up big in Florida's most recent game against North Florida, playing all but three minutes for the Gators. Correa has been displaying leadership qualities since she arrived in Gainesville from St. John's in 2022. On Monday's matchup Correa was three points shy from her career high in scoring as a Gator, collecting 21 points against the Ospreys. Correa also grabbed five rebounds, two assists, one block, and a field goal percentage of 56.3, going 9-of-16. Correa led the Gators in scoring during their last time out and she has no plans of slowing down.
NONCONFERENCE DOMINANCE
Dating back to the 2019-20 season, Florida is in the midst of a 23-game home winning streak during nonconference competition, the second-longest streak in program history. The last home loss for the Gators in the nonconference came on Nov. 26, 2019, when Florida State defeated the Gators 66-55.
MAKING DEBUTS
The Gators have a fairly new roster this season with three transfers:
Kenza Salgues,
Eriny Kindred, and
Alexia Dizeko, along with sole freshman
Laila Reynolds. Coach Kelly Finley also refers to
Zippy Broughton, and
Aliyah Matharu as "newcomers" due to them sitting out last season for differing reasons.
COACHING CHANGES
The Gators have also seen staff changes this year with the addition of assistant coach Dan Boice and WNBA All-Star
Rhyne Howard.
Tamisha Augustin also earned a new title as Associate Head Coach of the Florida Gators. As Florida navigates these new roles, Coach Kelly has emphasized the importance of different experiences within the game of basketball allowing the team to learn from a variety of experts.
#GoGators
