erinykindredposthalfcourtshot
The Florida Gators celebrate the made half-court shot by Alexia Dizeko to solidify their lead going into the locker room at halftime. (Photo: Bryce Mitchell/UAA Communications)
69
Bethune-Cookman BCU 0-2,0-0 SWAC
83
Winner Florida UF 2-0,0-0 SEC
Bethune-Cookman BCU
0-2,0-0 SWAC
69
Final
83
Florida UF
2-0,0-0 SEC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Bethune-Cookman BCU 10 19 18 22 69
Florida UF 19 17 26 21 83

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Meg Christenson

Matharu's 25 Leads Gators in Win Over Bethune-Cookman

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Senior guard Aliyah Matharum scored 25 points and handed out six assists to lead the Gators to a 83-69 victory Thursday night over Bethune-Cookman at Exactech Arena. Matharu hit 11 of her 19 field-goal attempts, including three of her seven 3-point tries, over 29 minutes. UF senior center Ra Shaya Kyle posted 15 points and 12 rebounds, while backup guard Kenza Salgues, a transfer from Miami, tallied a career-high 14 points off the bench, with a stellar 4-for-5 effort from the 3-point arc.

SERIES RECORD
Florida leads the all-time series with Bethune-Cookman 8-0.

NONCONFERENCE DOMINANCE
Dating back to the 2019-20 season, Florida is in the midst of a 24-game home winning streak during nonconference competition, the second-longest streak in school history. The last home loss for the Gators in the non-conference came on Nov. 26, 2019, when Florida State defeated UF 66-55.

IN THE FIRST:
  • Freshman forward Laila Reynolds made her first collegiate start as a Gator, replacing junior guard Alberte Rimdal, who was out with an injury.
  • Faith Dut won the tip for the Gators to give Florida initial possession.
  • Kyle recorded six rebounds for the Gators in the first 10 minutes.
  • Zippy Broughton, playing in just her second game after sitting out last season due to injury, hit the court claiming her first points in over 19 months.
  • Alexia Dizeko finished the first quarter knocking down a half court shot.
    • The half-court shot marked her first career points as a Gator.
  • Matharu led Florida in scoring at the end of the first collecting eight points.
IN THE SECOND:
  • Matharu continued on a scoring run, collecting all of her second quarter points within the first 70 seconds of play.
  • Salgues hit back to back three-point jumpers.
    • Also marking her first career points as a Gator.
  • Florida forced five turnovers on BCC.
  • The Gators collected eight bench points and eight points in the paint.
IN THE THIRD:
  • Leilani Correa collected her first steal of the game, leading to a fast break layup.
  • The Gators increased their forced turnovers on BCC in the third, totaling seven.
  • Florida ended the third shooting 60% from the three and 53% from the field, going 9-of-17.
  • Salgues hit another three-point jumper for the Gators, making her 100 percent from the three going into the final quarter.
  • The Gators scored 26 points in the third for their highest scoring quarter of the game.
IN THE FOURTH:
  • Kyle led the Gators in scoring during the final quarter with nine points.
  • Florida dominated in the paint with 12 of their 21 points coming in the paint.
  • Kyle had the game block, towering over BCC in a one hand swat to shift the momentum back in favor of Florida for the last three minutes of play.
  • Florida finished out the fourth shooting 53 percent from the field.
  • Reynolds, the McDonald's All American and top-20 prospect, finished with six points, two rebounds and two steals over 19 minutes in her first start.
WORTH NOTING.
  • Both Salgues and Dizeko recorded their first career points as a Gator.
  • Salgues also went four-of-five from the three-point line in tonight's matchup.
  • Matharu was only two points away from her career-high of 27 (collected at Texas against Tennessee as a junior).


THEY SAID IT
UF coach Kelly Rae Finley on tonight's game:
"The team that can make more runs and sustain more runs is usually the team that wins the game. And so that's something that we have to learn. We have a lot of veterans on our team, but we don't have a lot of people that have played a lot of minutes together. That's something that I expected early on, but I've liked the way we have been coming together. One thing about this team is if we focus on something and slowdown in our minds, we are really good at executing whatever has been asked of us. And I think as a coach that's really comforting.
 
UF guard Aliyah Matharu on playing Bethune-Cookman and her part in leading:
"I knew they [Bethune-Cookman] was going to be tough and physical, they weren't going to quit no matter how far ahead we were and they showed that. Being able to get my teammates to match my energy has also been a big point and I have been trying to be more vocal on defense at all times. I want to stay positive and keep everyone on the same page."
 
NEXT UP:
Florida will return to Exactech Arena on Monday night to play Florida A&M. The matchup is set for 8 p.m. tip and will be aired on SEC Network.
 
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