Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. —The Gators will host Florida A&M Thursday evening in their second game of the 2024-25 campaign. The Florida based team's will tip-off at 5 p.m. in a double-header event with the men to follow at 8 p.m. versus Jacksonville.

Florida returns to the Exactech Arena after defeating Florida Atlantic 82 to 54 on Monday evening and will look to start the season 2-0.

Florida A&M (0-1, 0-0 SWAC):

• Date: Thursday, Nov. 7
• Time: 5 p.m. ET
• Site: Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O'Connell Center
• Stream: SEC Network +
• Radio: ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM / 850 AM
• Stats: StatBroadcast
• Tickets

Tale of the Florida Tape:

Florida	The Numbers	Florida A&M
82	PPG	66
54	OPP PPG	78
+28	SCORING MARGIN	-12
42.4	FG %	37.1
31.7	OPP FG%	52.6
37.5	3 FG%	57.1
70.8	FT %	50
47	REBOUNDS PG	39
19	ASSISTS PG	10
8	TURNOVERS PG	22
8	STEALS PG	11
11	BLOCKS PG	2

THE SERIES:
The overall series between the Gators and Florida A&M stands at 12-5. The Orange & Blue lead the series by a margin of seven and will look to tally win number 13 over the Rattlers on Thursday.

GATORS x RATTLERS HISTORY:
The Gators have matched up against Florida A&M for a recorded 17 times, dating back to 1980. Florida currently holds a five-game win streak against the Rattlers. The current win streak started on Dec. 21, 2016 with the Gators defeating Florida A&M 78-65 in neutral territory. From there the Gators won in 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023. In the last 10 matchups, Florida has boasted a 9-1 record against the Rattlers with the Gator's largest margin of victory standing at +44 (84-40) on Dec. 1, 2019. The Florida based team's last met on Nov. 13, 2023, in the O'Dome resulting in a 92-54 Gators victory.

PROJECTED FLORIDA STARTERS:

Florida	No.	Height	Position	Class	Hometown/Previous School
Kenza Salgues	6	5-9	G	Sr.	Montpellier, France / Miami
Me'Arah O'Neal	8	6-4	G/F	Fr.	Houston, TX
Jeriah Warren	20	6-0	G	Sr.	Lake Charles, LA
Liv McGill	23	5-9	G	Fr.	Minneapolis, MN
Ra Shaya Kyle	24	6-6	C	Sr.	Marion, Ind. / Purdue

FLORIDA'S LAST TIME OUT:
The Gators are coming off a successful season opener with a 28-point victory over Florida Atlantic. The Gators defeated the Owls 82-54 with four players reaching double digits in scoring. Jeriah Warren led offensively with 21 points for the Gators. Ra Shaya Kyle followed securing 17, and freshman Liv McGill grabbed 14.

Florida transfer Alexia Gassett led on defense with seven rebounds, three blocks, and three steals. Gassett set her career high in blocks and tied her career high in rebounds during her debut as a Gator. Florida's 82-points came from seven different players proving their offensive versatility.

Breaking down the 82-points further, Florida had 30 in the paint, 23 off FAU turnovers, 17 from second chances, and 12 bench points. The Gators closed out the Monday contest shooting 42.4 from the field and 37.5 from the field.

GATOR QUICK HITS:

• Jeriah Warren recorded 21-points against Florida Atlantic on Nov. 4, 2024, setting her career high in scoring during her senior debut
• Warren's 21-point performance also marked her first time in her collegiate career reaching the 20+ category for scoring 
• Ra Shaya Kyle will return to the hardwood for the second game of the season after suffering a season ending injury in January, 2024
• Florida has three McDonald's All-American's on the 2024-25 roster, the most in program history 
• Freshman Liv McGill will be coming off a 14-point outing against Florida Atlantic 
• UF's current all-time record stands at 824-665
• With a win over the Rattlers, Florida will secure the program's 445th win at home 
• Coach Kelly Rae Finley looks to tally her third win over Florida A&M since taking over in 2021

ABOUT THE RATTLERS:

• Florida A&M is coming off a 12-point loss to Howard (78-66)
• This will be the Rattlers first away contest of the 2024-25 season
• FAMU is currently being led by D'Mya Griffin on offense with 19 ppg
• Sydney Hendrix will look to grab her second consecutive double-double after securing 10-points and 10-rebounds in Monday's contest against Howard
• The Rattlers had three players in double-figures for scoring in Monday's matchup versus Howard
• Florida A&M only has one freshman on the 2024-25 roster
• Head Coach Bridgette Gordon is entering her second season as the Rattler's leader

THURSDAY NIGHT PROMOTIONS:

• 500 "50 Years" of UF Women's Basketball buttons (Season Ticket Holders) & 200 Crumbl cookies (UF students)
• Free admission to the MBK vs. Jacksonville at 8 PM with a WBK ticket.

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