Gators Welcome Lady Raiders to O’Dome for WBIT Quarterfinals
Kelly Rae Finley has now led the Gators to their second postseason quarterfinals appearance since being named head coach of the program in 2022.
Photo By: KatiePark
Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Gators Welcome Lady Raiders to O’Dome for WBIT Quarterfinals

Florida is set to face Texas Tech inside Exactech Arena Thursday night. The game will begin at 6 p.m. with the winner advancing to the 2025 WBIT Semifinals.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida welcomes Texas Tech to Gainesville for a Thursday night matchup inside Exactech Arena. The Gators host the Lady Raiders as the No. 3 seed in the 2025 WBIT quarterfinals. The matchup between UF and Texas Tech will tip off 6 p.m. ET and will be streamed on ESPN+.  
 
Florida's last time in the quarterfinals of a post-season tournament dates back to 2023. The Gators traveled to Bowling Green in March of 2023 and competed against BG in the WNIT quarterfinals. Florida ultimately dropped 69-52 to the Falcons on the road, falling just short of the NIT semifinals.

Texas Tech (19-17, 4-14 Big 12):
A FLORIDA WIN WOULD:
  • Make the Gators 5-1 in 2025 post-season play
  • Mark UF's third consecutive win in the WBIT
  • Put Florida's all-time record vs. Texas Tech at 2-0
  • Guarantee the Gators a winning record for 2024-25
  • Tally UF's 12th home win in 2024-25
  • Punch the Gators ticket to the WBIT Final Four
  • Be Coach Finley's first postseason quarterfinals win as head coach
  • Get UF back into a postseason semifinal since 2013
    • Last semifinal appearance was the WNIT in 2013
  • Record Finley's 75th win as Florida's head coach

TALE OF THE TAPE:
Florida THE NUMBERS Texas Tech
75.5 PPG 63.7
71.7 OPP PPG 63.1
+3.8 SCORING MARGIN +0.6
45.5 FG % 40.8
41.0 OPP FG% 41.9
32.6 3 FG% 31.6
72.9 FT % 70.4
39.8 REBOUNDS PG 33.2
14.6 ASSISTS PG 11.7
17.1 TURNOVERS PG 18.0
7.3 STEALS PG 9.0
3.9 BLOCKS PG 4.3
 
THE SERIES:
The Gators and the Lady Raiders have only met once before in recorded history, dating back to December of 2018. UF took a 72-67 home win over Texas Tech in the Big 12/SEC Challenge to put then all-time record at 1-0 in favor of the Gators.

GATORS X LADY RAIDERS HISTORY:
Florida and Texas Tech have a limited history with only one recorded matchup between the respective SEC and Big 12 schools. Their sole meeting was on Dec. 2, 2018, inside Exactech Arena. With the home-court advantage, Florida defeated the Lady Raiders 72-67. Thursday's matchup will mark the first meeting between the Lady Raiders and Gators in seven years.
 
PROJECTED FLORIDA STARTERS:
Florida No. Height  Position Class Hometown/Previous School
Alexia Dizeko 9 5-11 F Sr. Sion, Switzerland
Laila Reynolds 13 6-1 G So. PG County, MD
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 defeated UNLV 86-84 in an epic road battle to secure their spot in the 2025 WBIT quarterfinals on Sunday night. Florida had four players score in double digits and used a buzzer beating three from Kenza Salgues to seal the win.
 
McGill led the Gators' scoring effort with a 22-point performance, followed by Warren posting 21 points and going 6-9 from the three. Defensively, the Gators were led by Alexia Gassett and Kyle, each grabbing seven rebounds. McGill followed on the defensive end bringing in six rebounds and snagging four steals. Overall UF outrebounded the Rebels 37-35 and closed out shooting 50 percent from the field.
 
PROJECTED TEXAS TECH STARTERS:
Texas Tech No. Height  Position Class Hometown/Previous School
Jasmine Shavers 3 5-8 G Jr. Mesquite, Texas / Mississippi State
Bailey Maupin 20 5-10 G Jr. Gruver, Texas/ Gruver HS
Sarengbe Sanogo 11 6-3 F/C Jr. Paris, France/ Odessa College
Denae Fritz 5 5-11 G Jr. Maryville, Tenn./ Baylor
KIlah Freelon 2 6-1 G/F Jr. Denver Colo. / Mullen HS
 
ABOUT TEXAS TECH:
The Lady Raiders enter the third round of the WBIT with a 19-7 overall record from the 2024-25 season. During conference play, Texas Tech posted 4 wins, defeating Houston at home and away, BYU, and Colorado.
 
During the Big 12 Tournament, Texas Tech defeated Kansas, and Utah before falling 62-59 to Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals.
 
Texas Tech's most recent contest was a Sunday win over the No. 1 seeded, Virginia Tech. The Lady Raiders defeated the Hokies 69-59 on the road to solidify their spot in the WBIT quarterfinals. Texas Tech went unseeded in the 2025 WBIT tournament and has already taken out the No. 1 and No. 4 seeded teams. The Raider will now travel to Gainesville and face the No. 3 seeded Florida Gators.
 
Individually, Texas Tech is led in scoring by Shavers with an average of 14.7 points per game. The only other Lady Raider posting double figures in scoring is Maupin with 13.7 points per game. Freelon leads Texas Tech on the defensive end with an average of 4.3 rebounds per game, followed by Sanogo and Shavers at 3.8. 
 
ABOUT THE WBIT:
Event Information
Selection Criteria
Updated Bracket
 
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