With 3:34 to go in the fourth quarter of the Gators women’s basketball contest against Ole Miss, Florida senior guard Leilani Correa converted a reverse right-handed layup under the basket. It cut the UF deficit to nine points and put her up to 30 points on the night.
However, it was the closest the Gators (10-8, 1-5 SEC) would get to Ole Miss (14-5, 4-2 SEC) in the second half, as they ultimately fell to the Rebels 81-70 in Oxford Thursday.
Correa finished the game with a season-high 33 points, but 20 turnovers committed by the Gators doomed any potential comeback in the fourth quarter.
Correa came off of the bench and scored the first points for Florida, but it wasn’t until the 5:49 mark of the first quarter. Ole Miss had jumped out to a 10-0 lead, taking advantage of points off of turnovers.
Additionally, the Gators failed to make a field goal until the 4:40 mark of the first quarter. Graduate student guard Kenza Salgues buried a 3-pointer from the right wing to end Florida’s 0-for-8 start from the field.
The Rebels never trailed throughout the game thanks to a hot start from the field in the the first quarter. Ole Miss closed the quarter shooting 6-for-8 from the field, ultimately finishing the quarter 12-for-17 from the floor. They were easily able to find open layups down low, causing Florida’s deficit to grow in the closing minutes of the quarter.
Additionally, the Rebels went on an 8-0 run in the final 1:38 of the quarter, allowing them to take a 28-14 lead over the Gators into the second quarter.
With three minutes to go in the second, Ole Miss senior guard Marquesh Davis drove to the paint, finished through hard contact and converted the and-1 free throw. It extended the Rebels’ lead to 41-21.
Then, Ole Miss freshman guard Mariyah Noel looked at the Florida defenders and quickly drove to the left side of the basket. As she neared the out-of-bounds line, she flipped the ball up with her right hand and finished while taking contact. She went to the line and converted the free throw to put Ole Miss back up 20 points.
Despite a failed half-court heave as the halftime buzzer sounded, it was all Rebels in the half. The Gators had 13 turnovers, and Ole Miss took advantage by scoring 23 points off of Florida’s mistakes in the half.
And despite 14 first-half points from Correa, the Gators’ mistakes proved too much to overcome in the second half.
Additionally, the Gators struggled from the floor in the half, shooting just 7-of-26 from the field.
Despite the struggles in the first half, the Gators opened the second half on a 7-2 run, cutting the Ole Miss lead to 50-35.
Moreover, the Gators forced six turnovers halfway through the third quarter, keeping them in the contest.
UF cooled off, and with 2:52 to go in the third quarter, Florida was just 3-for-14 shooting in the half after the hot start.
The team made just three more field goals in the quarter, shooting 6-for-19. The team trailed 62-45 as the third quarter ended, but outscored the Rebels by three points.
In the final quarter, the Gators slowly clawed back in Oxford. After a mid-range jumper from Correa, Florida cut its deficit to 13 points at 64-51 with eight minutes to go.
But with 7:22 to go, Davis drove hard in the paint and pulled the ball back, sending two Gators towards the baseline. She quickly rose up, and swished her jump shot to increase the Ole Miss lead to 68-50. The basket recorded her 19th point of the night, and she finished with 23 going 10-for-14 from the floor.
Despite multiple deficit cuts to single digits, the Gators never cut the Rebels’ lead to under nine points, and more turnovers down the stretch caused the Gators to fall.
And with Florida’s conference record falling to 1-5, their March Madness hopes may be drifting away, as well.
Junior guard Jeriah Warren finished with 10 points while freshman Laila Reynolds had nine points.
Florida finished the contest shooting 38.3% from the field and 41.2% from 3.
Next, the Gators will host the Texas A&M Aggies Sunday. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. and will be aired on the SEC Network.
Contact Bennett Solomon at bsolomon@alligator.org. Follow him on X @B_Soly11.
