As the leaves continue to fall and the temperatures wind down near the end of October, college basketball season only continues to loom closer and closer.
On Wednesday night, the Florida Gators women’s basketball team returned to the Stephen C. O’Connell Center hardwood for the first time in seven months. With the Flagler College Saints in town for an exhibition matchup, Florida was looking to shake the rust off and give its fans something to cheer for leading up to the regular season opener next week. Behind an all-around team performance on both ends of the floor, they did just that.
While their exhibition against Flagler may not officially show up in the win-loss column, it certainly gave the Gators all the momentum they needed entering the 2024-25 campaign. Florida came away with a dominant 85-46 win against the Saints, thanks in part to a pair of strong performances from senior guard Jeriah Warren and senior center Ra Shaya Kyle.
“It was nice to get back in the O’Dome to play in our home arena,” UF head coach Kelly Rae Finley said. “Just getting back to our home floor and being able to play an opponent other than our practice guys or ourselves, it was a big deal for us.”
Kyle led the way for Florida with 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting and 10 rebounds. Warren also chipped in with a double-double of her own, tallying 14 points and 11 rebounds while also recording three steals.
Nevertheless, the Gators’ exhibition matchup proved to be an all-around strong team effort, but UF’s road will only grow more difficult starting next Monday. With this in mind, here are three key takeaways from today’s game as the Gators prepare to tip off their regular season.
Florida’s veterans are poised to break through
Kyle and Warren were the only two seniors to appear in Florida’s starting lineup, and seemingly for good reason. The two upperclassmen set the tone early on in the contest, as Kyle bullied the Saints with 16 points in the paint and Warren providing a spark for her squad on both offense and defense.
Coming into this season, both Kyle and Warren were widely expected to play key roles in Florida’s rotation. Kyle started in 13 games last year before missing the rest of the 2023-24 campaign due to a knee injury. Warren, on the other hand, appeared in all 32 of UF’s games, primarily serving as a 3-and-D wing alongside leading scorers Leilani Correa and Aliyah Matharu.
Now, with both Correa and Matharu gone, Warren and Kyle alike will likely need to step into larger roles for the Gators this season, especially from an offensive standpoint. If Wednesday’s action was any kind of indicator, it would appear that both UF veterans are ready for the task at hand.
“First, I’ve just [gotten] stronger, being more physical and being able to hold my own,” Warren said. “Obviously, I’ve been working on my shot… I’ve just been positive and using my experience that I had in the past. Just using my knowledge and giving it to my teammates.”
If Kyle can continue to provide Florida with a steady presence inside the paint and Warren can reach her two-way potential on both ends of the floor, both could turn into instant impact players that may help the Gators shake things up going forward.
Expect a big difference in terms of physicality this season
With the return of Kyle and a fresh set of wings set to take to the hardwood for UF this season, the Gators looked like a far more physical team against Flagler in comparison to certain moments last year. Florida came down with 63 rebounds in comparison to Flagler’s 34.
The Gators also tallied seven blocked shots and seven steals, imposing their presence both on the perimeter and in the paint defensively. Finley made note of how the team has upped the ante this past offseason, and how this newfound approach directly translated into results.
“[We wanted to] play hard, raise our standard, play together and celebrate each other,” Finley said. “[We] competed to the best of our ability and got some people some different minutes.”
Florida went on to hold Flagler to 22.0 percent from the field on the night (15-for-68) and 18.9 percent from 3-point range (7-for-37). In a conference such as the SEC that is loaded with offensive talent from top to bottom, the Gators will need to keep their defensive momentum rolling throughout the season if they want to see success.
Freshman flashes could be the main X-factor this season
From the moment they committed to the UF last offseason, all eyes within the program have been on freshman guard Liv McGill and freshman wing Me’Arah O’Neal. The pair of McDonald’s All-Americans are two of the highest-rated recruits in program history, bringing a newfound sense of hope to a Florida team that has struggled to find its footing in recent years.
O’Neal made her presence felt from the get-go, finishing with five points, six rebounds and two blocked shots. The 6-foot-4 wing was seemingly everywhere on the defensive end for the Gators, showcasing the prowess and well-roundedness that made her into the highly touted recruit she was out of high school.
When asked about her blossoming skill sets after the game, O’Neal described herself as “unique and versatile” while making it clear that she’s only just getting started.
“I mean, it’s only going to progress,” O’Neal said. “I got three more years left, I just played my first game, and I got however many games left. It’s only going to progress.”
McGill, on the other hand, struggled to find her footing early in the evening. The freshman guard finished with eight points while going 3-for-11 from the field. With that being said, she also showed plenty of flashes that showcased her elite offensive abilities, including an impressive drive through Flagler’s defense that saw her convert on a tough layup that drew plenty of cheers from the O’Dome crowd.
All signs point towards McGill and O’Neal making an immediate impact for the Gators, with both true freshmen running with Florida’s starting lineup for the majority of the evening. Whether or not the duo remain starters Monday is yet to be seen. Nevertheless, both O’Neal and McGill will have plenty of opportunities to make a name for themselves for the Gators this season, one way or another.
Florida will return to the Stephen C. O’Connell Center for its regular-season opener against FAU on Nov. 4. Tip-off time is set for 7 p.m. ET.
Contact Jack Meyer at jmeyer@alligator.org. Follow him on X @jackmeyerUF.
Jack Meyer is a fourth-year journalism major and the Assistant Sports Editor for The Alligator. In his free time, he enjoys reviewing music, spending time with friends, playing video games and going to the gym.
