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Wednesday, January 08, 2025

Jeriah Warren sets career-high, leads Florida to commanding season-opening win over FAU

The UF senior guard scored 21 points on 7-of-12 from the field to lead the Gators to a 1-0 start on the new season

Florida Gators Guard Jeriah Warren (20) shoots a three pointer during the second half vs the Florida Atlantic University Owls on Monday, November 4, 2024.
Florida Gators Guard Jeriah Warren (20) shoots a three pointer during the second half vs the Florida Atlantic University Owls on Monday, November 4, 2024.

Coming off of a roller-coaster of a 2023-24 campaign and a busy offseason that saw all kinds of new talent landing in Gainesville, the Florida Gators women’s basketball team knew the stakes were higher than ever in their regular season opener on Monday night.

In their first official action on the hardwood since March 21, the Gators showed up and showed out against the Florida Atlantic Owls. Florida took a double-digit lead in the first quarter and never looked back, eventually coming away with a dominant 82-54 victory. Senior guard Jeriah Warren led the way for Florida with a career-high 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field.

Highly touted freshman guard Liv McGill put on a show in her first official outing as a Gator. McGill finished the night with 14 points, five rebounds, six assists and zero turnovers.

UF senior center Ra Shaya Kyle also tallied a strong performance in her first official appearance on the hardwood since sustaining a season-ending leg injury against Vanderbilt on Jan. 7. Kyle racked up 17 points (including 16 in the first half), six rebounds and three blocks on the evening.

“Jeriah didn’t take very many shots in the first half, but Shay filled up the bucket,” UF head coach Kelly Rae Finley said. “That’s the value of a team. And then in the second half, third [and] fourth quarter, they had to double-team, they had to really sit on Shay. Well now, Jeriah – it’s just as good as an assist to me, in my book.”

Kyle immediately made her presence felt on Monday night, scoring six points in the first three-and-a-half minutes of the contest. She went on to convert on a crucial and-one later in the first quarter to push the Gators to a double-digit lead, which they proceeded to hold on to for the remainder of the evening.

“This is something I’ve been waiting on for a really long time, so I was really excited,” Kyle said. “With the help of my teammates and my coaches, it gives me the utmost confidence.”

While Florida’s veteran center set the tone for the squad early on, her teammates soon followed suit. Senior guard Kenza Salgues knocked down a pair of threes in the first quarter, helping to push UF to a 26-15 lead by the end of the period. 

Meanwhile, UF junior forward Alexia Gassett blocked three shots and came away with a pair of steals in the first half alone. 

With the Gators already rolling early in the contest, McGill got to work and immediately made some noise in her collegiate debut. The freshman guard tallied 12 points and six assists in the first half, all while providing her squad a much-needed spark of energy on both ends of the court.

“I thought she had an overall very good floor game,” Finley said. “I know she would’ve loved to finish a couple more of those layups, but that’s going to come, right? It’s going to come with time, with speed and experience. I was overall really pleased with her game tonight.”

Coming into the second half sporting a 46-29 lead, Florida initially struggled to find its offensive rhythm in the third quarter. The Gators shot 2-of-7 from the field through the first five minutes of the period.

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Where UF struggled offensively, however, it more than made up for defensively. The Gators held the Owls to just 5-of-15 (33.3%) from the field in the third.

Warren eventually snapped Florida’s offensive dry spell with a three-ball coming out of a mid-quarter timeout. She subsequently finished the period with 10 points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line. Warren’s hot hand proved to be enough to keep the Gators in front, as they held on to a 61-44 lead by the end of the third quarter.

“I’ve been working on my game,” Warren said. ““I trust my teammates to find me, and they did a really good job.”

Meanwhile, the Owls heavily struggled to convert on their three-point attempts. FAU shot 6-for-20 from deep on the night, including 2-for-11 in the second half alone. 

Where the Owls struggled from long distance, the Gators thrived. Salgues and Warren each knocked down a three-ball early in the fourth quarter, extending Florida’s lead to 71-46 and prompting an FAU timeout.

From there, UF went on cruise control for the remainder of the evening. Coming out of the break, Warren knocked down yet another three-ball to secure the first 20-point outing of her collegiate career. Florida eventually built its lead all the way up to 28 points, with a layup from senior forward Eriny Kindred in the final minute of play culminating an all-around dominant performance from the team.

The Gators will return to the O’Dome on Nov. 5 to lead off a double-header alongside the men’s basketball team. Florida’s women’s squad will take on the Florida A&M Rattlers, with tipoff set for 5 p.m.

Contact Jack Meyer at jmeyer@alligator.org. Follow him on X @jackmeyerUF.

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Jack Meyer

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.


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