Coming into Monday night sporting a four-game losing skid, the Florida Gators knew they needed to find a way to get back on track. Sure enough, they did exactly that in a fiery performance against the Hofstra Pride at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
Florida (4-3) had four players reach double-digit scoring figures in an emphatic 75-48 victory over Hofstra (2-5). Despite a bumpy second quarter that saw the Gators score just 11 points, UF managed to find its footing in the second half and put down the Pride with ease.
“Tonight was a huge improvement for us on our last two games,” UF head coach Kelly Rae Finley said. “The truth is that we’ve been working extremely hard on the court and off the court to gain experience early in the season that’s going to help us come conference play.”
Florida shot 61.9% from the field in the second half to Hofstra’s 22.2%. The Gators also dominated the rebounding game all evening long, collecting 46 boards to the Pride’s 32.
Senior center Ra Shaya Kyle led the way offensively with 15 points and 11 rebounds, marking her fourth double-double of the season. Freshman wing Me’Arah O’Neal recorded a double-double of her own for the Gators with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while sophomore guard Laila Reynolds chipped in with 12 points, seven boards and two steals. O’Neal tallied a pair of steals and a block for herself as well.
Reynolds’ appearance marked her first home game of the 2024-25 season. After missing Florida’s four games due to injury, Reynolds made her season debut in Tallahassee against FSU on Nov. 22. The sophomore guard expressed in her post-game remarks that she could not have been happier to take back to the hardwood at the O’Dome.
“It felt great to be able to play with my teammates and play Gator basketball,” Reynolds said. “Just have to make sure I hit my shots, my free throws and be able to get my teammates involved.”
Freshman guard Liv McGill was all over the place for the Gators in Monday’s victory. The Florida floor general racked up 10 points, five assists, four rebounds and four steals.
Hofstra gave the Gators a bit of a scare early on, as the Pride traded blows with them through the opening minutes of the first quarter. After Hofstra clawed its way to a narrow 7-6 lead, however, Florida put its foot back down and kept it there for the rest of the night.
With just under seven minutes remaining in the first period, the Gators took off on a 19-3 run to secure an early double-digit lead. O’Neal scored seven points in the quarter on a perfect 3-of-3 from the field, while Reynolds chipped in with six points, three rebounds and one steal of her own.
“Last night, I was really dreaming about how I was going to play today,” O’Neal said. “I was just trying to live up to that… and give my best effort.”
Kyle made her presence felt throughout the game’s early going as well, tallying six points and seven rebounds in the first ten minutes of action. By the end of the first quarter, the Gators had already jumped out to a sizable 25-10 lead.
Even then, Hofstra refused to go away quietly. The Pride opened the second quarter with a 9-1 run to cut Florida’s lead to as little as six points.
UF’s offense seemingly stalled out as Hofstra continued to heat back up. The Gators shot just 4-of-16 (25%) from the field in the second quarter, including 0-of-2 from 3-point range.
Even then, Florida carried a 36-27 lead into halftime, thanks in part to a stellar performance on the glass. The Gators came down with 15 offensive and 25 total rebounds to Hofstra’s five and 18, respectively.
Florida came back out of the break immediately swinging, stringing together a 10-0 run to open the third quarter and go back up by double digits. Kyle led the way for Florida to open the second half, tallying seven points over the first five minutes while shooting a perfect 3-of-3 from the field.
Following a steal-and-score solo fast break from freshman guard Liv McGill, Florida led by as many as 20 points in the third quarter. By the end of the period, UF’s lead sat at 57-39.
Even as they entered the final 10 minutes with an already-comfortable lead, the Gators continued to fire away on all cylinders in the fourth quarter. Florida opened the period on a 10-0 run to go up 67-39.
From there, UF went on cruise control to close out the evening. The Pride managed to score just nine more points in the game’s final 10 minutes, as Florida emerged victorious and climbed back to .500 on the season.
Up next for Florida is an inter-conference showdown, as the Gators will head to South Carolina to take on the Clemson Tigers. The ACC/SEC Challenge matchup will take place this Thursday, with tip-off time set for 8 p.m.
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.
