In the second quarter, UF junior forward Alexia Gassett jumped up with her 6’2 frame to make a commanding block against the Ospreys, showing that the Gators were back and charged up in Saturday’s match.
Coming off a tough loss against North Carolina in the Jumpman Invitational, Florida (8-5) defeated the North Florida Ospreys (4-9) 75-47 in the back-half of a double-header with the UF men’s squad.
The Gators secured their eight consecutive win over the Ospreys in the history of the matchup between the two schools, with three UF players reaching double-figure scoring and two players just shy of double-doubles.
Senior Ra Shaya Kyle led the Gators once again in points with 18. The UF veteran center also secured nine rebounds.
Kyle set the tone of the game by scoring six points in the first quarter. While she did not secure her eighth double-double of the season, her performance marked a strong resurgence after she failed to reach double-figures in her last game.
Florida’s struggles seemed to dwindle both offensively and defensively as the Gators only committed 11 turnovers, compared to 20 in Wednesday’s game against UNC.
However, Florida still needs to tweak some aspects of its game before SEC play begins in two weeks. Similar to Wednesday, Florida’s three-point shooting percentage was zero percent for half the game and only improved to 11% by the end.
While UNF freshman guard Jamisyn Stinson kept the Gators on their toes with 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the three-point line, Florida was able to hold UNF to 26% shooting overall.
Even in the second quarter, when North Florida narrowed Florida’s lead down to only six points, the Gators managed to push through and extend their lead to 34-23 into the halftime break.
Gassett paved the way on defense, leading the Gators in rebounds with 10 while also racking up eight points. She even came close to her second-career double-double in the fourth quarter, but she came up just two points shy.
After having a slow start to the game with zero points scored in the first quarter, freshman guard Liv McGill found her footing, bursting out from halftime with five points and leading the Gators in points in the fourth quarter with six. McGill trailed behind Kyle and tied for the highest points this game with 14 on 6-of-17 shooting.
Sophomore guard Laila Reynolds was also a key force, tying with McGill with 14 points. Reynolds moved seamlessly in the paint, contributing to the Gators’ 50 total points in the paint.
Senior forward Alexia Dizeko, making her first start of the season, also helped lock down Florida’s lead with seven points, going 2-of-2 on field goals, 1-of-1 on three-pointers and 2-of-2 on free throws.
Florida cruised to victory from the third quarter onward as they ended the period with their highest lead of 23 points on a 6-0 run.
From there on out, it was smooth sailing for the Gators as they handed the Ospreys their 13th consecutive loss of the season.
Florida plays its last non-conference game against Alabama State University (2-9) next Sunday at 3:45 p.m. at the Stephen C O’Connell Center.
Contact Amanda Roman at aroman@alligator.org. Follow her on X @mandy_romannn
Amanda Roman is a sophomore sports journalism major and The Alligator's Fall 2024 Soccer Reporter. She interned for Fort Lauderdale United FC this past summer as the team's journalist. In her free time, she enjoys lifting, shopping and reading.
