Instead of coming out energized from its bye-week, Florida Gators women’s basketball was unable to snap its two-game losing streak and came up short against the Auburn Tigers.
Florida (11-10, 2-5 SEC) was handed its third consecutive defeat in SEC play in a 74-51 loss to Auburn (11-10, 2-6 SEC).
The Gators were plagued by inconsistent play and another slow start this Sunday afternoon in their fourth consecutive game on the road.
Once again, Florida continued to struggle with giving up turnovers, reaching its game average by just half with 17 and ending the game with 24. The Tigers also outshot the Gators with 48%, compared to 35%.
Auburn graduate student forward DeYona Gaston initiated a strong start for her team by scoring the first bucket of the game. The Tigers were then able to secure an early 6-0 lead off their aggressiveness and strong defensive plays that kept Florida’s top scorers stagnant.
Gaston, the third-ranked scorer in the SEC, led her team with 18 total points.
Freshman guard Liv McGill tied for the highest points with 11 points on 5-for-5 shooting by halftime. However, Florida’s top recruit found herself in foul trouble that contributed to her not having any points in the second half.
Senior center Ra Shaya Kyle was almost entirely shut down in the first period as she only scored two points in the last three seconds. Although the third-ranked player in the SEC for double-doubles struggled to finish balls at the rim, Kyle ended the game with 11 points and a team-high of 7 rebounds.
The Gators were only able to get on the board with two minutes remaining in the first quarter due to freshman guard/forward Me’Arah O’Neal scoring off a free throw. The 6-foot-4-inch McDonald’s All-American was 2-of-2 from the free throw line and contributed five points today.
The second quarter told a similar story as Auburn scored first to start it off and then continued to dominate, securing an 18-2 run. By halftime, the Tigers had eight players contributing points, while the Gators only had four. The Tigers also had 14 bench points compared to the Gators’ two.
Florida entered halftime down by 20 points at 41-21.
By the end of the game, Auburn had nine players contributing points with three who reached double-digits. AU guard Yuting Deng had the second-most points with 16, while senior forward Celia Sumbane followed with 12.
Meanwhile, sophomore guard Laila Reynolds helped spearhead a fight in the third quarter after only scoring two in the first half. She racked eight points on 3-of-4 field goals and 2-of-2 free throws to reach double-digit scoring (10). Reynolds led in points this quarter, helping the Gators outscore the Tigers 18-15.
Senior guard Kenza Salgues also kept the Gators moving with four points this quarter. She was 2-of-5 in field goals and three-pointers and 1-of-2 in free throws, totaling seven points.
However, Auburn had control of the game since it opened and secured its highest lead in the fourth quarter with 23 points. Deng closed out the game with eight points in the last quarter. The freshman from China was 4-of-7 from the three-point line, single-handedly scoring more three-pointers than the Gators’ total (3-of-11).
Florida returns home to regroup against Vanderbilt University (17-4, 4-3 SEC) this Thursday at 7 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 Spring 2025 women's basketball reporter. This is her second semester at the sports desk for The Alligator, and she previously interned for Fort Lauderdale United FC. In her free time, she enjoys lifting, shopping and reading.
