Florida’s senior night at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center was filled with emotions as the Gators honored their veterans one last time at home. However, the celebration was cut short by a tough conference loss, resulting in a bittersweet farewell.
“Jeriah and the rest of our seniors have put a lot of time into building this program, and as their coach, in the day and age of NIL and the transfer portal, they could have made a lot of different choices than to be here at Florida,” UF head coach Kelly Rae Finley said. “So, as their coach, I’m proud of them.”
In its final home game of the season, Florida (14-15, 5-10 SEC) struggled to play a full 40 minutes of basketball, falling to No. 13 Oklahoma (22-6, 10-5) 89-65 on Thursday night in the Sooners’ first-ever visit to Gainesville.
“I thought you saw a team that wanted something really badly, and sometimes when you want something so badly, things just don’t go your way,” Finley said. “That’s what happens in life, right?”
Despite only having two turnovers in the first quarter, the Gators gave up 11 in the following period. Moreover, multiple key Florida players found themselves in foul trouble in the first half. These miscues opened the door for Oklahoma to extend its initially small three-point lead to 24 by the end of the game.
“We were in a little bit of foul trouble in the first half,” Finley said. “All of a sudden, Jeriah’s got three, Laila’s got three, Shay’s got three, I’m like, okay, everybody’s got three.”
Six Oklahoma players reached double-digits in the scoring column, as senior guard Payton Verhulst led the way with 17 points.
Meanwhile the Gators only had three players reach that tally. UF senior forward Alexia Dizeko ended the night with 11 points on 4-of-9 field goals and 2-of-2 free throws. Freshman guard Liv McGill also chipped in with 14 points on 6-of-14 field goal shooting, while senior center Ra Shaya Kyle followed with 11 points on 3-of-8 from the field and 5-of-7 on free throws.
Although Kyle fell short of notching her 14th double-double and ended the first half with only three points, she picked up the pace in the second half, leading Florida with eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, sophomore guard Laila Reynolds and senior guard Jeriah Warren contributed seven and eight points, respectively.
“[Warren’s] shooting the leather off the ball and we need her to shoot the ball more if we want to be successful,” Finley said.
Overall, Oklahoma shot 44%, compared to Florida’s 31%. The Sooners, ranked No. 2 in the SEC for steals (11.9 ppg), snagged 12 steals and outrebounded the Gators 52-39.
OU also surpassed its season average of 21.8 assists, which ranks at No. 1 in the nation, with 23 on Thursday.
OU started off strong, taking a 12-point lead early on in the first quarter. However, as the Sooners went on a 7-0 run, the Gators responded with a 10-0 run of their own to cut OU’s lead to two.
UF senior forward Eriny Kindred began the spurt with a pair of free throws. Dizeko followed suit with Florida’s first three-pointer and a layup. Reynolds continued the effort with another three-pointer to get a 19-18 lead, its only moment of the night leading, concluding a 15-2 run.
Although the Sooners had a 22-19 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Gators had already forced seven turnovers at this point in the game, compared to OU’s two.
However, in the second quarter, the roles reversed, where the Gators’ turnover troubles completely hindered them. Oklahoma went on to outscore UF 22-13 in the period, as Florida shot a game-low 29% from the field in that span.
Coming out of halftime, the Gators had a newfound energy, securing a 7-0 run at the start of the third quarter. McGill stole the ball and returned it for a layup, sending the crowd in the O’Dome into an uproar as the Gators started to play harder.
In the third quarter, Oklahoma only outscored Florida by three points (20-17) as UF managed to force seven turnovers.
Still, the Sooners’ well-established lead provided them with a comfortable cushion as they entered the final period and completely shut the game down. OU scored 25 points in the fourth quarter, including a game-high four three-pointers, compared to UF’s 16 points.
Up next, Florida hits the road to take on Texas (28-2, 14-1) on Sunday at 2 p.m. in its last game before the SEC tournament. The Longhorns, currently ranked No. 1 in the country, are on a 12-game winning streak.
“What a cool opportunity, right,“ Finley said. “Nobody else in the country, nobody else in women’s basketball has competed against the number one team in the country and a sold out arena on their home floor for the last game of the season.”
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.
