On a chilly night in College Station, the Florida Gators brought the heat to the Reed Arena, firing on all cylinders to secure a dominating victory.
The Gators (14-13, 5-8 SEC) defeated the Texas A&M Aggies (10-15, 3-10 SEC) 74-52, extending the latter’s six-game losing streak.
Florida rode the high of its exhilarating last-minute victory last Sunday against Mississippi State, which senior guard Jeriah Warren capped off with a game-winning three pointer.
UF quickly established its presence on the hardwood, securing a 21-point lead over Texas A&M just by the half. Florida held Texas to a game-low four points in the second quarter.
The Gators capitalized on 17 Aggie turnovers, scoring 22 points. Meanwhile, TAMU was only able to score 10 points off 15 UF turnovers.
Nine Gators on the roster contributed in the scoring column, with freshman guard Liv McGill leading the way with 18 points. Senior center Ra Shaya Kyle and Warren chipped in with 12 and 11, respectively.
McGill led the Gators’ offense yet again, marking her 25th game out of 27 this season where she has reached double figures in scoring.
Kyle, ranked second in the SEC for double-doubles, came close to reaching her 13th of the season with eight rebounds.
The senior and McGill also finished the evening perfect from the free-throw line, with Kyle going 6-of-6 and Kyle going 4-of-4. Florida dominated at the charity stripe, shooting 67% compared to Texas A&M’s 47%.
Despite falling short of her typical double-digit scoring rates, sophomore guard Laila Reynolds recorded a team-high nine rebounds and six assists.
At the end of the first quarter, Florida led by only four points (17-13). However, it stepped on the gas in the second quarter and did not let up.
Although the Aggies opened the second quarter with four points to tie the game, the Gators responded with a 21-0 run to finish the period. Warren and senior guard Kenza Salgues contributed with a combined three 3-pointers (one for Warren and two for Salgues).
Warren ended the game with a 3-of-4 clip from the 3-point line, while Salgues went 2 of 5. Overall, Florida went 6 of 17 from beyond the arc, compared to A&M’s 1 of 12.
TAMU sophomore guard Sole Williams led her team in the first half with seven points. She ended the night with a team-high 13 points on 4-of-8 field goal shooting.
After halftime, the game became more competitive. The Aggies put up 20 points in the third quarter compared to the Gators’ 21.
TAMU graduate student guard Sahara Jones reached double-digits with 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting, while redshirt senior forward Lauren Ware tallied 11 points on 5-of-9 from the field.
Although Texas A&M put up an even 15 points in the fourth quarter, the Gators’ entered the final period with a firm lead that remained until the final whistle blew.
Florida returns to the Stephen C. O’Connell Center to take on No. 15 Tennessee (20-6, 7-6 SEC) on Sunday. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.
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.
