With one second remaining, UF senior guard Kenza Salgues stepped back and leaped. She launched a three-pointer that splashed through the net and sealed a comeback victory against the UNLV Rebels in Las Vegas.
In a nail-biting match that featured 13 lead changes, No. 3 seed Florida (18-17) overcame an 11-point halftime deficit to win 86-84 against No. 2 seed UNLV (26-8) in the second round of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT).
Florida’s fight to victory began in the final moments of the first half, when UF senior guard Jeriah Warren sank a buzzer-beater from nearly half-court to spark the Gators’ offense. It marked the second time this season Warren nailed a game-changing shot at the horn following her game-winner against Mississippi State on Feb. 16.
Coming off a career-high 28 points against Northern Iowa on Thursday, Warren added 18 more on 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc on Sunday. She nailed four 3-pointers in the third quarter to bring the game within reach, helping Florida outscore UNLV 25-15 in the quarter and enter the final period down 65-64.
Freshman guard Liv McGill added to Florida’s second-half offensive onslaught. After scoring only six points in the first half due to finding herself in foul trouble, she ended the night with a team-high 22 points on 9-of-19 from the field. McGill gave Florida its first lead since the opening quarter with a layup early in the fourth. However, the lead flipped back to UNLV later on in the period. After a missed layup by McGill, Rebels senior guard Kiara Jackson extended her squad’s lead to 80-76 with a left-handed layup.
Still, the highly-touted freshman and her team continued to persist through adversity. The Gators responded with a 6-0 run to reclaim an 82-80 advantage, but UNLV sophomore guard Amarachi Kimpson sank a jumper to tie it up again before taking an 84-82 lead with less than one minute left.
Florida called a timeout and huddled to draw up a plan with 42 seconds remaining. After a missed free throw that could’ve tied the game, McGill made a crucial defensive stop on Jackson and assisted Salgues, whose 3-pointer gave Florida the final lead.
Salgues finished with 13 points on 4 of 7 from the field, 3 of 6 from three and 2 of 2 on free throws. Sophomore guard Laila Reynolds also added 13 points on a perfect 5 of 5 from the field and 3 of 3 from beyond the arc.
Florida had zero players in double-figures in the scoring column at the half, compared to UNLV's three. The Gators, however, finished with four players scoring 10 or more on the day.
UF senior forward Alexia Dizeko led UF in points in the first half with nine, scoring a pair of threes in the second quarter to cut the Rebels’ lead to three. Reynolds added a key 3three-pointer in that stretch as well, narrowing the gap to two. However, a 12-0 Rebels run extended the margin before Warren’s three gave Florida life heading into halftime.
UF shot 50% from the field compared to UNLV’s 45%, making up for the former squad’s 15 turnovers. The Gators also drained a season-high 14 three-pointers on the day.
Florida will now face Texas Tech (19-17) at home in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Tip-off time is set for 6 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.
