The Florida Gators women’s basketball team fought for all 40 minutes in their matchup with the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Yet, no matter how closely they hung with the Bulldogs, the Gators were unable to seal the deal.
Florida (10-7, 1-4 SEC) came up short in an 89-77 loss to Mississippi State (16-5, 3-3 SEC). After trailing by single digits for the vast majority of the game, the Gators briefly took a one-point lead near the end of the third quarter before a fourth quarter collapse sealed the deal.
“Like most of our games this season, we competed really, really hard for about three-and-a-half quarters,” Florida head coach Kelly Rae Finley said. “We have to find a way to finish in that fourth quarter. That’s been our challenge just about every single night.”
Gators senior guard Leilani Correa kept her hot streak alive Monday night, finishing with a season-high 31 points while shooting 11-for-26 from the field. Junior guard Alberte Rimdal also had one of her stronger performances of the season, tallying 12 points while 5-for-12 from the field.
Rimdal also came away with two steals, and junior guard Jerriah Warren snatched four steals as well. Additionally, senior guard Aliyah Matharu came off of the bench for the second time this season due to an undisclosed illness. Matharu finished the evening with 16 points on 7-for-19 shooting in just 18 minutes of play.
Mississippi State senior guard Jerkaila Jordan led the charge for her squad with 21 points, 12 rebounds and two steals. Senior center Jessika Carter also chipped in with 20 points and 15 rebounds of her own.
With Correa and Matharu coming off of the bench for Florida, the Bulldogs immediately took control in the game’s opening minutes. In the first two minutes of play, the Bulldogs went on an 8-0 run, tipping the momentum fully in their favor.
Florida eventually started to claw their way back into the game, thanks in part to a seven-point quarter from Rimdal. Correa chipped in with six points off of the bench as well. With a pair of last-second free throws from senior forward Faith Dut, the Gators tied the game at 19 apiece at the end of the first quarter.
The two squads continued to tussle for the lead throughout the second quarter. Mississippi State converted on a pair of and-1 layups and bullied their way through the paint, while Correa and Matharu chipped in with 10 points off of the bench for Florida. By halftime, the Bulldogs had regained a slight edge over the Gators with a 44-40 lead.
Entering the third quarter, the Bulldogs were looking to land the kill shot to seal the game, while the Gators needed to find a way to crawl back into the driver’s seat at long last. Yet once again, neither squad could find a definitive edge, as they continued trading blows throughout the period.
Near the end of the quarter, Matharu started to heat up. On three consecutive possessions, she sliced through the Bulldogs' defense for a layup, drilled a long 3-ball and found Correa on the fast break for an assist. By the end of the third, Florida had cut their deficit to 61-59.
The two squads traded momentum back and forth early in the fourth quarter. Mississippi State started the period with a 6-0 run in the first 60 seconds of play. Correa responded with a mid-range jump shot and a 3-pointer of her own to cut the Gators’ deficit back down to three points.
“My shots were falling, and if I’m not shooting, I’m doing my team a disservice,” Correa said.
As the quarter went on, the Bulldogs finally started to pull away for good. With a 3-pointer from senior guard Darrione Rogers and three consecutive layups from Carter, Mississippi State went on a 9-0 run to all but put the game on ice. The Gators fought until the final buzzer, but the now-double-digit deficit proved to be too much to overcome.
Florida will hit the road for its next matchup against the Ole Miss Rebels Thursday at the Sandy and John Black Pavillion. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m, and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network.
“We’re going to get back to it and fix what we can fix,” Correa said. “It’s a learning experience.”
Contact Jack Meyer at jmeyer@alligator.org. Follow him on X @jackmeyerUF.
Jack Meyer is a fourth-year journalism major and the Sports Editor for The Alligator. In his free time, he enjoys reviewing music, spending time with friends, playing video games and going to the gym.
