The Gators led by just six points at halftime in their season opener against North Florida.
Then senior guard Aliyah Matharu heated up from the floor. She continually found space inside for layups and drilled a 3-pointer to give her 11 third-quarter points and helped UF pull away from the Ospreys.
Matharu finished the game with 15 points on 6-10 shooting. UF head coach Kelly Rae Finley emphasized Matharu’s impact and her ability as a two-way player.
“The more student-athletes you can have that play both sides of the ball, the easier it is as a coach for your substitution patters and game strategy,” Finley said.
The Florida Gators (1-0) took down the North Florida Ospreys (0-1) 82-65 in their season opener Monday in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The Gators continually found space down low and scored 54 points in the paint.
The Gators got started quickly with the game’s first two baskets from Matharu and senior guard Leilani Correa.
Florida and North Florida battled early, but the Gators’ transition game helped give them some breathing room. The Gators' defense also tightened up and forced four straight misses.
Correa found space for open midrange jumpers throughout the first quarter for eight points on 4-5 shooting.
North Florida battled back after guard Kaila Rougier cut to the basket and caught a pass for an open layup to make it 15-11 late in the opening quarter.
A layup from UNF guard Sarah Taub cut the lead to just two before UF junior guard Jeriah Warren battled down low for a bucket inside.
The Gators did a good job of getting to the line in the first quarter but failed to convert from the charity stripe. Florida shot just 3-6 from the free throw line in the first quarter.
Rougier raced to the rim in the closing seconds of the first quarter, but Correa denied her with a block. The Gators led 19-13 after the first quarter.
Correa continued her hot start offensively in the second quarter. She caught the ball in transition and scored a layup through contact. She hit her free throw to convert a three-point play.
Junior guard Alberte Rimdal nailed a wide-open jumper by the free throw line to put UF up 10.
Sophomore guard Eriny Kindred caught a Rimdal miss and put it back in for an easy score on the next offensive possession. She scored again to put Florida up 11. Freshman guard Laila Reynolds stole the ball before heading into a timeout midway through the second quarter.
Reynolds scored her first career collegiate points after she dribbled to the baseline and scored a tough layup with a defender draped over her.
The Florida freshman guard scored six points on 3-9 shooting. Finley praised her play and the effort she put in to follow the game plan, she said.
“I thought she was patient,” Finley said. “She played hard in long stretches.
The Ospreys worked to get back in the game. A transition layup capped off a 6-0 run that cut the lead to seven points. UNF made four straight buckets during the stretch.
The Gators struggled to convert baskets and went on a four-minute scoring drought late in the second quarter. Florida led 32-26 at the half. Correa had 11 points at the break on 5-6 shooting.
Rimdal and senior center Ra Shaya Kyle struggled in the first half and combined for just one make in 14 attempts.
Kyle opened the scoring in the second half. She caught the ball down low and scored the easy bucket. Senior guard Aliyah Matharu followed it up with a transition layup.
Matharu buried the Gators’ first 3-pointer of the night to put UF up 13 early in the third quarter.
UNF guard Alexa Washington began to heat up for the Ospreys. She scored eight straight points for the Ospreys and buried a pair of triples to cut the deficit to single digits.
Matharu drove to the rim for a layup to stretch the lead back to double figures, 51-40. Correa continued to torch UNF and hit another midrange jumper late in the third to put UF up 15.
Correa found Kyle in the closing seconds. Kyle made a move against her defender and scored a layup as the buzzer sounded to put Florida up 59-42 heading into the final quarter.
Rimdal drilled a triple early in the fourth to continue to stretch the lead as UF led by 19. Correa kept the pressure and stole the ball at midcourt and scored an open layup to make it a 21-point deficit for North Florida.
Correa finished the game with 19 points on 8-15 shooting to lead the team in scoring.
Reynolds hit a jumper to make it a UF 9-0 run midway through the quarter. The Gators continued to score down low and created a deficit too large for the Ospreys to overcome as Florida would win its season opener.
The Gators will play Bethune-Cookman next at 6 p.m. Thursday. The game can be streamed on SEC Network+.
Contact Jackson Reyes at jacksonreyes@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @JacksnReyes.
Jackson Reyes is a UF journalism senior and The Alligator's Fall 2023 Sports Editor. He previously served as Digital Managing Editor and was a reporter and assistant editor on the sports desk. In his free time, he enjoys collecting records, long walks on the beach and watching Bo Nix.
