As the clock ran down in the fourth quarter at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Miami senior guard Hanna Cavinder slowly dribbled up the court with a smile on her face. Behind her, fellow UM senior guard Haley Cavinder emphatically Gator chomped in celebration.
The moment the final buzzer sounded, the two sisters erupted as they greeted their cheering teammates on the bench. When asked about the chomp after the game, Haley Cavinder acknowledged that there was some element of revenge to her celebration.
“The last time we played [the Gators] was at Florida… and I just remember them throwing down the U,” she said. “It’s a big rivalry, and obviously, we took it a little personal that the favorite was them. We came in here, just had a chip on our shoulder and got the W.”
Florida trailed for all but 41 seconds in an 83-73 loss to Miami on Saturday. After trailing by as many as 19 points, the Gators went on a 16-0 run in the third quarter and nearly fought their way back into the game.
Nevertheless, the Hurricanes never ceded control of the game, keeping Florida at bay in the waning moments of the fourth quarter to come away victorious.
UF senior guard Jeriah Warren recorded a new career-high of 25 points, shooting 9-of-21 from the field on the day while also tallying four steals on the defensive end.
“Obviously, we wanted to win against an in-state rival,” Warren said. “I was just doing anything I could.”
Florida freshman guard Liv McGill struggled from the field, scoring just 11 points on 5-of-14 shooting from the field and 0-for-5 from 3-point range. Nevertheless, McGill made up for her inconsistent shooting with her abilities as a floor general, tallying nine assists and three steals.
UF senior guard and former Hurricane Kenza Salgues made a splash offensively, chipping in with 13 points on 3-of-6 shooting from 3-point range. Rounding out Florida’s standouts was senior center Ra Shaya Kyle, who racked up 14 points and eight rebounds.
Florida’s day got off to an immediate rough start. Less than two minutes after the opening tipoff, Florida freshman Me’Arah O’Neal went down with an apparent lower body injury and was taken back to the locker room. She was eventually ruled out for the remainder of the game, and her injury status going forward remains in question.
With sophomore guard Laila Reynolds missing her fourth consecutive game with her own injury, the Gators were nowdown two starters early in Saturday’s contest. Miami took full advantage, starting the game 6-for-6 from the field before taking a 23-17 by the end of the first quarter.
Following a less-than-impressive first quarter showing, Florida’s offense seemingly stalled out in the following period. At one point in the second quarter, the Gators went 4:30 without making a single field goal.
To make matters worse for UF, junior forward Alexia Gassett sustained a leg injury of her own late in the second quarter. Gassett went down while trying to defend Hanna Cavinder on a fast break.
As Gassett briefly returned to the locker room, the Hurricanes ended the first half on another offensive tear. Miami finished the second quarter on an 11-2 run to take a 44-29 lead into halftime.
Initially, the Hurricanes picked up right where they left off in the third quarter. UM senior guard Haley Cavinder scored eight points in the first four minutes, extending Miami’s lead to as many as 19 points.
Following Gassett’s return from the locker room, however, the Gators seemingly found a breath of life midway through the quarter. Florida proceeded to break out on a 16-0 run over the next three minutes, which Warren and graduate guard Kenza Salgues punctuated with a respective pair of 3-pointers and fast break scores.
“I think that first half, maybe the second quarter, was the first time that this team has felt adversity and really had to settle into a game,” UF head coach Kelly Rae Finley said. “I liked our resolve. We kind of challenged each other, but we had a look in our eye at halftime, like ‘We know what we need to do.’”
In the blink of an eye, the Gators had gone from a double-digit deficit to a one-score game. The two squads proceeded to trade more blows as the third quarter winded down before UM senior guard Hanna Cavinder ended the period with a fast break layup. Even then, Florida had still cut its deficit all the way down to 61-56 by the start of the fourth quarter.
Miami found its footing once more in the fourth period, but Florida was right behind them every step of the way. For every shot the Hurricanes knocked down, the Gators seemingly had an immediate response on the other end of the floor.
UM senior guard Jasmyne Roberts knocked down a jumper to extend Miami’s lead to six points. Less than 20 seconds later, Kyle knocked down a mid-range jumper of her own to bring the lead back down to four.
On the next possession, Hanna Cavinder knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key to seemingly take the wind out of Florida’s home crowd. Salgues came right back with a step-back 3-pointer of her own to get the fans right back on their feet.
The fourth quarter felt like a back-and-forth chess match, with each squad knowing exactly what the other would be doing next, until Miami finally broke through with five minutes remaining. Hanna and Haley Cavinder each knocked down a 3-point field goal to give the Hurricanes an eight-point lead.
On Miami’s very next possession, senior guard Darrione Rogers drained a fast break 3-pointer to give UM a double-digit lead. Florida subsequently managed to cut the deficit back down to just seven points, but it proved to be futile.
As Hanna Cavinder dribbled the clock out and Haley Cavinder chomped away behind her, the Hurricanes had narrowly escaped the Gators’ final comeback attempt and emerged victorious.
Florida will hit the road for the first time this season in its next slate of action. The Gators will travel to Tallahassee to take on the Florida State Seminoles on Nov. 22. Tipoff timeis set for 7:00 p.m. ET.
Contact Jack Meyer at jmeyer@alligator.org. Follow him on X @jackmeyerUF.
Jack Meyer is a fourth-year journalism major and the Assistant 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.
