Florida Gators
Florida Southern College
Gators Basketball Set for Exhibition Against Florida Southern
Tuesday, October 31, 2023 | Women's Basketball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida women's basketball team will open its 2023-24 season Wednesday with an exhibition matchup against the Florida Southern Mocs. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m., marking the first game at Exactech Arena.
The Series:
The exhibition will mark the eighth meeting between the two schools and the first meeting between UF coach Kelly Rae Finley and FSC coach Megan Dzikas. The last time the two Florida-based schools met was in December 1989, when the Gators defeated the Mocs 89-55. The all-time series stands at 7-0, with Florida holding four wins against the Mocs at home and three on the road.
The Gators are looking to set the season tone and show off their talented 2023-24 roster. In the past year, Florida has welcomed highly competitive transfers: Alexia Dizeko (South Georgia Tech), Kenza Salgues (Miami), and Eriny Kindred (Texas A&M). McDonald's All-America freshman Laila Reynolds was also a vital addition to the 2023-24 team and will make her collegiate debut against Florida Southern. The Gators returnees include Zippy Broughton (missed 2022-23 due to injury), Leilani Correa, Faith Dut, Ra Shaya Kyle, Aliyah Matharu (sat out 2022-23 due to transfer rules), Alberte Rimdal, Paige Clausen, and Jeriah Warren.
2022-23 Season Takeaways:
- Florida ended its season with a loss in the WNIT quarterfinals, the longest postseason run since the 2013 campaign when the Gators advanced to the WNIT semifinals.
- Florida secured back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since the 2012-13 and '13-14 seasons.
- The Gators ended with the most wins over a two-season period (40) since the 2012-13 and '13-14 season when they tallied 42 wins.
- Florida collected six road victories during '22-23 season and seven during the '21-22 season, marking the first time with at least six wins on the road in back-to-back seasons since the 2000-01 and '01-02 campaigns.
The exhibition matchup will be free admission for all fans and the arena doors open at 5 p.m.
#GoGators
