Gators Women's Basketball Opens Season Against North Florida

Monday, November 6

Gainesville, FL

5:30 PM

Florida Gators

University of North Florida

The Gators are set for their first regular-season game and will look to add another win to the current all-time series against North Florida, standing at 6-0.

Gators Women's Basketball Opens Season Against North Florida

Sunday, November 5, 2023 | Women's Basketball

By: Meg Christenson

Florida vs. North Florida

When: Monday, 5:30 p.m. (ET)
Where: Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center / Gainesville, Fla.
Records: Florida (0-0) / North Florida (0-0)
TV: SEC Network+ (Kyle Crooks and Brittany Davis)
Radio: ESPN 98.1FM/850AM WRUF
TicketMaster info: Click here

Gators vs. Florida Southern Moccasins — Senior Ra Shaya Kyle will take the court for the Gators in the 2023-24 season after leading the team in rebounds during the 2022-23 campaign. Kyle collected 188 rebounds last season, averaging 6.1 a game. Head Coach Kelly Finley predicts a similar performance on the boards from Kyle this season with the North Florida matchup being the first test.

Florida	Position	Height / Weight	Class	Hometown/Previous School
Aliyah Matharu	G	5-7	Senior	Washington, D.C. / Texas
Alberte Rimdal	G	5-9	Junior	Koge, Denmark / Marselisborg
Leilani Correa	G	6-0	Senior	Manchester, N.J. / St. John's
Ra Shaya Kyle	C	6-6	Senior	Marion, Ind. / Purdue
Faith Dut	F	6-4	Senior	Vancouver, British Columbia

North Florida	Position	Height / Weight	Class	2022-23 Statistics
Sarah Taub	G	5-9	Sophomore	Marietta, GA
Helena Rafnsdottir	G	5-11	Sophomore	Reykjanesbaer, Iceland
Lyric Swann	G	5-5	R. Senior	Elkridge, Md.
Kaila Rougier	G	5-5	Junior	Savannah, Ga.
Emma Broermann	F	6-3	Grad Student	Okeana, Ohio

Series / Last Meeting

The Florida Gators last saw North Florida in December of 2020 at home. The matchup was only the sixth meeting between the two Florida-based teams and the Gators pulled off an 89-64 victory. The Gators have won every matchup in the two school's history, holding the series at 6-0 over the Ospreys.

The Last Meeting (12/21/20)

NORTH FLORIDA		FLORIDA
25-65	FG	36-86
38.5	FG%	41.9
5-22	3PT FG	7-27
22.7	3PT FG%	25.9
36	REBS	61
14	AST	16
12	TO	9
3	BLK	2
4	STL	7

With the addition of three transfers, Alexia Dizeko, Eriny Kindred, Kenza Salgues, and McDonald's All-American, Laila Reynolds the Gators are optimistic as to what this season will entail. There have also been recent updates to the coaching staff with the promotion of Tamisha Augustin to Associate Head Coach, the addition of Assistant Coach Dan Boice, and the most recent hire of WNBA star Rhyne Howard, creating an enthusiastic buzz surrounding the Gators program.

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 Florida Gators are ready to kickoff the season Monday night at the O'Dome and are looking forward to another great season under Head Coach Kelly Rae Finley.

#GoGators