Florida Gators
6-2,0-0SEC
Marshall University
3-4,0-0Sun Belt
Florida Falls to Marshall
Saturday, December 2, 2023 | Women's Basketball
HUNTINGTON, WV. – Florida women's basketball was edged by Marshall 91-88 on the road Saturday afternoon. The loss marked Florida's first road deficit of the 2023-24 season.
Despite the outcome, Florida held the lead for the game's first three quarters before Marshall scored 28 points in the fourth with a 61.5 shooting percent from the field.
Three Gators reached double figures in scoring for Florida: Aliyah Matharu (27), Leilani Correa (23) and Ra Shaya Kyle (15). Matharu also hit her career milestone of 1,000 points and Kyle grabbed her fourth double-double of the 2023-24 season with 11 rebounds.
ROAD SURGE
Florida is officially now on the back end of a seven-game road stretch, with three victories (Purdue, Columbia, Georgia Tech) and one loss (Marshall).
IN THE FIRST:
- Leilani Correa reached double figures in scoring within the first seven minutes of play, leading UF in the first with 10 points
- Florida finished the quarter with 27 points, garnering a 47.6 shooting percent from the field
- The Gators out-rebounded Marshall 13 to 11
IN THE SECOND:
- Alberte Rimdal recorded her first block of the 2023-24 season (7:23)
- The Gators' 16 points in the second came from six players
- Defensively, Florida finished the half forcing seven turnovers and grabbing five steals
IN THE THIRD:
- Alexia Dizeko hit her second three pointer of the season
- Aliyah Matharu reached her 1,000 point milestone in the third (6:33)
- The Gators went 10-of-16, garnering a 62.5 shooting percent from the field
- Matharu led Florida in scoring in the third with 11 points, going 4-of-5 from the field and 3-of-4 from the line
IN THE FOURTH:
- Matharu led Florida in scoring once more with eight points in the fourth
- The Gators grabbed another nine rebounds to add to their second half total of 21
- Florida went 5-of-6 (83.3%) from the free throw line in the fourth and was led overall by Matharu's 8-of-10 (80%) for the game
- Matharu fouled out with one minute left to play and the Gators up by one (88-87)
- The Herd forced six turnovers on the Gators in the fourth and converted on all to grab an additional 12 points
WORTH NOTING:
- Aliyah Matharu hit her collegiate milestone of 1,000 career points
- Matharu tied her career high in scoring with 27 points (set at Texas her sophomore year)
- Leilani Correa set her season high in scoring with 23 points
- The Gators held the lead for a total of 33:53 minutes
- The Gators out-rebounded the Herd 45 to 39
- Florida grabbed 42 points in the paint compared to Marshall's 28
SERIES RECORD
With the road loss to Marshall, the all-time series is now tied up at 1-1.
NEXT UP:
Florida will reach the back end of their seven-game road stretch, traveling to Tulsa, Okla., to meet on Sunday, Dec. 10. The game is set for a 2 p.m. tip and will be available on ESPNU.
TULSA (5-3, 0-0 AAC):
Date: Sunday, Dec. 10
Time: 2 p.m. ET
Site: Tulsa, OK.
Stream: ESPNU
Radio: ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM / 850 AM
Stats: StatBroadcast
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