GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Gators were edged 89-77 to Mississippi State Monday evening. Florida was led by
Leilani Correa in her second consecutive 30-point game, securing a total of 31 points. Two other Gators saw double figures in scoring,
Aliyah Matharu (16) and
Alberte Rimdal (12).
Mississippi State had five players hit double digits in scoring and was led overall by Jerkalia Jordan with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Jordan was joined by Jessika Carter who also secured a double-double to help the Bulldogs pull ahead in the final minutes of play.
IN THE FIRST HALF:
- Florida was led in scoring by Alberte Rimdal with seven points in the first quarter
- The Gators were shooting 60 percent from the three-point line for the first ten minutes of play
- Florida totaled 40 points in the first half and was led on offense by Leilani Correa and Alberte Rimdal with nine points apiece
- Jeriah Warren led on the boards for Florida in the first half with four of the team's 14 rebounds
- The Gators secured 10 points off Mississippi State turnovers
- Going into the locker room, Florida recorded 18 bench points and 18 points in the paint
IN THE SECOND HALF:
- Florida secured 21 points in the second quarter- their highest scoring quarter of the game
- The Gators outscored the Bulldogs 19 to 17 in the third quarter
- Florida entered the fourth and final quarter trailing by two (61-59)
- The Gators secured 37 points in the second half
- Florida forced 10 turnovers on Mississippi State in the second half
- The Gators had 16 rebounds between the final two quarters: 10 defensive and six offensive
- Alberte Rimdal had three of Florida's 10 defensive rebounds in the half
- Matharu secured nine points in the second half to contribute to her game total of 16
WORTH NOTING:
- Leilani Correa went on another offensive run to set her career high in scoring at Florida with 31 points
- Prior career high at Florida was 30—set 1/14/24 against Georgia
- Jeriah Warren snagged four steals to get her season total to 30
- Warren also secured seven rebounds to lead the Gators on the boards for the second time this season
- Florida recorded 49 bench points to Mississippi's 19
- The Gators finished the game with nine three pointers, led by Correa with four
- After 40 minutes, Florida forced 15 turnovers on the Bulldogs
- The Gators doubled Mississippi in steals with a collective eight to their four
TEAM RECORDS:
Florida: 10-7 (1-4 SEC)
MSU: 16-5 (3-3 SEC)
SERIES RECORD:
After tonight's contest the all-time series stands at 28-26 with Mississippi State ahead by two.
KELLY RAE FINLEY SAID:
UF coach Kelly Rae Finley on the tough loss and team resilience:
"It doesn't always go your way, but when you choose to do the hard thing and do it repetitively… eventually you are going to hit a breakthrough. It's going to teach you your strength."
SENIOR GUARD LEILANI CORREA SAID:
Senior guard Leilani Correa on setting her season high in scoring and what's next:
"My shots are falling and if I don't shoot the ball, I'm doing my team a disservice. There is a lot we can fix, but it's all fixable. It's all in our control. We are going to get back to it and we are going to fix what we can fix and it's just a learning experience."
NEXT UP:
Florida continues play versus Magnolia State rivals, this time Thursday at Ole Miss. In their last game on Sunday, Jan. 21, the Rebels won 69-59 at Georgia.
Ole Miss (13-5, 3-2 SEC):
#GoGators
