Florida initiated post-season play with a victory at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Wednesday evening, defeating Auburn 60-50. The Gators had four players in double figures for scoring with Ra Shaya Kyle leading on both ends of the court.
Kyle tallied 16 points and brought in 11 rebounds to record her fourteenth double-double of the 2024-25 season. Senior Jeriah Warren followed closely with 14 points and Laila Reynolds had a great night on defense, hitting four blocks.
To start, Florida came out strong on the defensive end hitting six blocks in the first half. Reynolds led all in blocks with three and Kyle led all in rebounding with eight. As a team, UF out rebounded the Tigers in the first 20 minutes, grabbing 23 compared to Auburn’s 22.
Kyle led Florida in scoring during the first half, posting eight points to match her eight rebounds. To start Florida struggled from the field, shooting 34.4 percent (11-32) and only recording 27 points in the initial 20 minutes of play. 20 of UF’s points came from inside the paint and Liv McGill led the Gators in ball movement, distributing six assists going into the locker room at half.
The Gators came out for the second half fired up from the field, shooting a game high 41.7 percent to post 17 points in the third quarter. From there Florida and Auburn went back and forth, being tied up a total of five times with seven lead changes. However, UF was able to get it done posting 33 points and going 17-19 from the free throw line in the second half to defeat the Tigers in their second meeting of 2025.
WITH FLORIDA’S SEC TOURNAMENT WIN:
* UF holds an all-time record of 25-42 at the SEC Tournament
* The Gators are now 1-0 in postseason play for 2025
* Florida will advance to the second round of the SEC Tournament and play No. 20 Alabama
* UF is 4-3 in the SEC Postseason Tournament under Coach Kelly Rae Finley (2022-25)
* The Gators are 5-8 all-time when facing Auburn in postseason play
* UF has won its initial SEC postseason matchup in back-to-back years (2024 and 2025)
* Florida snapped a three-game losing streak against the Tigers dating back to Jan. 30, 2023
HOW IT HAPPENED:
IN THE FIRST:
* Florida outscored Auburn 19-16 and shot 41.2 percent from the field (7-17)
* 12 of UF’s 19 points were secured inside the point
* The Gators turned in five of their seven driving layup attempts
* Florida shot a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line
* Kyle led UF in scoring with six points, followed by Warren with five
* McGill distributed four assists in the first 10 minutes of play
* UF held its composure, only turning the ball over twice
* Florida secured 12 rebounds with Kyle leading on the boards, securing four
* Gassett followed, bringing in three
IN THE SECOND:
* UF was held to a game low eight points, shooting 26.7 percent from the field (4-15)
* Four Gators secured a basket to make up UF’s eight points
* Dizeko, Reynolds, Kyle, and Salgues
* The Gators did not make any trips to the free throw line (0-0), while Auburn went 3-4
* UF and Auburn were even on the boards, both securing 11 rebounds
* Kyle led the under the rim for Florida, recording four rebounds
* Reynolds stood out on the defensive end, leading all in blocks with three
* The score stood in favor of Florida at 27-25 going into half
IN THE THIRD:
* Kyle led UF in scoring with six points-going 1-1 from the field and 4-4 from the free throw line
* Auburn took its first lead of the game since quarter one at 38-36 (4:08)
* McGill led the Gators under the rim with three of UF’s eight rebounds
* Florida distributed five assists-McGill led with two
* The Gators forced five turnovers on the Tigers, converting for five points
* UF shot a game high 41.7 percent from the field (5-12) and went 7-8 from the line (87.5%)
IN THE FOURTH:
* Reynolds and Warren led UF in scoring with four points each
* The Gators shot 27.3 percent from the field (3-11)
* Florida saw the line 11 times to convert for 10 points (90.9)
* UF secured 11 rebounds-Kyle led on the boards with three
* Florida held the lead over Auburn for the entirety of the period
* UF’s largest lead of the game came in the fourth with a 10-point margin
* 59-49 (00:34), and 60-50 (00:16)
WORTH NOTING:
* UF had four players in double figures for scoring
* Kyle (16), Warren (14), Reynolds (12), and McGill (11)
* McGill has hit double figures in 28 of her 31 outings as a Gator
* 11 of those games have been 20+ point performances
* 36 of UF’s 60 points were tallied inside the paint
* The Gators recorded 23 points off second chances
* UF made their second most free throws of the 2024-25 season with 21
* Most of the season stands at 25 vs. Florida A&M (11/7/24)
* Florida forced 14 turnovers on Auburn
* The Gators out-rebounded the Tigers by one at 42-41
* Kyle posted her 14th double-double of the season and 26th while at UF
* Tallying 16 points and 11 rebounds
* Florida distributed a combined 13 assists
* McGill led in assist distribution for her 23rd time as a freshman with eight
* The Gators have secured 20+ points in 52 of 126 quarters played this season
* UF secured 12 layups in 23 driving attempts (52%)
* There was a game total seven lead changes
* With nine blocked shots it marks UF’s second most of the season and conference high
* Florida’s most was 11 at FAU (11/4/24)
* Four Gators shot a perfect 100 percent from the free throw line
* Kyle (8-8), Reynolds (4-4), McGill (3-3), and Salgues (2-2)
* Kyle shot 100 percent from the free throw line for the 11th time this season
* Florida recorded a game total 64 possessions, converting for 0.94 points per possession
* In total UF led over Auburn for 32 minutes and 45 seconds
TEAM RECORDS:
Florida: (15-16, 5-11 SEC)
Auburn: (12-17, 3-13 SEC)
SERIES RECORD:
The all-time series between Florida and Auburn stands in favor of the Tigers at 32-25. With UF’s victory they ended a three-game losing streak against Auburn spanning from 1/30/23 to 3/5/25.
NEXT UP:
The Gators will now take on the No. 20 Crimson Tide in the second round of the SEC Tournament. The round two matchup is slated for an 8:30 p.m. start time on Thursday and will mark Alabama’s first game of 2025 postseason play.
Alabama earned the No. 6 seed in the postseason tournament giving them a first round bye on Wednesday. Alabama will arrive in Greenville after last playing on Sunday, Mar. 2, falling 91-84 at No. 21 Oklahoma.
NEXT UP: No. 20 Alabama (23-7, 10-6 SEC):
