GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The power of the Florida Women’s Basketball Team’s inside game was on full display Sunday afternoon as the Gators (12-3) connected on 30 of 46 shots from inside the arc, and took 26 free throws en route to an 82-66 victory over visiting Furman (6-7). Me’Arah O’Neal led all scorers with 22 points, adding seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and four blocked shots in the victory.

KEY RUNS

1st Quarter (Gators 14, Paladins 14)

• Neither team led by more than four points in the quarter, and there were five ties and three lead changes in the first. Both teams were turnover prone, as the Gators committed nine miscues, and Furman had six. Me’Arah O’Neal led all scorers with seven points, while Clare Coyle paced the Paladins with six.

2nd Quarter (Gators 40, Paladins 35)

• The Gators scored the first eight points of the period, and pushed their lead to as many as 11 early in the second. Furman quickly closed to two, 33-31, thanks to a 13-4 run midway through the quarter. Florida went 10 for 18 from the floor, while the Paladins connected on 10 of 19. Me’Arah O’Neal once again led all scorers with nine points, and Clare Coyle was Furman’s high-scorer with eight.

3rd Quarter (Gators 61, Paladins 53)

• Florida’s lead vacillated between two and nine throughout the entire quarter. Furman made six of 10 shots in the period, but committed seven turnovers. The Gators scored 14 of their 21 points in the paint. The Paladins’ Alyssa Ervin’s nine points were game-high in the third.

4th Quarter (Gators 82, Paladins 69)

• The Gators led 63-55 with 8:37 remaining, scoring 11 of the next 14 points to effectively end the game. Florida made 10 of 18 shots, while the Paladins went five for 19 with seven turnovers. Laila Reynolds and Liv McGill each scored six points in the fourth to lead the Gators.

KEY STATS

• Florida went 16 for 26 from the free throw line, while the Paladins made nine of 20.
• Florida committed 18 turnovers which the Paladins flipped into 11 points, while the Gators forced Furman into 26 miscues which Florida turned into 33 points.
• The Paladins outrebounded Florida 46-34, including 21-14 on the offensive glass. Despite that offensive rebounding advantage, the Gators outscored Furman in second chance points 21-13
• The Gators outscored the Paladins 58-34 in the paint.
• Furman’s bench outscored Florida’s 21-22.
• The Gators outscored the Paladins 19-4 in fast break points.
• Florida went 30 for 46 from two-point range

FROM THE GATORS’ MOUTHS

• Coach Finley, opening statement … “I thought we had two really good days of practice leading up to this game. It’s a challenge coming off of break sometimes to get back in the rhythm. We definitely started that way, but I liked our intensity, how we finished the game, our ability to execute and understand where the ball needed to go late game. I thought was much improved. Overall, I thought our connection and effort was there. Obviously, we need to clean up our free throws and our turnovers, but that’s something that we’re aware of. We have a really accountable team that takes great ownership, and now we have a couple of days to make sure that gets fixed leading into conference play.”
• Coach Finley on the play of the Big Three (McGill, O’Neal, Reynolds) … “They are really connected. They have tremendous responsibility for our team. They know that that is the requirement if we want to put our team in a position to be successful and win games. The three of them, though they are underclassmen, have really embraced that role and embraced that challenge. I’m proud of them. I’m proud of their preparation and their diligence to continue to improve. Their best days are still ahead of them.”
• Coach Finley on flipping the calendar on non-conference play and heading into the SEC portion of the schedule … “The SEC is the best women’s basketball conference in the country. It’s where true competitors come to compete. If you want to be the best, you have to play against the best. We’re poised. We’ve been working on our composure. I just said to Laila we have a lot of experience in playing in back and fourth games that take mental resiliency to separate. The value of a possessions is very, very high in our conference. Our ability to have great elite mental transitions and execution through moments both offensively and defensively is going to be key, but that’s something that we’ve been working on all non-conference as well.”

Post Game Press Conference: Head Coach Kelly Rae Finley and Laila Reynolds

GATOR BITES

• The Gators are now 4-0 all-time against Furman.
• Florida is now 34-4 at home in the months of November and December, and 15-2 in December, during the Kelly Rae Finley-era.
• The Gators have held 14 of 15 opponents below 70 points this season.
• Liv McGill scored in double figures for the 16th straight game (12 points).
• Laila Reynolds scored in double figures for the 11th time this season (17 points).
• Me’Arah O’Neal reached double-figures in scoring for the 11th time this season (22 points) and scored 20 or more points for the third time this year.
• Caterina Piatti scored in double figures for the third time this season (11 points).

NEXT OPPONENT
           The Gators ring in the New Year in Knoxville, Tenn. as they start SEC play with a Jan. 1, 2 p.m. EST tip against the Lady Vols.

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