
The Florida Gators (7-3) swept the Gardner-Webb Bulldogs (1-10) with a 110-37 blowout victory Sunday afternoon in Boiler Springs, North Carolina. Florida kept the Bulldogs record at a low as they faced their first win against Appalachian State Friday, but Gardner-Webb head coach Scott Merritt could not pull his weight in his first season as a coach to slow down the Florida offense.
In the first quarter, UF senior guard Aliyah Matharu led the Gators with her eight points scored as the team shot 50 percent from the field goal 9-of-18 to end the quarter.
The Gators dominated defensively with freshman guard Laila Reynolds as she led the leaderboard with three of Florida’s 11 rebounds in the first.
Florida dominated defensively with five steals and forced seven turnovers on the Bulldogs. The Gators held Gardner-Webb to nine points in the first quarter and managed to keep them in a large deficit.
Reynolds kept her momentum up in the second quarter as she led the Gators with the nine points she scored, where Florida took advantage and gained a 30-point lead over the Bulldogs.
Defensively, UF outrebounded Gardner-Webb 14-to-5 and closed the second quarter out with shooting 55 field goal percentage of 11-of-20. As Florida entered halftime, the Gators were 100 percent from the free throw line, going 9-for-9.
Gardner-Webb, already in a strict deficit, fell short defensively to keep Florida from scoring. The Gators scored their highest quarter of the season with 37 total points. With eight turnovers forced off the Bulldogs, 14 points were converted to the Gators.
Florida was led by three start shooters in the third, with eight points scored by all three: junior forward Eriny Kindred, senior guard Leilani Correa, and junior guard Alberte Rimdal. Rimdal shot 100 percent from the field and went four-of-four.
Florida topped the third quarter with an 88.2 field goal percentage of 15-for-17.
Headed into the fourth, Matharu led Florida with 14 points scored, whereas the Gators scored 24 points each quarter. On the defensive side of the ball, UF senior center Ra Shaya Kyle led Florida in the fourth with four rebounds, where she followed right behind Matharu and Reynold with three apiece.
Florida continued to dominate in the fourth quarter and regained possession of the ball on six forced turnovers to contribute to the Bulldogs’ game total of 24. Gardner-Webb’s inability to make a comeback led to the Gator’s first 100-plus game of the season, making the win the second-highest-scored game in Florida program history.
UF will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, on Wednesday to play Michigan at 6:30 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Notes:
Reynolds secured her first collegiate double-double and set her career-high of rebounds with 10
Rimdal set her season high in scoring 20 points
Kyle secured her fifth double-double of the season
Florida recorded the most players with six in double figures this season

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