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On a night celebrating 50 years of Florida women’s basketball, the Gators didn’t disappoint. A sea of alumni in the O’Dome fired up Kelly Rae Finley’s squad, leading to a 69-66 win thanks to a Jeriah Warren buzzer-beater.

“Only thing I was thinking [on the final shot] was get in, get in, get in,” said Warren.

Mississippi State began the game attacking the paint and enforced a full-court press looking to force turnovers, however, Liv McGill had other plans.

The true freshman helped Florida orchestrate a 6-0 run minutes into the first and totaled nine points in the quarter. 

The Gator’s defense forced eight Bulldog turnovers, as Mississippi State shot 35.3% from the field. 

Florida led after one, 17-14.

Jerkaila Jordan took over in the second, helping the Bulldogs form a run of its own, scoring seven points.

The Gator’s offense lulled, leading to a four-minute field goal drought, which was broken by a Ra Shaya Kyle basket. Kyle grabbed four boards for Florida in the first half, leading the team. The senior is No. 5 in the SEC for rebounds per game (9.1). 

Both teams enforced defensive pressure as the quarter continued, however, Florida benefitted the most. The Gators forced 17 mistakes for Mississippi State in half-one and scored 19 points off of them. 

An 11-0 run in the final three minutes put Florida up 37-31. McGill entered halftime with 17 points, leading all scorers. 

Florida’s offense slowed down in the third, as Mississippi State outscored the Gators by ten. 

Diamond Desheilds had an 11-point quarter, hitting 3-of-3 from deep and 4-of-5 from the field, as the Bulldogs put together a 9-0 run after the halfway point. 

Electric blocks from Alexia Gassett and Laila Reynolds late in the third slowed the momentum for Mississippi State, keeping the game close heading into the final ten.

The Bulldogs caught fire from deep in the final quarter, starting with two triples from Debreasha Powe.

Ra Shaya Kyle hit back-to-back buckets with under two minutes to go, forcing Sam Purcell to call a timeout, as Florida looked to complete a near double-digit comeback late in the game.

Gassett drained two free throws to tie it up at 66 with 1:20 left. At this point, the energy in the building was infectious with thousands of fans on their feet.

Florida secured a defensive stop with a Big Shay steal, allowing the Gators to take the final shot with 11 seconds left.

“I’m not sure we get those [defensive] stops without the crowd,” said Finley. “We don’t execute the way we need to [in the fourth quarter] if Gator nation isn’t there to support us.”

Warren didn’t shy away from the heroic moment and pulled the trigger as time expired. The ball took a bounce off the back iron, lingering in the air, before finding the bottom of the net.

The O’Dome erupted and the team swallowed Warren as Florida pulled off a 69-66 victory over the Bulldogs. This was Florida’s first home win in February and a morale booster for the team.

“As a coach, I know we’re getting better, but when the result isn’t what you want it’s hard to believe that’s the truth,” said Finley. “I thought all along if we could get one we won’t look back and to me, this might be that turning point that we really needed.”

The Gators improve to 13-13 on the season and 4-8 in conference play.

Florida will travel to College Station for a Thursday matchup against Texas A&M. The Aggies have lost five straight games and are coming off a week’s hiatus. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. and the game can be streamed on SECN+.