Florida's women's basketball program woke up on Thursday looking to make history. The Gators jumped out to a seven-point lead against No. 7 Tennessee and never looked back, upsetting the Volunteers 84-59 — marking only the fifth time UF has beaten Tennesse in program history, and the first time against a top-10 opponent in general.
🚨 FLORIDA TAKES DOWN NO. 7 TENNESSEE 🚨@GatorsWBK gets its first top-10 win since 2015 🐊 pic.twitter.com/ttnd1HMLJD
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) February 4, 2022
That seven-point lead held true into halftime, as Florida led the Lady Vols 35-28 heading into the half, but the third and fourth quarters were even more lopsided. The Gators outscored Tennessee 48-30 in the second half.
Kiara Smith led Florida with 25 points. She also slated five assists, five rebounds and four steals on the night. Smith wasn't the only Gator to contribute heavily to the victory though. Nina Rickards finished with 16 points, Jordyn Merrit dropped 13 points and Zipporah Broughton scored 10.
SUNDAY PREVIEW: Everything you need to know about Tennessee's clash against UConn
The historic victory has the Gators on the right track in the SEC — Florida is now tied with Ole Miss and LSU in the conference for third place. Tennessee drops to hold the sole position of second place in the conference with an 8-2 record. No. 1 South Carolina holds the top spot with an 8-1 record.
The Gators will look to win its second-straight game over a ranked opponent on Sunday, February 6 when they travel to Athens to take on No. 14 Georgia. Tennessee will look to bounce back against No. 10 UConn, also on Sunday.
