Florida will face off against the sixth seeded Vanderbilt on Thursday evening at Bon Secours Arena. The matchup comes after the Gators defeated Mizzou 66-60 in the first round of the 2024 SEC Women’s Basketball tournament. Tip-off will be 25 minutes after the completion of game five at approximately 8:30 p.m.
The Thursday night winner will advance to the third round of the SEC tournament and face Ole Miss on Friday evening.
VANDERBILT (22-8, 9-7 SEC):
- Date: Thursday, Mar. 7
- Time: 8:30 p.m.
- Site: Bon Secours Wellness Arena
- Stream: SECN
- Radio: ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM / 850 AM
- Stats: StatBroadcast
THE SERIES:
The current series between Florida and Vanderbilt is in favor of the Commodores at 34-28. Florida dropped the last meeting against Vanderbilt 63-57 on Jan. 7, 2024 in Nashville. Prior to falling in January, the Gators were on a two-game win streak over Vanderbilt.
HISTORY:
Florida and Vanderbilt have met a recorded 62 times in their respective school histories. The most recent contest was in January of 2024 at Memorial Gymnasium with the Commodores winning 63-57. The dynamic duo led Florida with Leilani Correa securing 22-points and Aliyah Matharu putting up 13, but they were edged by Jordyn Cambridge and Iyana Moore, both tallying 20+ point performances. The January contest between the Gators and Vanderbilt was Florida’s second SEC matchup of the 2024 season, and this time out Florida will have an additional 15 SEC games under their belt.
FLORIDA’S LAST GAME:
Florida ended Missouri’s SEC post-season with a 66-60 victory in the first round of the tournament. The Gators utilized their bench, converted turnovers, and found shots in the paint to secure their spot in round two. It was an all-around effort at Bon Secours Wellness Center. Leilani Correa led the Gators with 15 points, while Aliyah Matharu notched 14 points and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds. Alberte Rimdal also hit double-digits in scoring with12 points and junior guard, Jeriah Warren posted 10 points and 8 rebounds of her own.
ABOUT VANDERBILT:
Vanderbilt’s last contest was on March 3 against the Georgia Bulldogs. The Commodores hosted Georgia in their last regular season game of 2024 and defeated the Bulldogs 72-55. Vanderbilt was led on offense by Iyana Moore with a 28-point performance and Sacha Washington led on the boards, securing 13 rebounds. Washington also checked out with 13 points, claiming her seventh double-double of the 2023-24 season.
Throughout the year Vanderbilt has had three players averaging in double figures for scoring. Iyana Moore 13.7 points per game, Jordyn Cambridge 12.1 points per game, and Sacha Washington 12.1 points per game. Washington also leads the Commodores on the boards, averaging 7.8 rebounds per game. In total, Sacha Washington has snagged 233 rebounds this season with 130 being defensive and the other 103 being on offense.