Gators travel to Clemson for WNIT Sweet 16

GAINESVILLE — March Madness nearly ended as quickly as it began for the Florida women’s team.

A March 1 loss during the SEC Tournament to Kentucky appeared to end a disappointing season with a 15-point defeat and a loss of self control by the Gators.

Instead, coach Kelly Rae Finley’s squad slipped into the WNIT and have revived the season. The Gators (18-14) will face Clemson (19-15) and former UF coach Amanda Butler on the road 7 Thursday night in the Sweet 16.

“We are building something special here and this team has earned the opportunity to continue playing together,” veteran guard Nina Rickards said. “We’re going to take advantage of that.”

Florida coach Kelly Rae Finley, center, and players cheer on teammates during a Feb. 19, 2023, loss to LSU in Gainesville. (Alan Youngblood / AP)

The Gators loss to Kentucky, winners of just two SEC games, was marred by a scuffle after sophomore forward Tatyana Wyche threw a basketball in anger with a Wildcats’ player who pushed the ball into her face.

But Florida has put the incident behind them with its WNIT run.

Rickards scored 25 points during Monday’s 80-63 victory at Wake Forest. Jordyn Merritt add 15 points with 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocked shots during her best performance since returning from a hiatus for personal reasons.

KK Deans had 13 points and 10 assists for her second career double-double.

The Gators now will make their first appearance in the WNIT Sweet Sixteen since 2013, when Florida reached the Final Four under Butler.

Florida guard KK Deans had 13 points and 10 assists during the Gators' WNIT win at Wake Forest March 20, 2023. (Nell Redmond/AP)

Butler was fired in 2017 following a 15-16 finish in her 10th season and a record of 190-137 at UF.

The Gators took a step back in 2022-23 after reaching the NCAA Tournament while Finley served as interim head coach after Cam Newbauer resigned in July 2021 amid allegations of verbal abuse of players. But Florida’s coach and her team are seizing their WNIT second wind.

“The opportunity to play in late March is tremendous for our team and program,” Finley said. We’ve been working hard and I’m proud of how this team has invested their time and the choices they’ve made over the course of the last two weeks. We look forward to continuing to build on this experience in the future.”

This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Edgar Thompson at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @osgators.