Florida
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (11/01/2026) — The Florida Gators never trailed and never let the Bucknell Bison believe an upset was possible, rolling to an 83-60 victory Sunday at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center behind a combined 57 points from Kiyomi McMiller and Vanessa Harris.
McMiller poured in a game-high 31 points with 6 rebounds and 5 assists, while Harris added 26 points and 6 boards of her own. Florida shot 55 percent from the field and controlled the glass 42-26, overwhelming a Bucknell squad that competed for stretches but could not keep pace. The game featured zero lead changes and was tied just once, with 1,116 fans on hand for the early-season matchup.
How It Happened
McMiller set the tone immediately, knocking down a 21-foot pullup jumper at the 9:14 mark of the first quarter for a 2-0 lead Florida would never surrender. The Gators' perimeter attack took over from there. Harris buried a 26-foot three off a Ja'Niya Broome assist to make it 15-9, Taliyah Parker connected from 23 feet off a McMiller feed for a 22-11 edge, and Harris struck again from 25 feet — another McMiller assist — to push the margin to 25-11 with 40 seconds left in the opening frame.
Bucknell's Tessa Liggio answered with a 23-foot three off an Anna Kunzwiler assist, but McMiller beat the buzzer with a 4-foot jumper to send Florida into the second quarter up 27-14.
The Bison hung around behind Elana Weisman, who led Bucknell with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. Her 24-foot three off a Liggio assist at the 3:56 mark of the second quarter cut into the deficit at 40-19, and McMiller's 10-foot jumper at the second-quarter horn sent the teams to the break with Florida ahead 42-25.
The second half followed the same script. Vivian Iwuchukwu opened the third quarter with a layup off a Jordan Jones assist, Weisman kept firing — including a 27-foot three off a Mariah Hardy assist that made it 53-33 — and McMiller's free throw in the final seconds of the period gave Florida a 62-42 cushion heading to the fourth. Harris opened the final frame with a driving layup, Parker added her second three of the night from 24 feet off an Aurora Almon assist for a 71-47 lead, and Grace Feeney's 27-foot triple off an Alaina Dadzie assist stretched the advantage to 81-55. Kunzwiler's late free throw closed out the 83-60 final.
Turning Point
Florida decided this one early with a 15-0 run that turned a 27-14 game into a 40-16 runaway bridging the first and second quarters. Harris's 23-foot three off a Moriah Murray assist at the 9:45 mark of the second quarter ignited the surge, and by the time Bucknell finally scored again, the Bison faced a 24-point hole no mid-major visitor was going to climb out of against a team shooting 55 percent from the floor.
Star of the Game
McMiller earned the honor with 31 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in a complete offensive performance. She scored from the perimeter and the paint, opened the game's scoring, closed the first quarter at the buzzer, and repeatedly set up teammates — assisting on threes by both Parker and Harris during Florida's first-quarter surge. Harris merits mention alongside her, hitting three triples among her 26 points as the duo outscored Bucknell's entire starting effort.
What It Means
For Florida, this is exactly the kind of businesslike November result that builds a foundation. The Gators dominated inside with a 16-rebound advantage and got efficient scoring at 55 percent from the field — though the 26 percent mark from three-point range and 12 turnovers leave room to tighten up before SEC play arrives. The emergence of a McMiller-Harris scoring tandem capable of 57 combined points gives Florida a dangerous backcourt identity.
For the Bucknell Bison, the 39 percent three-point shooting and Weisman's 18-point outing are genuine positives to carry forward. Bucknell took care of the ball with just 9 turnovers, but 37 percent shooting overall and a 26-rebound total against Florida's 42 proved too much to overcome. The Bison leave Gainesville with a clear blueprint of what needs to improve against high-major competition.
