GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Women’s Basketball Team has one last tune up before the start of its 2026-27 season as the Gators host the Flagler Saints in an exhibition game on Wednesday, October 28. Tip at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center is at 6 p.m. ET.
Florida comes into the year with an almost entirely new look as Head Coach Tammi Reiss puts her stamp on the Gators in her inaugural season in Gainesville.
The revamped roster is led by All-American transfer Kiyomi McMiller, who scored 30 or more points in six consecutive games a year ago, including a career-high 40 against Southern California. McMiller’s Penn State teammate Moriah Murray also joins the Gators after connecting on 39.8 percent of her three-pointers a year ago, and posting back-to-back seasons of 70 or more made threes.
Vanessa Harris, who was named Atlantic 10 Sixth Woman of the Year at Rhode Island last season, joined Coach Reiss in making her way to the Sunshine State. Junior college transfer Ja’Niya Broome, who led the NSJCAA with 94 made threes, and finished second in the nation with a scoring average of 22.6 points, is also donning the orange and blue for the first time.
The Flagler Saints compete at the Division II level in the Peach Belt Conference. They went 11-17 a year ago, including 6-14 in league play. The team’s trademark was a balanced offense with 10 players averaging between 4.2 and 13.1 points, and no player averaging more than 29 minutes per game.
Gone from last year’s roster are the Saints’ two leading scorers and rebounders in Marley Smith (13.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and Natalie Herrin (9.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg). Junior forward Gabby Bush is the team’s top returning scorer at 8.5 points per game. Senior guard Aspen Weeks averaged 7.4 points a year ago, and was the Saints top shooter from distance, connecting on 35.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Defensively, Flagler held opponents to just 27.6 percent shooting from three-point range, but those efforts were offset by the team’s offense which committed an average of 19.3 turnovers per game.
The Saints and Gators have met six times during the regular season, but not since a 75-62 Florida win on Dec. 3, 1979. Florida also picked up an 85-46 decision over Flagler in an exhibition win on Oct. 30, 2024
FLAGLER (0-0)
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 28
Time: 6 p.m. EST
Site: Stephen C. O’Connell Center
Listen: WRUF 98.1 FM / 850 AM
Watch: None
TALE OF THE TAPE
Florida
Flagler
73.2
PPG
66.4
66.8
OPP PPG
67.4
+6.5
SCORING MARGIN
-1.0
44.8
FG %
40.7
40.1
OPP FG%
40.6
29.0
3 FG%
29.6
29.7
OPP 3 FG%
27.6
5.4
3FG/G
5.8
70.1
FT %
72.8
37.7
REBOUNDS/G
39.9
36.5
OPP REBOUNDS/G
34.7
+1.1
REB MARGIN
+5.3
13.3
ASSISTS/G
12.4
16.9
TURNOVER/G
19,3
+0.79
A/TO RATIO
+0.64
9.33
STEALS/G
6.96
4.03
BLOCKS/G
52.25
PROJECTED FLORIDA STARTERS
GATOR BITES
Florida has just one player returning from the 2025-26 roster, senior Jade Weathersby. Weathersby was fifth on the team in scoring last season, and third in rebounding and three-point field goal percentage
Kiyomi McMiller enjoyed an All-American season at Penn State last year when she finished 12th in the nation in scoring. She was also one of only five players in the country to average at least 20 points, five rebounds and four assists on the season.
The Gators have a pair of career, 1,000-point scorers on their roster in Jordan Jones (1,193) and Kiyomi McMiller (1,020). They could have two more by season’s end in Jade Weathersby (765) and Moriah Murray (704).
Although Jade Weathersby is the lone player to return from the 2025-26 squad, she isn’t the only player with SEC experience. Taliyah Parker played for the Texas A&M Aggies during the 2024-25 season where she averaged 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds as a freshman.
Florida has 12 games this season against ranked opponents, or opponents who are receiving votes, in the most recent Associated Press and USA Today polls.
SEC media members picked the Gators to finish 12th in the league, while SEC coaches tabbed Florida to finish 11th.
FLAGLER QUICK HITS
League coaches picked Flagler to finish in eighth place in the 11-team Peach Belt Conference this season, with last year’s tournament champion, Augusta, pegged as the favorites to claim the 2026-27 title.
Gone from last year’s roster are the Saints’ two leading scorers and rebounders in Marley Smith (13.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and Natalie Herrin (9.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg).
Junior forward Gabby Bush is the team’s top returning scorer at 8.5 points per game. Senior guard Aspen Weeks averaged 7.4 points a year ago, and was the Saints top shooter from distance, connecting on 35.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Maurice Smith is in his eighth season as head coach of the Saints. His 66 career victories are the third most in program history. Sitting atop that leader board is former Florida Gators standout Erika Lang-Montgomery who is now the head coach at Longwood.
Flager is in its 18th season in the Peach Belt Conference, but will move to the Sunshine State Conference beginning with the 2026-27 campaign.
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