Aliyah Matharu, Florida’s leading scorer last season, is no longer on the team. According to On3 Talia Goodman, Mathura has entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer.
Mathura produced a career season in what turned out to be her lone campaign in Gainesville. The 5-7 guard topped the team with 19.0 points on 40% shooting from the field and was first on the team with 1.7 treys a contest despite shooting at a 28% clip. She also led the Gators with 2.7 steals.
Mathura scored in double-figures in 29 of her 30 appearances, which includes 23 starts. She topped the 20-point mark on 13 occasions, which included a career-high 35-point performance against Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament. The Gators finished with a 16-16 record in 2023-24, though they were just 5-11 in SEC play.
Florida 2023-24 Leading Scorer Looking for New Home as Gators Start Exhibition Slate
Goodman said that Mathura hopes to find a new school by December. This is the third time that Mathura has transferred. She began her collegiate career with Mississippi State, spending two seasons with the Bulldogs before transferring to Texas for a year.
Losing Mathura with three weeks to go before the start of the 2024-25 season is a tough break for the Gators. Florida, which lost its second-leading scorer, Leilani Correa, to graduation, finished 38th in the nation, scoring 74.7 points a game. The Gators were 84th in shooting percentage (43%) but struggled defensively in 2023-24.
Florida was 13th in the SEC and 315th in scoring defense while ranking 291st in defensive rating last season. The Gators defended the 3-point line well, though they struggled with transition defense, keeping opponents off the offensive glass, and fouling.
Despite Florida’s defensive struggles last year, coach Kelly Rae Finley has turned around the Gator program. The Gators, who reached the NCAA Tournament in 2022, have posted three straight non-losing seasons, their longest stretch since the early 2010s. The Gators are 56-42 overall under Finley and 20-27 in conference play.
2023-24 Season
At the beginning of the season, the media ranked Florida ninth in the SEC and 11th in On3’s SEC Power Rankings.
“The Florida Gators bring in a talented freshman class that will likely make an impact from day one,” Goodman said before Mathura’s departure. “Coach Kelly Rae Finley added No. 7-ranked Liv McGill, a 5-foot-9 guard out of Minnesota, as well as a pair of wings – No. 33-ranked Me’Arah O’Neal and Kylee Kitts (No. 25 in 2025 class who reclassified). This is a well-balanced team with a good mix of veterans and newcomers.”
Without Mathura, 6-6 center Ra Shaya Kyle and 6-1 sophomore guard Laila Reynolds will likely assume a more significant role. Kyle posted career-highs in 12.6 points and 9.2 rebounds while totaling seven double-doubles in 14 games as she suffered a season-ending injury early in SEC play. Reynolds earned 2023-24 All-SEC Freshman honors after averaging 7.0 points and 3.7 boards with a shooting slash line of 43/28.6/52.7.
Florida will play one exhibition game this season, hosting NCAA Division II Flagler College in an exhibition game on October 30. The Gators begin the regular season with four straight home games, starting with Florida Atlantic. They also will face Miami (Nov. 16), Florida State (Nov. 22), Clemson (ACC/SEC Challenge), and North Carolina (Jumpman Invitational).
