Florida Women Open Reiss Era With 83-60 Win
Florida's women's basketball team beat Bucknell 83-60 in head coach Tammi Reiss's first game at the helm.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Basketball
Florida defeated Bucknell 83-60 at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla., in Tammi Reiss's debut as head coach. Kiyomi McMiller led the Gators with 31 points while Vanessa Harris added a career-high 26.
Why it matters
The opening win gives Reiss's first season an early positive result and sets the tone for a Florida program entering a new coaching era. The balanced scoring and efficient shooting show multiple players can contribute.
Harris shot 11-of-16 from the floor and 3-of-5 from three-point range for a career-high 26 points, while the team shot nearly 55 percent overall. The sample is a single opening game, so how these shooting rates hold across the season remains unknown.
The players
Tammi Reiss
Tammi Reiss is the new head coach of the Florida women's basketball program, and the Bucknell win marked her first game leading the team.
Kiyomi McMiller
Kiyomi McMiller is a freshman guard for Florida who led the team with 31 points against Bucknell.
Vanessa Harris
Vanessa Harris is a junior guard for Florida who scored a career-high 26 points on efficient shooting against Bucknell.
The details
Florida's interior attack repeatedly attacked the paint, while its outside shooting was sporadic at times. McMiller, a freshman, paced the team with 31 points in the win.
Timeline
November 2, 2026: Florida defeats Bucknell 83-60 in Reiss's debut.
Thursday, November 5, 2026: Florida hosts in-state rival UCF at the O'Dome with tip-off at 4:30 p.m.
Season Trajectory
A debut win over a non-conference opponent gives Florida an early 1-0 record heading into its first in-state rivalry test against UCF. The result will be read against how the team performs in that matchup and the rest of its schedule.
Fans and fantasy managers tracking the program can follow Florida's home opener against UCF on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. The early 1-0 start offers a first read on how the rotation is shaping up under Reiss.
The takeaway
The opening win shows Florida can score in multiple ways, and watching how it handles UCF on Thursday will offer a clearer picture of the team's direction. Early results like this one set expectations but rarely decide a season.
What happens next
Florida hosts in-state rival UCF at the O'Dome on Thursday, November 5, 2026, with tip-off at 4:30 p.m.
Further reading
For more on the program, see Basketball coverage across Gainesville.
