Kiyomi McMiller scores career-high 42 as Florida rout UCF 95-65
By Aarav DeshpandeSports Correspondent, Peepals Yuva
Representative image: StockSnap / Pixabay
Transfer guard Kiyomi McMiller scored a career-high 42 points, with seven threes, as Florida beat UCF 95-65 on 5 November 2026.
What Happened
Kiyomi McMiller scored a career-high 42 points as the Florida Gators women's basketball team beat UCF 95-65 on Thursday, 5 November 2026, in only her second game for the university. The guard, a transfer who began her college career at Rutgers and then played at Penn State, made 14 of her 25 shots, including 7 of 10 three-pointers, and 7 of 8 free throws, according to the university's own match report. Florida moved to two wins from two games. The 42 points are the most any player has scored against UCF in a Florida game and the fourth-highest total in the programme's history, the university said.
Key Facts
- Result: Florida 95, UCF 65, on Thursday, 5 November 2026; Florida are 2-0 for the season.
- Kiyomi McMiller: 42 points, a career high, on 14 of 25 shooting, 7 of 10 from three-point range and 7 of 8 free throws.
- Programme records: fourth-highest single-game total in Florida women's basketball history and the most by any Florida player against UCF, according to the university.
- Highest by a Florida women's player since Ronni Williams scored 43 against Vanderbilt in 2017, according to a local television report.
- Her seven three-pointers tie for the third-most in one game in Florida history, the university said.
- Second straight big night: she scored 31 points in her Florida debut, an 83-60 win over Bucknell, and is the fifth Florida player to score 30 or more in back-to-back games.
- Before the season, the Southeastern Conference's coaches voted her to the preseason All-SEC Second Team, the university announced on 21 October 2026.
Why It Matters
McMiller arrived in Gainesville this year with a big reputation and a lot to prove. She averaged 18.7 points a game as a freshman at Rutgers, then moved to Penn State, and left Penn State after a change of coach there before signing for Florida in the off-season. Two games into her Florida career she has scored 73 points. After the UCF game she told the conference's own video service that she "had something to prove".
Her path also shows how fast a college career can now move. In three seasons she has played for three universities, and within two games of joining Florida she has become the team's main scorer. Her coach at Florida and her team-mates now have a clear first option in attack, and opponents have a clear problem to solve.
The efficiency stands out as much as the total. She did not need a huge number of shots: 25 attempts produced 42 points, because she mixed three-pointers, shots inside the arc and free throws, and missed only one of her eight free throws.
Peepals calculation: McMiller scored about 44% of Florida's points (42 of 95), and her shot mix adds up exactly: seven two-point baskets (14), seven three-pointers (21) and seven free throws (7) make 42. Across her first two Florida games she is averaging 36.5 points ((31 + 42) / 2). Our calculation from the reported figures.
| Breakdown | Made | Attempted | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Field goals | 14 | 25 | 56% |
| Three-pointers | 7 | 10 | 70% |
| Free throws | 7 | 8 | 87.5% |
Impact
Short-term: Florida have started the season with two comfortable wins, by 23 points against Bucknell and by 30 against UCF, and opponents will now plan their defence around McMiller.
Long-term: If she keeps scoring at anything close to this rate, McMiller will be one of the players the Southeastern Conference season is watched for, and her move from Rutgers and Penn State will look like a good fit for both player and university. Two games are a very small sample, though, and the conference schedule is much harder than the opening weeks.
Who is affected: Florida's coaching staff and team-mates, who now have a clear first scoring option; UCF, beaten by 30 points; and young players watching how a transfer can reshape a career.
Key Takeaway
Kiyomi McMiller's 42 points against UCF, on 56% shooting and 7 of 10 from three, made her only the fifth Florida player to score 30 or more in back-to-back games, in her first two outings for the club.
Questions and Answers
How many points did Kiyomi McMiller score against UCF?
Kiyomi McMiller scored a career-high 42 points in Florida's 95-65 win over UCF on Thursday, 5 November 2026. She made 14 of 25 shots, 7 of 10 three-pointers and 7 of 8 free throws.
Is 42 points a Florida record?
No, but it is close. The university says it is the fourth-highest total in the history of Florida women's basketball and the most by a Florida player against UCF. It is the highest since Ronni Williams scored 43 against Vanderbilt in 2017.
Where did Kiyomi McMiller play before Florida?
She started at Rutgers, where she averaged 18.7 points as a freshman, then played at Penn State before transferring to Florida after a coaching change at Penn State.
How has she started the season?
She scored 31 points in her debut, an 83-60 win over Bucknell, and then 42 against UCF, an average of 36.5 points across the first two games. That made her the fifth Florida player to score 30 or more in consecutive games.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Aarav Deshpande, Sports CorrespondentCovers Sports and more for Peepals Yuva. All stories by Aarav Deshpande
AMU students' union election: Nashra Naim first woman vice-president
WHO study: one in four teens had no active day in a week
Get the day's stories in your inbox
Peepals Weekly: the week decoded, free. One email a week, unsubscribe in one click.
Aarav Deshpande is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
