Florida fell to the No. 5 LSU Tigers, 80-63 on Sunday afternoon. The Gators were led by freshman Liv McGill with 21-points, marking her eighth outing with 20+ in scoring.
GAINESVILLE, Fla.- The Gators were challenged Sunday afternoon, falling 80-63 to an undefeated No. 5 LSU. Despite the loss, Florida out-rebounded the Tigers 44-38 and proved to be in the fight with seven Gators contributing to the scoreboard.
Liv McGill<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/liv-mcgill/16880> led the Gators with 21 points, securing her eighth 20+ point outing this season. Laila Reynolds<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/laila-reynolds/16860> totaled 16 points, followed by Ra Shaya who chipped in with 11. Kyle also led Florida on the boards alongside Me’Arah O’Neal<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/me-arah-o-neal/16879>, both logging seven rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
IN THE FIRST:
* LSU opened play with a 7-0 run, UF reciprocated immediately to even the score at 7-7
* Florida gained its first lead at 12-10 (5:21)
* The Gators held a six-point lead twice, marking their largest lead of the period
* 16-10 (3:47), and 21-15 (00:59)
* Kyle led UF in scoring with seven points, shooting 3-4 from the field and going 1-1 from the line
* 12 of the Gators 21 points were recorded inside the paint
* As a team, Florida shot 47.1 percent from the field (8-17)
IN THE SECOND:
* The Gators were held to 12-points and shot a game low 23.5 percent from the field (4-17)
* McGill led Florida in scoring with nine of UF’s 12 points
* 25 percent of UF’s points were off second chances
* Florida snagged a game high 14 rebounds
* In the first half UF held the lead over LSU for six minutes and 32 seconds
* The score stood in favor of the Tigers at 37-33 to end the period
IN THE THIRD:
* LSU took a 15-point lead (53-38)-its largest in the first 30 minutes of play (4:43)
* McGill and Reynolds led Florida on offense with five points apiece
* The Gators went 5-11 from the field, shooting 45.5 percent
* Going into the final period, Florida was down by 11 (59-48)
IN THE FOURTH:
* Reynolds led in scoring with six of UF’s 15 points
* Florida secured eight points from inside the paint
* LSU held its biggest lead at 76-48 (4:38)
* The Gators forced four turnovers on the Tigers
* O’Neal led on the boards, grabbing three of UF’s eight rebounds
WORTH NOTING:
* Sunday’s attendance of 6,568 marks the fourth highest crowd in program history
* Florida was held to 63 points-marking UF’s third lowest scoring game of 2024-25
* Lowest was 55 points vs. Kentucky (01/09/2025)
* McGill has now hit double figures in 18 of her 20 outings as a Gator
* The Gators shot 37.9 percent from the field (22-58)
* 24 of Florida’s 63 points were tallied inside the paint
* Florida had three players in double figures for scoring
* McGill (21), Reynolds (16), and Kyle (11)
* McGill led UF in scoring for her ninth time this season
* Florida distributed 11 assists
* McGill led UF in assists for the fourteenth time this season with six
* Kyle led on the boards, securing seven rebounds
* Kyle has now led UF on the boards in 15 outings this season
* Nine Gators contributed to UF’s total of 44 rebounds
* UF was forced a total 24 turnovers, their second most of the 2024-25 season
* The Gators have secured 20+ points in 39 of 82 quarters played this season
* UF made 12 layups in 19 driving attempts (63%)
* Florida recorded a game total 73 possessions, converting for 0.86 points per possession
CAREER HIGHS:
Kenza Salgues<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/kenza-salgues/16861>
Blocks
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vs LSU 01/19/25
GATOR BITES:
Head Coach Kelly Rae Finley<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/kelly-rae-finley/1866> on finishing through 40 minutes:
“I’ve challenged our young team in how we compete for 40 minutes and I thought we competed harder today than we did against Ole Miss and for a longer period of time. We have two very young guards and I was pleased with the progress that they made in the last three days from Ole Miss to today.”
Head Coach Kelly Rae Finley<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/kelly-rae-finley/1866> on Me’Arah O’Neal’s<https://floridagators.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/me-arah-o-neal/16879> Future as a Gator:
“All of our forwards are extremely versatile. We were able to move Me’Arah around to different positions, offensively and defensively. She’s a really good three-point shooter. We haven’t seen that translate to the game just yet, but in due time when it does, it’s going to be really scary. I see her being consistent. She’s extremely bought in and she’s really driven. I see that paying off for her in a huge way.”
TEAM RECORDS:
Florida: (11-8, 2-4 SEC)
LSU: (15-0, 5-0 SEC)
SERIES RECORD:
The all-time series between Florida and LSU stands in favor of the Tigers at 33-16.
NEXT UP:
The Gators next time on the hardwood will be Sunday, Jan. 26, at Auburn. Florida will matchup against the Alabama based Tigers at 3 p.m. ET inside Neville Arena.
NEXT UP: at Auburn (9-9, 0-5 SEC)
* Date: Sun., Jan. 26
* Time: 3 p.m. ET
* Site: Neville Arena
* Radio: ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM / 850 AM<https://admin.floridagators.com/watch/?Live=5548&type=Live>
* Watch: SECN+<https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/24e6e534-47be-4063-bc09-a60e012fb6e7>
* Live stats: Statbroadcast<https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=551598>
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