Florida fell to No. 23 Alabama, 84-66 on Thursday night. The Gators were led by freshman Liv McGill with 22-points, marking her 10th outing with 20+ in scoring.
GAINESVILLE, Fla.- Florida tallied its seventh loss of SEC play Thursday night, falling 84-66 to No. 23 Alabama. Despite the loss, UF remained within reach of the Crimson Tide for the entirety of the contest with three Gators putting up double figures in scoring.
Freshman Liv McGill<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/liv-mcgill/16880> led Florida offensively for her eleventh outing this season with 22 points, also recording her tenth 20+ point performance of the season. Ra Shaya Kyle<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ra-shaya-kyle/16858> followed with 15 points and Laila Reynolds<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/laila-reynolds/16860> posted 14. Defensively, UF was led by Jeriah Warren<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/jeriah-warren/16862> for the second time this season snagging 10 rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
IN THE FIRST:
* McGill led in scoring with six of UF’s 17 points
* Florida went 8-17 from the field to shoot 47.1 percent
* 10 of Florida’s points were tallied inside the paint
* The Gators distributed four assists– McGill accounting for two
* Warren and Kyle led on the boards, securing three rebounds each
* Florida and Alabama were knotted at 17-17 to conclude the first period
IN THE SECOND:
* McGill led on the boards with four of Florida’s 15 rebounds
* The game was tied half way through the period at 22-22 (4:48)
* Florida recorded a game low 10 points and was held to 4-23 from the field (17.4%)
* Eight of UF’s points in the period were off Alabama turnovers
* The Gators forced a game high five turnovers on the Crimson Tide
* Florida trailed by five heading into the half (32-27)
IN THE THIRD:
* Florida posted a game high 23 points-14 came from inside the paint
* McGill led in scoring with 10 points, shooting 4-6 from the field and 2-2 from the free throw line
* The Gators shot 53.3 percent from the field (8-15), their best of the game
* Alabama took its largest lead of the game so far with an 11-point margin (55-44)
* UF’s eight rebounds were grabbed across four players
IN THE FOURTH:
* UF shot 100 percent from the free throw line (5-5)
* Florida forced four turnovers on the Crimson Tide-their most of the half
* Seven of Florida’s 16 points were off second chances
* Reynolds, Warren, and McGill all grabbed two rebounds, contributing to UF’s 11
* The Gators out-rebounded Alabama 11-8
WORTH NOTING:
* The Gators set a season high in free throw shooting at 85.7 percent (12-14)
* Florida out-rebounded Alabama 44-38
* UF and Alabama were tied seven times during Thursday’s contest
* The Gators shot 33.3 percent from the field (25-75)
* 36 of Florida’s 66 points were tallied inside the paint
* Florida forced 14 turnovers on the Crimson Tide
* 18 of UF’s total points were off rebounds
* The Gators saw the free throw line a combined 14 times, converting for 12 points
* UF had three players in double digits for scoring
* McGill (22), Kyle (15), Reynolds (14), Warren
* McGill has hit double figures in 22 of her 24 outings as a Gator
* 10 of those games have been 20+ point outings
* Reynolds recorded her fifth consecutive game with 10+ points
* Reynolds has hit double digits in scoring for 13 of her outings this season
* McGill tallied 6 assists and has now led UF in ball distribution 18 times this season
* Four Gators contributed to UF’s 13 assists
* Warren led in rebounding with 10
* Warren has led UF on the boards three times in 2024-25 and seven times at UF
* Six Gators tallied two or more rebounds
* Warren (10), Kyle (7), McGill (6), Reynolds (5), Salgues (3), Gassett (2)
* The Gators have secured 20+ points in 46 of 98 quarters played this season
* UF made 17 layups in 28 driving attempts (61%)
* Florida recorded a game total 73 possessions, converting for 0.9 points per possession
CAREER HIGHS:
Ra Shaya Kyle<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/ra-shaya-kyle/16858>
FT Made
9
vs Tulane 11/28/24, vs Alabama 02/06/25
Liv McGill<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/liv-mcgill/16880>
FG Attempts
25
vs Alabama 02/06/25
Laila Reynolds<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/laila-reynolds/16860>
FG Attempts
17
vs Alabama 02/06/25
Kenza Salgues<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/kenza-salgues/16861>
FG Attempts
9
vs Fla. Atlantic 11/04/24, vs Alabama 02/06/25
GATOR BITES:
Head Coach Kelly Rae Finley<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/kelly-rae-finley/1866> on Laila Reynolds<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/laila-reynolds/16860> and her continuous improvement:
“I was talking to Laila yesterday and it dawned on me, I went in my calendar and looked and I was like wow, minus the holiday break, she’s really only been playing for eight weeks. The amount of improvement that she’s had in eight weeks is unmatched. I don’t think I could be more pleased with where she’s at, but she’s a competitor, relentless in her worth ethic, and she’s earned the opportunity to go out there and play that way. It’s what we expect from her every night. She’s only going to improve.”
Freshman Liv McGill<https://admin.floridagators.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/liv-mcgill/16880> on her first year in conference play:
“I am always taking notes on my opponents and my teammates. That’s just what I’m always doing in the back of my head you know, during the game and after watching film. They are good players, and I’m trying to be the best, and I want to take notes so I can try to be the best. You’ve got to compete every night. It doesn’t matter what their ranking is, what their ranking is, it’s the SEC. Everybody’s trying to get a win, so you can never come into the game slacking no matter who it is.”
TEAM RECORDS:
Florida: (12-12, 3-7 SEC)
Alabama: (19-5, 6-4 SEC)
SERIES RECORD:
The all-time series between Florida and Alabama stands in favor of the Crimson Tide at 34-30.
NEXT UP:
The Gators next SEC matchup will be at No. 2 South Carolina on Thursday, Feb. 13. Florida will tip-off in Gamecock territory at 7 p.m. ET. The Thursday night game will be aired on SECN and take place inside Colonial Life Arena.
NEXT UP: at No. 2 South Carolina (22-1, 10-0 SEC)
* Date: Thurs., Feb. 13
* Time: 7 p.m. ET
* Site: Colonial Life Arena<https://gamecocksonline.com/facilities/colonial-life-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/b36c74de-2a23-4886-b50e-0f96f7df3085>
* Live stats: Statbroadcast<https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=554961&vislive=fla>
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