With 1.3 seconds left, a travel briefly halted Navy’s early celebration, but the call didn’t change the outcome. Throughout the entire match, Navy stayed aggressive and kept Florida at bay.
Florida (4-1) fell against Navy (3-0) 69-54 in its first road game Sunday at the Alumni Hall in Annapolis, Maryland. The Gators were missing their leading scorer, Liv McGill, due to an undisclosed leg injury.
McGill has been a force for the Gators’ offense this season, recording 25.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 4.2 steals per game.
Without McGill’s usual control of the tempo and threat on both ends, Florida couldn’t overcome shooting woes, turnover issues and foul trouble. The Midshipmen earned their second win against an SEC team in program history.
Navy’s hot shooting and early scoring runs kept the Midshipmen in control for most of the game, despite a few brief moments when Florida led in the first and second quarters. Florida’s pushes were short-lived, and the Navy quickly regained momentum each time.
Without their top player, the Gators leaned on their sophomore forward Me’Arah O’Neal and junior guard Laila Reynolds for points. But, both struggled to produce offensively.
O’Neal shot 31% from the field and ended with 14 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Reynolds made five of 18 attempts and finished with 19 points, three rebounds and three steals.
Freshman forward Nyadieng Yeich commanded the Gators comeback in the second quarter. She was the deciding factor that put her team up 29-28 with back to back three-pointers. Despite her efforts, Navy outscored, outrebounded and overpowered Florida on both sides of the ball.
The Midshipmen were led by junior guard Zanai Barnett-Gay, who had 22 points, eight rebounds and two steals. She was backed by freshman guard Zoe Mesuch, who shot the lights out all night. She made five of nine from beyond the arc and ended with 15 points and five rebounds.
Navy struggled with ball control at times, committing 22 turnovers, but still managed to convert Florida’s mistakes into more points and maintain a comfortable lead throughout the game.
Florida also had a hard time controlling the ball throughout the game, committing 13 turnovers. And, individual fouls proved troublesome, with Me’Arah O’Neal picking up four and other starters like Reynolds and freshman guard Emilija Dakic in foul trouble.
The aggressive play led to key moments for Navy, who converted 21 points off Florida’s miscues and maintained momentum throughout the match.
The Gators head home to face off against the Florida State Seminoles (3-1) at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. The teams last met on Nov. 22, 2024, when FSU beat UF 98-74 at home.
Contact Isis Snow at isnow@alligator.org. Follow her on X @isis_snoww.
Isis is a junior sports journalism student and is the volleyball beat reporter for fall 2025. This is her third semester with The Alligator. She enjoys reading, playing basketball and weight lifting in her free time.
