Liv McGill dribbled the time away in the last seconds of the fourth quarter, sealing the 42-point blowout and setting another career record just two games into the season.
Her 38-point game wasn’t just a career-high for most points in a game, but a program record for most points ever scored at home. She led the Gators to victory throughout the night.
Florida (2-0) defeated Chattanooga (1-1) 94-52 Thursday in the Exactech Arena, paying back their previous five-point loss to the Mocs Dec. 20, 2017, which was Florida head coach Kelly Rae Finley’s first year as an assistant coach.
UF's sophomore guard, McGill, not only had a record-breaking night in points, but she also had a double-double with 10 assists. She also recorded eight rebounds and seven steals.
“As coach keeps saying, that basket was just huge, but it’s countless hours put in, countless hours with my teammates, countless hours of us drilling work,” McGill said. “And I guess the basketball Gods are just in my favor today … It was a great team win, everybody contributed, and it’s a blessing to set a record.”
Chattanooga started off the game hot and found itself on an 11-point run. The Mocs ended the first quarter up by five points and were led by sophomore forward Gianna Corbitt, who ended the game with a team-high 21 points.
Despite a slow start from the Gators, the team picked it up quickly in the second. They held the Mocs to just four points for the entire 10-minute quarter, taking the lead 47-28. To put a cherry on top, McGill sent the game to halftime with a crowd-popping three-pointer.
“Going into that second quarter, they’ll make an adjustment with like four littles, with one big, Me'Arah rebounding the ball beautifully,” Finley said. “But we were able to go four littles, match them, and our transition to defense picked up. Our press started to pick up, turn them over, and our defense sets the tone for us.”
Florida’s defense was buttoned up, which was highlighted by its ability to hold junior guard Caia Elisaldez, the SEC Preseason Player of the Year, to just nine points and seven shot attempts. Overall, the team had 13 steals, 20 offensive rebounds and four blocks.
Sophomore forward Me’Arah O’Neal led UF in rebounds with 10 and was the second leading scorer with 14 points. Her connection with McGill throughout the night was easy to see, as the two combined on plays like the screen and rolled easily.
UF graduate student guard Alexia Dizeko had a productive night, finishing with 11 points and five rebounds. In the third quarter, she hit a three-pointer that put fans on their feet, putting her team up by 24.
“Lex is the most selfless player I’ve ever played with on any team,” said freshman guard Emilija Dakic. “She’s always there when you need something, she’s always the first person you can go to. And I think just having that person, especially as a freshman, to look up to and be like, ‘Yeah, that’s what I can also be for people coming through with years to come.’”
As a whole, the Gators shot about 52% from the field and 39% from the three-point line, while the Mocs shot about 33% and 35%, respectively. Most notably, Florida more than doubled the amount of offensive rebounds than Chattanooga (20-8).
Dakic was able to put her first collegiate points onto her stats sheet this evening, ending with four points, one rebound and one steal. Additionally, junior guard Sarah Deng notched her first points of the season, finishing with four points, one rebound and one steal.
By the fourth quarter, the blowout was undeniable. McGill made three steals in those last ten minutes, all resulting in fast-break layups.
“We have players that are hungry to win, that want to be great and that love the game,” Finley said. “I’m blessed as a coach because we have complete, total buy-in for whatever it takes to win.”
The Gators look ahead to Monday, when they face off at home against Jacksonville University (2-0) at 7 p.m.
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.
