After scoring zero points in the first quarter, Liv McGill erupted on the hardwood, amassing a team-high 32 points and shifting Florida’s offensive gears on.
“We just got back to playing Gators women’s basketball,” McGill said. “And really focusing, the last two days of practice, details, the details matter, and playing together, playing for each other.”
The win gave the Gators much-needed momentum as they head into their last five games of non-conference play and boosted spirits following their second loss of the season on Thursday against Virginia Tech.
Florida (9-2) handed South Alabama (6-3) a 75-61 defeat Sunday afternoon at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, stretching the Gators’ streak of consecutive non-conference home wins to 13, which is the eighth-longest in program history.
“South Alabama is a really good basketball team … we knew that they were going to be physical, strong and skilled …,” UF head coach Kelly Rae Finley said. “Something that we have talked about a lot as a team lately is winning isn’t easy … And so I’ve been proud of the muscle that we’re continuing to grow, which is resilience and understanding the value of a possession.”
It took until the end of the second quarter for Florida to find its footing. Sophomore guard Liv McGill picked up her intensity, racking up steals and points that set the tone for the rest of the Gator squad. She reached double figures in the second quarter alone (17) and continued to score each quarter to maintain UF’s advantage.
The one to keep Florida afloat from the start was freshman forward Nyadieng Yiech’s five points on 2-of-2 field goals and one free throw in the first quarter. Yiech was the first to reach double-digit scoring and finished with 14 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, marking her second double-double of the season.
“She’s [Yiech] getting closer and closer to how she plays,” Finley said. “You can see her becoming more comfortable on the floor. She’s a competitor, she’s versatile, she’s a defensive utility player, she’s an offensive utility player.”
Despite having a slow start, the Gators tightened up their turnover struggles and stagnant shooting. After forcing just three South Alabama turnovers in the first quarter, UF forced 20 by the end of the game, while also tallying 15 steals and 43 rebounds.
Overall, Florida shot 47% from the field, compared to South Alabama’s 36%.
In the first quarter, the Gators got the first points on the board with a layup by junior guard Laila Reynolds. However, South Alabama went on a 6-0 run with a pair of three-pointers by junior guard Amyah Sutton and senior forward Daniela Gonzalez.
Two other Jaguar players scored free throws later on in the period, with one being by graduate student forward Cordasia Harris and the other junior forward Diawna Carter-Hartley. Harris led her team with six points in the first quarter, helping them establish a comfortable 16-11 advantage.
Sutton, the Jaguars’ leading scorer (13.6 ppg), was held below her average at 11 points. Meanwhile, Harris and Carter-Hartley both reached 12 points.
“I would say a big shoutout to [graduate student guard] Alexia Dizeko,” McGill said. “She gives it all. Coach Kelly says it a lot, but she really strives in her job, her position, and what we need her to do in this to stop the key player, and she does that day in and day out.”
South Alabama also shot 80% from behind the arc after just the first quarter, compared to UF’s 0%. By the end of the game, the Jaguars shot 44% from the three-point line, compared to the Gators’ 22%.
Florida’s first quarter was plagued by its field goal shooting, as it only shot 24%. UF’s top scorer, McGill, who averages 26.8 points per game, scored zero points in the first quarter.
Sophomore forward Me’Arah O’Neal was also held scoreless in the first half. She scored her first points off a layup in the third quarter at 4:24 and concluded the game with eight points.
At halftime, the Gators held a 43-30 lead after outshooting the Jaguars 32-14 and ending on an 8-0 run in the second period.
McGill opened the second half with a three-pointer, but Florida’s scoring momentum dwindled in the third quarter. The Jaguars outshot the Gators, 18-15, due to Harris and Sutton’s six points each. South Alabama also ended the third quarter on an 8-0 run after forcing three Florida turnovers.
Still, O’Neal’s first points extended to five, while McGill and Reynolds contributed seven and three points, respectively, to keep UF ahead.
In the fourth quarter, the Gators' defense remained firm. McGill also kept pouncing offensively, scoring eight more points.
South Alabama couldn’t close the gap, bringing the Gators to 7-3 in the all-time series between the two teams.
Florida continues its five-game home stretch against West Georgia (4-2) Sunday at 2 p.m.
“We’re at home, so we have that leverage,” McGill said. “We play very good at home, but our focus is to win, whether it's good or ugly.”
Contact Amanda Roman at aroman@alligator.org. Follow her on X @mandy_romannn
Amanda is The Alligator's Assistant Sports Editor and a senior sports journalism student. She previously worked as the soccer and women's basketball reporter. She also interned at Fort Lauderdale United FC. In her free time, she enjoys weight lifting, shopping and reading.
