The Gators circled a wounded No. 5 Vanderbilt team and moved in at the right time. The Commodores limped back home from back-to-back defeats with barely 48 hours to regroup, and Florida wasted no time sinking its teeth in.
But the Commodores proved to be resilient. Down nine points at halftime, the Commodores stormed into control with a 32-point third quarter. Overall, Vanderbilt outscored Florida 57-32 in the final 20 minutes.
Florida (13-11, 1-8 SEC) lost its lead and the game to No. 5 Vanderbilt (21-2, 7-2 SEC) 82-66 in the Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville.
In the first quarter, Florida pounced. The team started with a 6-0 run and kept its foot on the gas into the second quarter. Vanderbilt returned from losing two games on the road with just one full day to prepare for the Gators. And in the first half, it showed.
The Commodores shot 32.4% from the field and 15.8% from 3-point range, scoring the least amount of points in the first quarter all season with 10. Florida out-rebounded and out-paced Vanderbilt for the majority of the game. The Gators finished with 31 rebounds compared to their opponents’ 27.
And, Florida’s three-ball was hitting. The team was 8-20 (40%) from the three, after usually averaging 27.5% this season. Sophomore forward Me’Arah O’Neal knocked down two first-quarter threes, and sophomore guard Liv McGill followed with one of her own to help stretch the lead.
Just before halftime, senior guard KN’isha Godfrey buried another triple, sending Florida into the break with momentum.
Florida led for 26 minutes and one second. Then the third quarter flipped everything.
Vanderbilt erupted for 32 points in the period, shooting 12 for 16 from the floor and 5 for 6 from beyond the arc. The Commodores turned steals into transition chances and capitalized on nearly every Gator mistake.
That exposed Florida’s Achilles’ heel: turnovers.
Florida committed 23 turnovers, which Vanderbilt converted into 33 points. The Commodores also racked up 12 steals, repeatedly disrupting Florida’s rhythm and preventing the Gators from settling in.
Vanderbilt was led by sophomore guard Mikayla Blakes, who finished the night with 30 points, five rebounds, eight assists and four steals. Senior guard Justine Pissott added 14 points, including four three-pointers, and graduate forward Sacha Washington chipped in 14 more inside.
McGill worked hard to help Florida out of the hole it dug in the fourth quarter. She finished the game with 21 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks. O’Neal added a team-high 22 points and eight rebounds, continuing her strong offensive stretch.
But each time Florida threatened, Vanderbilt answered. The Commodores shot 76% in the second half and 66.7% from three after halftime, turning a halftime deficit into a double-digit win and its 13th straight win at home
What started as one of Florida’s sharpest halves of SEC play ended as another lesson in how quickly momentum can swing. The Gators round out their seven-day stretch versus top-six ranked teams with this loss.
Florida’s next contest is against Auburn (13-9, 2-6 SEC) in the Stephen O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida, at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Contact Isis Snow at isnow@alligator.org. Follow her on X @isis_snoww.
Isis is a senior sports journalism student who is in her fourth semester at The Alligator. She previously has written for the Avenue desk and has covered the Florida volleyball beat. She also has experience in live broadcast reporting with WUFT. Despite hailing from Las Vegas, Nevada, she is a life-long Michigan and Detroit Lions fan. To make up for the emotional toll of being a fan of those teams, you will often find her in the gym weight lifting and playing basketball.
