Mississippi fans mimicked Florida’s rival, FSU, shouting the Seminoles' war chant during every Gator free-throw attempt. But the effort was in vain.
Florida (16-12, 4-9 SEC) secured the win over Mississippi State (18-9, 5-8) 71-56 in its first conference win on the road at the Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, Mississippi.
Florida forced Mississippi State into a tough sport early, causing the Bulldogs to rack up turnovers and fouls. In the first quarter, Mississippi State had given up seven points off of 10 turnovers, and starting junior forward Favour Nwaedozi sat because of foul trouble.
Despite the Bulldogs switching from man defense to zone, Florida drove down the lane and found points often with ease. In the first half, Florida had double the amount of Mississippi’s paint points (28-14).
Florida took advantage of fast break opportunities, quickly getting the ball up the floor and finding the rim. Junior forward Laila Reynolds blazed the trail to the lane, finding 19 points as well as four rebounds and two assists.
The Gators' bench made a timely appearance too and had an immediate impact. Junior forward Jade Weathersby sank a triple as soon as she checked into the game, and senior guard KN’isha Godfrey immediately got to the free throw line and then forced a Mississippi turnover on the other end of the floor.
To start off the fourth quarter, Florida’s freshman forward Nyandieng Yiech touched the floor for the first time all night and knocked down the three.
In comparison, the Gators shot better than the Bulldogs in all three categories. Florida outshot them 46.4% to 36.5% from the field and 78.9% to 61.9% from the free-throw line. The real disparity came from beyond the arc, where the Gators outdid Mississippi State 22.2% to 8.3%.
Mississippi was headed by freshman forward Madison Francis, who ended the night with 20 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks and three steals. But, in the face of Florida’s defense, the Bulldogs couldn’t lock the win down.
Florida’s offense ran through sophomore guard Liv McGill. McGill led all scorers with 30 points and added five rebounds and seven assists despite committing 10 turnovers.
The win marked Florida’s first SEC road victory of the season and snapped a six-game conference skid. For a team searching for momentum just before the conference tournament, Thursday night in Starkville may have been the reset it needed.
The Gators have three games left, with its next contest against No. 25 Alabama back at home at the Exactech Arena in the Stephen O’Connell Center on Sunday at 12 p.m.
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.
