Liv McGill cut behind her defender and ducked under three FAMU players standing in the paint to sink a fade-away jump shot. Her effort was the spark that ignited the Gators’ comeback win.
Florida (11-2) beat Florida A&M (0-9) 76-51 in the Exactech Arena at the O’Connell Center Wednesday afternoon, defending its eight-game undefeated streak at home. Despite a sluggish first quarter, the Gators were able to band together to conquer the Rattlers.
The Gators struggled with a slow start, ending the first 10 minutes down by five points. The deficit was caused by missed free throws, blown layups and turnovers. In that time, UF shot 36% from the field and 17% from 3-point range.
“This is probably one of our more disappointing showings,” said Florida head coach Kelly Rae Finley after the game. “I think we’ve lost and played better.”
Turnovers were a struggle throughout the night for UF. The Gators committed 13 in the first half, but tightened up their handle on the ball and had five in the second half. In the second quarter, the Gators were able to get the ball rolling and held FAMU to just seven points while scoring 24 points.
The Gators capitalized on fouls and turnovers, chomping at second-chance opportunities for points. The team held FAMU to just seven points in the second quarter and turned in 24 points in the same amount of time
McGill worked her matchup throughout the second half, beating her defender off of the dribble and easily laying the ball in multiple times. The sophomore guard ended the night with 29 points, two rebounds and five steals.
Florida’s freshman forward Caterina Piatti also had her hand in a lot of plays, finding opportunities to steal the ball and assist her teammates in scoring. She scored two points off of a reverse layup in the third quarter and hit a triple late in the fourth. She ended the night with a career-high five assists, along with five points, four rebounds and three steals.
“Over the course of the last week, I saw her become more and more comfortable,” Finley said. She described Piatti as versatile and able to play inside and outside of the paint, drawing out different defenders.
By the second half, UF began pulling away from its competition. FAMU’s savior and downfall was its aggressive play-style. The Rattlers were able to force 21 turnovers and scored 19 points off of them, but foul trouble ultimately got to the team. Four Rattlers ended up in foul trouble, three of which were starters.
These fouls sent Florida players like Me’Arah O’Neal to the free throw line. From the stripe, O’Neal sank six out of the eight she shot throughout the afternoon. She finished the game with 14 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. It marks her sixth double-double of the season.
FAMU was led by its guards, senior Camille Jackson and freshman Cornelia Ellington. Jackson ended with 12 points, while Ellington ended with 13 points.
Florida is now just two games away from its first SEC matchup and is looking to work out any kinks before facing Tennessee (6-2) on New Year’s Day.
Gearing up for that game, junior guard Laila Reynolds says she wants the team to focus on effort. She stressed the importance of “getting out and being able to play on both sides of the floor.”
The Gators continue their home stretch against Tulsa (6-4) at 2:45 p.m. on Sunday.
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.
