Liv McGill took trip after trip to the free throw line as fouls stacked up on both teams. She was sent to the line seven times, and each time she took a steady breath and sank the shot. She finished 13 for 14 from the charity stripe at 93% efficiency.
Florida (8-1) finished its Thanksgiving weekend trip to the Cayman Islands undefeated after beating Georgia Tech (3-5) 65-56. Despite a slow start, the Gators were able to overcome early struggles and pull away in the second half to secure the win.
Gators junior guard Laila Reynolds contributed 13 points, three rebounds and two blocks. By the end of the first half, she was the leading scorer for the Gators with 9 points.
Florida had a sluggish first quarter, turning the ball over five times and giving up nine offensive rebounds. Despite this, UF picked up the pace and tightened up its rebounding and took advantage of the Yellowjackets’ poor shooting.
Reynolds was later surpassed in points by McGill as she found her rhythm. McGill had only 6 points in the first half, but finished the night with 27 points, 13 of which came from the free throw line. She sparked Florida’s second-half surge, attacking the rim and controlling the pace as Georgia Tech struggled to stay in front of her.
Her ability to draw contact slowed the game down and allowed the Gators to settle in offensively, turning a tight matchup into a comfortable finish.
For the Yellowjackets, fifth-year guard Savannah Samuel and sophomore guard Talayah Walker led their team in points, with 14 and 11 respectively. The downfall of Georgia Tech came from its shooting woes, especially from the perimeter. The Yellowjackets went 0-for-11 from beyond the arc and struggled to capitalize on second-chance opportunities despite pulling down 22 offensive rebounds.
Florida controlled the pace for the majority of the game, a testament to their defensive efforts. The team finished with a total of eight blocks and nine steals.
Despite being out-rebounded 46-37, Florida’s ability to contest shots and rebound defensively helped limit scoring opportunities for the other team.
Graduate guard Alexia Dizeko delivered a steady two-way performance that helped Florida settle into the game early and maintain control late. The senior forward finished with 9 points and 7 rebounds, showing up in key moments on the glass and in the paint.
Dizeko’s ability to clean up missed shots and limit second looks for Georgia Tech played an important role in Florida’s defensive turnaround after the rough first quarter.
Florida leaves the Cayman Islands with back-to-back wins over Memphis and Georgia Tech. The Gators now head to Blacksburg, where they’ll face Virginia Tech (6-2) at 5 p.m. Thursday with a chance to improve to 9-1.
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.
