After reaching its fifth consecutive postseason trip, Florida’s women’s basketball returned to the Stephen C. O’Connell Center with the same “buy-in” mindset, even as the team’s roster has changed.
With only five players returning, the young Gators squad took the court and made their mark. All but two players contributed points to the scoring column, with five reaching double digits, two of whom were freshmen making their collegiate debuts.
“We’re young and hungry, but we’re not young in experiencing minutes played in the league,” UF head coach Kelly Rae Finley said.
Florida (1-0) defeated North Florida (0-1) 96-62 Monday night, handing the Ospreys their ninth consecutive loss in the all-time series and marking UF's seventh straight season-opener win.
UF sophomore guard Liv McGill, who was named to the All-SEC Preseason Second Team, led the Gators offensively with 26 points on 11-of-21 field goals. McGill also had the team-high in both rebounds (9) and assists (9).
“Liv is a special player, she’s a coach, an extension of the coach on the floor,” Finley said. “She sees the game beautifully … where I’ve been most impressed is her willingness to learn how to develop as a leader and what it takes to move an entire group of people.”
Meanwhile, sophomore guard Laila Reynolds followed with 19 points. Freshman center Caterina Piatti tied for the third-most points (14) alongside sophomore wing Me’Arah O’Neal. O’Neal also recorded her second career double-double and career-high in rebounds with 11.
Freshman forward and Canadian native Nyadieng Yiech also notched 10 points on 3-of-5 field goals and 3-of-3 free throws.
Not only did Florida’s veteran players have standout performances, but Florida’s freshmen were also at the forefront of the Gator victory. This year, the Gators’ roster consists of seven international players, four of whom are freshmen.
Piatti was the driving force of Florida’s explosive 32-point surge in the third quarter. The Scandiano, Italy, native was unstoppable, tallying 10 points on 5-of-5 field goals.
“As a point guard, it is very interesting and fun for me to just learn their background and learn their culture and learn where they came from, but at the end of the day, basketball is basketball,” McGill said.
From the third quarter on, the Gators continued to dominate both offensively and defensively. Overall, UF shot 54% from the field, compared to UNF’s 43%. Florida also outrebounded North Florida, 38-28.
Freshman guard Emilija Dakic saw her first minutes for UF in the third quarter, stealing the ball at minute 9:06 and assisting Piatti for a layup.
Reynolds forced roars from the crowd at minute 6:30 after she commandingly blocked UNF freshman guard Megan Verbeeten’s layup. UNF went on a scoring spurt, with three-pointers by junior guard Alonya Waldon and junior wing Karyzma Pierre.
But, it was short-lived as Piatti scored to end the streak, eventually leading to an 8-0 run.
Despite UNF racking up some points sporadically throughout the third, UF was relentless and cruised on its significant advantage.
Yiech scored an impressive jumper with one hand, forcing a UNF defender to fall to the floor and proving that the Gators were not going to let up.
As the O’Dome crowd chanted “3-2-1” at the end of the third, graduate student forward Alexia Dizeko launched the ball from outside the arc with ease, scoring her first three-pointer of the night.
Although UF won the tip-off and Reynolds got the Gators on the scoreboard first, the team quickly lost the lead. UNF carried the advantage for more than half of the first quarter until Florida’s freshmen gave the team much-needed momentum.
Freshman center Gift Ezekiel and Yiech each scored layups, sparking a 15-4 run that UF rode to secure an 18-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
McGill was held to just four points in the first quarter until she eventually found her rhythm in the second. The team as a whole started slow, racking up 10 out of its 17 turnovers by the half. However, by the end of the game, UF won the turnover battle, forcing 31 UNF turnovers.
“We got to reduce our turnovers, we’ve got to continue to make rebounding a huge priority, and then our mental transitions,” Finley said. “We’ve worked on our basketball IQ a lot, and I feel like we’re in a great position and great place.”
Waldon put UNF ahead early in the first quarter with a layup, followed by a free throw and a three-pointer just seven minutes in. She had a team-high six points for the Ospreys in the first quarter. Overall, Waldon ended the night with 19 points on 6-of-9 field goals and 5-of-5 free throws, leading her team as one of two players to reach double figures.
In the second quarter, the Gators came out stronger and faster, with Reynolds sprinting down the court on a fast break off a steal, securing a driving layup. McGill followed with a three-pointer off an Ospreys turnover, helping to set the tone.
UNF managed to trail behind at the beginning of the second with help from a pair of three-pointers by freshmen guards Jamison Cardwell and Verbeeten.
However, Dizeko’s layup and jumper started a 14-2 run for the Gators. Yiech and McGill’s back-to-back three-pointers made up a majority of those points. Twenty seconds after her three, McGill stole the ball for a layup, bringing Florida to a 21-point lead.
Florida entered halftime ahead 46-27, with McGill leading with 14 points, while Reynolds trailed behind with 11 and Yiech followed with seven.
By the fourth quarter, the Gators were cruising to victory, with O’Neal hitting her first three-pointer of the night. McGill and O’Neal kept trading scores, eventually bringing Florida to its largest lead of the night at 42 points.
“In terms of Me’Arah, I think her growth has been tremendous,” Finley said. “She was really bought into her process and timing … in terms of leadership, we need her to anchor our forward group.”
UNF ended up closing the gap a little bit with a 7-0 run and five Gator turnovers to close out the game, but Florida was too far ahead, and the game was already long out of reach.
“We got a little bit lax in that fourth quarter, but shared the ball beautifully, played hard, played together,” Finley said. “I think that everybody individually is improving, so collectively our team can improve … I thought tonight was huge.”
Florida continues its home stretch against Chattanooga (1-0) Thursday at 5 p.m.
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.
