GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands — Florida wraps up its Thanksgiving trip to the Cayman Islands on Saturday with a 5 p.m. EST matchup against Georgia Tech. The Gators opened the tournament Friday night by defeating Memphis 74-60, powered by Me'Arah O'Neal’s 24 points and nine rebounds alongside Liv McGill’s 27 points. That win lifted Florida to a 7-1 record, their best start through eight games since the 2000-01 season when they began 8-0.

McGill currently stands second nationally in scoring at 26.2 points per game, ranks 20th in assists (6.0 per game), and is sixth in steals (4.33 per game). Me'Arah O'Neal (16.6 ppg) and Laila Reynolds (14.4 ppg) also contribute double‑digit scoring averages for the Gators.

Georgia Tech enters at 3-4 after a narrow 77-75 loss to St. John’s in their opening Cayman Islands Classic contest Friday. Sophomore guard Talayah Walker and senior guard Catherine Alben each tallied 18 points. The Yellow Jackets controlled the paint with a 34-24 scoring edge inside, but St. John’s hot shooting at 53.2 percent proved decisive. Walker (12.9 ppg) and Alben (12.3 ppg) lead Georgia Tech in scoring, while six other teammates average between 4.9 and 9.3 points per game.

The series between Florida and Georgia Tech is tied 1-1. The Yellow Jackets claimed the first meeting on Dec. 5, 1986, with an 82-72 victory. Florida evened the record on Nov. 29, 2023, winning 68-58 in Atlanta. In that game, Rusne Augustinaite scored 30 points on 10-of-20 shooting, including 6-of-10 from three-point range. Florida limited the rest of the Georgia Tech roster to 13-of-43 shooting overall and 0-of-10 from deep. Laila Reynolds paced the Gators with 18 points in the win.

Georgia Tech (3-4)

• Date: Saturday, November 28
• Time: 5 p.m. EST
• Site: John Gray High School Gymnasium
• Listen: FloridaGators.com
• Watch: FloSports
• Live stats: CaymanIslandsClassic.com

A FLORIDA WIN WOULD …

• Improve the Gators record to 8-1 on the season.
• Improve Florida's record against the Yellow Jackets to 2-1 overall.
• Improve Florida's record in Thanksgiving week tournaments to 8-2 under Coach Finley.

TALE OF THE TAPE

PROJECTED FLORIDA STARTERS

GATOR BITES

• Through games of Friday, Nov. 28, Florida ranks ninth in the SEC this season in points per game (81.7), 10th in scoring margin (+24.6), 11th in field goal percentage (.460) and field goal percentage defense (.361), 10th in three-point field goal percentage defense (.287), ninth in steals (11.4), and seventh in turnover margin (+7.38).
• Liv McGill just missed out on her second career triple-double with a 26-point, 9-rebound, 9-assist effort vs. North Florida on Nov. 3. She came up two rebounds shy in the Gators following game against Chattanooga on Nov. 6 with 38 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds.
• Liv McGill became the first player in Gators women's basketball history to be named a US Basketball Writers Association National Player of the Week on Tuesday, Nov. 11. She averaged 27.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 5.00 steals while connecting on 40.9 percent of her three-point field goal attempts in Florida's three wins. She also was named the SEC Player of the Week for her performance during that same stretch of games.
• Since the 1999-2000 season, only two players in the SEC have recorded three or more games of at least 25 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals—Liv McGill (three in the first six games this season) and Ole Miss' Armintie Price (four)
• Me'Arah O'Neal has four double-doubles this season after recording one in her freshman campaign.
  

PROJECTED GEORGIA TECH STARTERS