GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands — Florida women’s basketball continues its road stretch this week with a Thanksgiving weekend tournament in the Cayman Islands. The Gators are scheduled to face Memphis on Friday, Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. EST and Georgia Tech on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 5 p.m.
Florida enters the event at 6-1 overall and holds a 6-2 record in Thanksgiving week tournaments during the Kelly Rae Finley era (2021–present). The team earned its first road win of the season on Monday with a 59-51 victory over Florida Atlantic. Leading scorer Liv McGill was unavailable for that contest, but freshman forward Caterina Piatti stepped up with her first career double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds), while junior guard Laila Reynolds added a game-high 17 points.
McGill currently ranks third nationally in scoring (26.0 points per game) and steals (4.80 per game), while sitting 11th in assists (6.8). Reynolds (15.7 ppg) and Me'Arah O'Neal (15.6 ppg) join her to make Florida the only program in the country with three players averaging at least 15 points.
Memphis comes in at 4-3 following a 70-64 win over Louisiana on Tuesday. The Tigers return just two players from last season—Tamya Smith, who earned All-Conference Freshman Team honors, and redshirt sophomore Bailey Gilmore.
Senior guard Chaé Harris leads Memphis in scoring at 18.3 points per game in her debut season with the program. Junior guard Daejah Richmond is the team’s other double-digit scorer, averaging 10.4 points. Florida is the second SEC opponent Memphis has faced this year; the Tigers held a 13-point lead against #13/#16 Ole Miss on Nov. 18 before falling 73-64 in overtime.
The Gators and Tigers have met twice previously, splitting those matchups. Their last meeting came in the 1999–2000 season, when Florida earned a 74-71 win in the second round of the WNIT.
Memphis (4-3)
- Date: Friday, November 28
- Time: 7:30 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 7-1 on the season.
- Improve Florida's record against the Owls to 2-1 overall.
- Improve Florida's record in Thanksgiving week tournaments to 7-2 under Coach Finley.
TALE OF THE TAPE
| Florida | Florida Atl | |
|---|---|---|
| 86.7 | PPG | 67 |
| 57.5 | OPP PPG | 65.8 |
| 31.2 | SCORING MARGIN | 2.8 |
| 48 | FG % | 43.5 |
| 38.1 | OPP FG % | 46.1 |
| 28.9 | 3 FG % | 38 |
| 31.9 | OPP 3 FG % | 30.2 |
| 6.2 | 3FG/G | 7.5 |
| 69.2 | FT % | 68.1 |
| 41.7 | REBOUNDS/G | 28.5 |
| 33.7 | OPP REBOUNDS/G | 33 |
| 8 | REB MARGIN | -4.5 |
| 14 | ASSISTS/G | 13.8 |
| 13.5 | TURNOVER/G | 17.8 |
| 1.04 | A/TO RATIO | 0.77 |
| 13.3 | STEALS/G | 10 |
| 3.33 | BLOCKS/G | 2.5 |
PROJECTED FLORIDA STARTERS
| No. | Ht. | Pos. | Class | Hometown/Previous School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Me'Arah O'Neal | 8 | 6-4 | F | So | Houston Texas |
| Alexia Dizeko | 9 | 5-11 | G | Gr. | Sion, Switzerland |
| Laila Reynolds | 13 | 6-1 | G | Jr. | PG County, Md. |
| Caterina Piatti | 14 | 6-4 | F | Fr. | Scandiano, Italy |
| Liv McGill | 23 | 5-9 | G | So | Minneapolis, Minn. |
GATOR BITES
As of Tuesday, Nov. 25, Florida ranks ninth in the SEC in scoring average (82.7 points per game), tied for 11th in scoring margin (+26.1), ninth in field goal percentage (.466), tied for sixth in steals (12.3 per game), and fifth in turnover margin (+9.0).
Liv McGill nearly recorded her second career triple-double on Nov. 3 against North Florida, finishing with 26-point, 9-rebound, 9-assist effort. In the following game versus Chattanooga on Nov. 6, she tallied 38 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds, coming just two boards short of the milestone again.
On Nov. 11, Liv McGill became the first player in Florida women’s basketball history to earn recognition as the US Basketball Writers Association National Player of the Week. During that stretch, she averaged 27.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 5.0 steals, while shooting 40.9 percent from three-point range across three wins. She also collected SEC Player of the Week honors for the same performances.
Since the 1999–2000 season, only two SEC players have recorded at least three games with 25 points, five rebounds, five assists, and five steals: Liv McGill(three in the first six contests this year) and Ole Miss’ Armintie Price (four).
Florida is the only program in the nation with three players averaging 15 or more points per game—McGill (26.0), Laila Reynolds (15.7), and Me'Arah O'Neal (15.6).
Me'Arah O'Neal has already logged four double-doubles this season, adding to the one she recorded during her freshman year.
PROJECTED MEMPHIS STARTERS
| No. | Ht. | Pos. | Class | Hometown / Previous Schools | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cori Allen | 1 | 5-10 | G | Jr. | Nashville, Tenn. / Illinois |
| Chae Harris | 5 | 5-8 | G | Sr. | Snellville, Ga. / Fordham |
| Daejah Richmond | 12 | 5-8 | G | Jr. | Cordova, Tenn. / UT Martin |
| Tamya Smith | 24 | 6-2 | F | So. | Birmingham, Ala. / |
| Amauri Williams | 32 | 6-4 | F | Sr. | N. Little Rock, Ark. / P. View A&M |
TIGERS QUICK HITS
- Memphis, which finished last season with a 7-23 record, has already collected four victories in 2025-26.
- The Tigers are holding opponents to 67.6 points per game this year, an improvement from the 77.4 they allowed a season ago.
- Chaé Harris has connected on 22 of 63 attempts from beyond the arc (.349), while the rest of the roster has combined to shoot 13-for-78 (.167) from three-point range.
- Eight different players have earned at least one start for the Owls this season.
- Six members of the squad are averaging at least one steal per game, with Harris leading the way at 2.14 per contest.
