ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Florida women’s basketball team will take its unbeaten streak on the road for the first time in the 2025-26 campaign when the Gators meet the Navy Midshipmen on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 1 p.m. EST.
Florida opened the season with four straight wins at Exactech Arena inside the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. During that stretch, the Gators outscored opponents by an average margin of 42 points, posted 94.3 points per game, and converted 53.1 percent of their field goal attempts.
Historically, only four Florida squads have started with five consecutive victories—the teams from 1983-84, 1984-85, 1995-96, and 2000-01. Each of those groups extended their streaks to nine wins before suffering a loss.
Sophomore guard Liv McGill has been the driving force offensively, averaging 25.8 points, 7.3 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.25 steals per contest. She earned recognition as one of the US Basketball Writers Association National Players of the Week and was named SEC Player of the Week after the first three games.
As of Friday, Nov. 14, McGill ranked sixth nationally in scoring, 12th in assists, and tied for 17th in steals among NCAA Division I players. Within the SEC, she leads in scoring average, sits third in assists, third in steals, and is tied for third in made three-pointers.
Support has come from sophomore forward Me'Arah O'Neal, who opened the season with three straight double-doubles and is averaging 16.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.50 blocks while shooting 53.8 percent from the field. Junior guard Laila Reynolds contributes 13.3 points and 2.50 steals per game, with Sunday’s contest serving as a homecoming for the Shebach Christian Academy alum from Prince George’s County. Freshman Nyadieng Yiech adds 9.5 points per game, highlighted by her career-best 18-point performance against Samford, where she went 8-for-8 from the floor.
Navy enters the matchup at 2-0, with wins over Delaware (68-61) and Longwood (74-66). Preseason Patriot League Player of the Year Zanai Barnett-Gay is averaging a double-double with 20.5 points and 11.5 rebounds, along with 4.5 assists per game. Teammates Zoe Mesuch (15.5 ppg) and Julianna Almeida (10.0 ppg) also provide consistent scoring.
Navy (2-0)
- Date: Sunday, November 16
- Time: 1 p.m. EST
- Site: Alumni Hall
- Radio: ESPN 98.1FM / 850AM WRUF / 103.7 hd 2
- Watch: ESPN+
- Live stats: FloridaGators.com
A Florida Win Would …
- Push the Gators to 5-0 this season and improve their November home record to 20-2 under Kelly Rae Finley.
- Mark the first 5-0 start since 2000-01, when Florida won nine straight to tie the program record for consecutive victories to open a season (originally set in 1983-84 and later matched in 1984-85 and 1995-96).
- Extend Florida’s all-time record against Navy to 3-0.
TALE OF THE TAPE
| Florida | Navy | |
|---|---|---|
| 94.3 | PPG | 71 |
| 52.3 | OPP PPG | 63.5 |
| 42 | SCORING MARGIN | 7.5 |
| 53.1 | FG % | 42.5 |
| 34.5 | OPP FG% | 35.6 |
| 30.6 | 3 FG% | 24.5 |
| 28.8 | OPP 3 FG% | 12.5 |
| 6.5 | 3FG/G | 6.5 |
| 70.9 | FT % | 73.3 |
| 43 | REBOUNDS/G | 44.5 |
| 29.3 | OPP REBOUNDS/G | 35 |
| 14.7 | REB MARGIN | 9.5 |
| 15 | ASSISTS/G | 14.5 |
| 13 | TURNOVER/G | 20 |
| 1.15 | A/TO RATIO | 0.73 |
| 12.8 | STEALS/G | 5.5 |
| 3 | BLOCKS/G | 3 |
The Series
Florida holds a 2-0 record against Navy.
Gators vs. Midshipmen History
The Gators have won both of their previous matchups with the Midshipmen, each played on neutral courts. The most recent meeting came on Nov. 27, 2010, when Florida earned a 52-43 victory in the championship game of the Dead River Company Classic hosted by the University of Maine. In that contest, Florida limited Navy to 36.4 percent shooting overall and just 5-of-21 from beyond the arc. Jaterra Bonds paced the offense with 11 points, while Azania Stewart pulled down 14 rebounds—nine of them on the offensive glass—and was honored as the tournament’s most outstanding player.
Projected Florida Starters
| No. | Ht. | Pos. | Class | Hometown/Previous School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Me'Arah O'Neal | 8 | 4-Jun | F | So | Houston Texas |
| Alexia Dizeko | 9 | 11-May | G | Gr. | Sion, Switzerland |
| Laila Reynolds | 13 | 1-Jun | G | Jr. | PG County, Md. |
| Caterina Piatti | 14 | 4-Jun | F | Fr. | Scandiano, Italy |
| Liv McGill | 23 | 9-May | G | So | Minneapolis, Minn. |
Gator Bites
- As of Friday, Nov. 14, Florida ranks among the SEC leaders in several categories: third in points per game (94.3), fifth in scoring margin (+42.0), fourth in field goal percentage (.531), sixth in rebound margin (+13.8), fifth in steals (12.8), second in turnover margin (+11.8), and sixth in defensive rebound percentage (.748).
- 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 another triple-double.
- On Tuesday, Nov. 11, Liv McGill became the first player in Florida women’s basketball history to be recognized as a US Basketball Writers Association National Player of the Week. During that span, she averaged 27.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 5.00 steals, while hitting 40.9 percent of her three-point attempts across three victories. She also earned SEC Player of the Week honors for the same stretch.
- Liv McGill's 611 points last season ranked third nationally among freshmen and set a new program record for first-year players. She has scored in double figures in 37 of her 41 games at Florida.
- Laila Reynolds went a flawless 10-for-10 from the free throw line in the Nov. 10 matchup against Jacksonville.
- Me'Arah O'Neal has already posted three double-doubles this season, building on the one she recorded during her freshman year.
- Nyadieng Yiech delivered a perfect shooting performance on Nov. 13 against Samford, going 8-for-8 from the field in the Gators’ win.
Projected Navy Starters
| No. | Ht. | Pos. | Class | Hometown/Previous School | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zanai Gay-Barnett | 4 | 8-May | G | Jr. | Glen Dale, Md. |
| Julianna Almeida | 6 | 9-May | G | So. | North Arlington, N.J. |
| Zoe Mesuch | 11 | 5-May | G | Fr. | Clintondale, N.Y. |
| Maren Louridas | 30 | Jun-00 | G | Sr. | Delmar, N.Y. |
| Kate Samson | 44 | 4-Jun | C | Sr. | Richmond, Va. |
Navy Quick Hits
- Zanai Barnett-Gay earned recognition as the Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year.
- She was also selected as the Naval Academy Athletic Association Athlete of the Week after recording 16 points and 10 rebounds in Navy’s season-opening victory over Delaware.
- Defensively, the Midshipmen have been strong on the perimeter, holding opponents to just 4-of-32 shooting from beyond the arc this season.
