GAINESVILLE, Fla.—Florida Women’s Basketball (1-0) will look to stay unbeaten as they welcome Chattanooga (1-0) on Thursday, November 6 at 5 p.m. ET. The matchup is part of a doubleheader at Exactech Arena inside the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, with the men’s team scheduled to play North Florida later that evening at 8 p.m.
The Gators began their 2025-26 campaign with a dominant 96-62 home victory over North Florida. Sophomore Liv McGill, a preseason All-SEC Second Team selection, came close to her second career triple-double. She delivered the program’s first quadruple-nickel since 2022, finishing with 26 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, and 5 steals.
Sophomore Me'Arah O'Neal notched her second career double-double, pulling down a personal-best 11 rebounds alongside 14 points. Florida also had three other players in double figures: junior Laila Reynolds with 19, freshman Catarina Piatti with 14, and freshman Nyadieng Yiech with 10. The team shot an impressive 53.8 percent from the field.
Chattanooga enters the contest at 1-0 after defeating King University 82-34 on Monday. Preseason Southern Conference Player of the Year Caia Elisaldez led the Mocs with 20 points, while every player who saw action contributed to the scoring.
Elisaldez earned First-Team All-Southern Conference honors last season, averaging 14.1 points and 4.9 assists while shooting 48.6 percent from the floor. The 5-5 guard was also named to the All-Tournament First Team after guiding Chattanooga to the SoCon Championship game, where they fell 64-57 in overtime to UNC Greensboro.
Chattanooga (1-0)
- Date: Thursday, November 6
- Time: 5 p.m. ET
- Site: Exactech Arena
- Radio: WRUF 850 AM / 98.1 / 103.7 hd 2
- Watch: SECN+
- Live stats: FloridaGators.com
A FLORIDA WIN WOULD …
- Improve the Gators record to 2-0 on the season, and 17-2 at home in the month of November during the Kelly Rae Finley era.
- Mark the 3rd straight season that Florida has won its first two games of the year. In 2024-25, the Gators began the season 3-0, and in 2023-24, they won their first four games of the year.
- Even the series record against the Mocs at 3-3.
- Improve the Gators' record against teams in the Southern Conference to 14-6
TALE OF THE TAPE (2025-26)
| Florida | Chattanooga | |
|---|---|---|
| 79 | PPG | 82 |
| 62 | OPP PPG | 34 |
| 34 | SCORING MARGIN | 2-16 |
| 53.8 | FG % | 54.2 |
| 43.4 | OPP FG% | 22.9 |
| 23.8 | 3 FG% | 27.3 |
| 35.3 | OPP 3 FG% | 21.1 |
| 5 | 3FG/G | 6 |
| 75 | FT % | 80 |
| 38 | REBOUNDS/G | 38 |
| 28 | OPP REBOUNDS/G | 28 |
| 10 | REB MARGIN | 10 |
| 15 | ASSISTS/G | 17 |
| 17 | TURNOVER/G | 9 |
| 0.9 | A/TO RATIO | 1.9 |
| 19 | STEALS/G | 12 |
| 3 | BLOCKS/G | 1 |
THE SERIES
The Gators are 2-3 all-time against Chattanooga.
GATORS vs. MOCS HISTORY
Florida is 2-3 against Chattanooga in a series which dates back to January 22, 1977. The last time these teams met was December 20, 2017 in Gainesville—Coach Finley's 1st season as an assistant with the program—as the Mocs picked up a 65-50 win. Funda Makkasoglu led Florida with 21 points, but Chattanooga scored 10 of the final 13 to secure the victory.
PROJECTED FLORIDA STARTERS
| Florida | No. | Height | Position | Class | Hometown/Previous School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Me'Arah O'Neal | 8 | 6-4 | F | So | Houston TX |
| 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, MN |
Gator Bites
- Florida closed last season ranked seventh in the SEC in overall field goal percentage (.451), eighth in three-point shooting (.322), seventh in free throw accuracy (.731), seventh in rebounds per game (39.5), fifth in defensive boards (27.3), and seventh in rebound margin (+3.9).
- In SEC play, the Gators finished sixth in field goal percentage (.436), sixth in three-point shooting (.336), sixth in rebounds (37.6), fourth in defensive rebounds (26.3), and seventh in rebound margin (+1.9).
- Liv McGill wrapped up the 2024-25 campaign ranked 12th in the league in scoring (16.5 ppg), fourth in assists (5.2 apg), 10th in steals (2.1 spg), 18th in field goal percentage (.429), 15th in free throw percentage (.734), and 18th in minutes played (31.1 mpg).
- McGill was one of only two freshmen nationally to record a triple-double last season (21 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists vs. Missouri on January 12, 2025). The other was Yahmani McKayle of Massachusetts, who posted 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists against Stonehill on March 20.
- On November 3 against North Florida, McGill nearly secured her second career triple-double, finishing with 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists. She also added 5 steals, marking her first career quadruple nickel (five or more in four statistical categories).
- McGill's 192 assists last season were the most by any freshman in the nation, well ahead of Michigan’s Mila Holloway, who had 148.
- Her 611 points ranked third nationally among freshmen and set a new Florida program record for first-year players.
- McGill has scored in double figures in 34 of her 38 games at Florida.
- Laila Reynolds ended last season ranked 15th in the SEC in blocks (1.0 bpg) and has reached double figures in scoring in seven of her last eight outings.
- Me'Arah O'Neal tallied her second career double-double in the season opener against North Florida, recording 14 points and a personal-best 11 rebounds.
PROJECTED CHATTANOOGA STARTERS
| Tennessee | No. | Height | Position | Class | Hometown/Previous School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caia Elisaldez | 11 | 5-5 | G | Jr. | Whittier, CA |
| Izzy McPherson | 14 | 5-10 | G/F | RSFr. | Pleasant View, TN |
| Falon Bedke | 21 | 6-2 | F/C | Jr. | Oakley, ID |
| Gianna Corbitt | 22 | 6-1 | F | So. | Oakland Park, FL |
| Kalifa Ford | 34 | 5-10 | G/F | Gr. | Bono, AR |
Chattanooga wrapped up last season with a 9-5 mark in Southern Conference play. The Mocs defeated Mercer and Furman in the league tournament to reach the championship game, where they fell 64-57 in overtime to top-seeded UNC Greensboro. Their run earned them a spot in the WNIT, where they beat Alabama A&M before being eliminated by Troy.
Caia Elisaldez was the team’s leading scorer last year, averaging 14.1 points per contest. She enters this season as the Southern Conference Preseason Player of the Year and opened the 2025-26 campaign with 20 points in the victory over King.
In their season opener, all 11 Chattanooga players who saw action logged at least 11 minutes, and each contributed to the scoring effort.
