Gainesville, Fla. — Liv McGill nearly delivered a rare quadruple-double, finishing with 27 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and seven steals. Laila Reynolds chipped in a personal-best 21 points, while Me'Arah O'Neal secured a double-double of 18 points and 11 boards. Their combined efforts lifted the Florida Gators to an 89-67 triumph over in-state rival Florida State on Thursday night.

Momentum Shifts

First Quarter (Gators 23, Seminoles 16)

The opening minutes were tightly contested, with neither side pulling ahead by more than three. A decisive 9-0 surge from Florida created an 18-10 cushion with 2:45 left. Laila Reynolds paced all scorers with 10 points, and the Gators shot 10-of-17 in the frame.

Second Quarter (Gators 41, Seminoles 34)

Florida stretched its advantage to 15 midway through the period, but Florida State responded with a 12-1 rally to trim the margin to four before halftime. Liv McGill and Allie Kubek each tallied seven points in the quarter.

Third Quarter (Gators 62, Seminoles 45)

The Seminoles struck first to cut the gap to five, but Florida answered with a 12-4 run to restore a double-digit lead at 53-40. Liv McGill dominated with nine points and five steals, while the Gators’ defense limited Florida State to just 3-of-13 shooting, including 0-for-4 from deep.

Fourth Quarter (Gators 89, Seminoles 67)

Florida State never closed within 12 in the final stretch. Me'Arah O'Neal powered the Gators with 12 points and six rebounds, going a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor and converting all six free throws.

By the Numbers

• Florida shot 47.1% (33-70) compared to Florida State’s 42.6% (26-61).
• The Gators contained Solé Williams, holding her to 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting with six turnovers. She entered averaging 17.5 points on 52.2% overall and 50.0% from three.
• Florida forced 25 turnovers, converting them into 38 points. Florida State managed 13 points off 16 Gator miscues.
• Fast break production favored Florida, 22-4, while points in the paint leaned 50-38.
• The Gators set a season-high with 20 steals, doubling the Seminoles’ nine.

Postgame Press Conference: Head Coach Kelly Rae Finley, Laila Reynolds, Me'Arah O'Neal, and Liv McGill.

FROM THE GATORS' MOUTHS

• Coach Kelly Rae Finley began her remarks by saying, "That's Florida basketball, start to finish. I think that's what you saw. That's what we expect. That's how we train. And these three sitting here with me (Laila Reynolds, Me'Arah O'Neal and Liv McGill) set the tone for that. They've all grown tremendously, and they would stand by me when I say the strength of our team, is our team. And they set the tone for what we do. We are connected. We're resilient. We're hungry. And that's what you saw on the court tonight."

• Liv McGill reflected on the rivalry with Florida State, sharing, "For those of you who weren't here last year. I was here last year. And we lost. So I never forget that type of stuff. No matter if it's a new team, (smiles) we're running Florida, so we made a statement tonight."

• Laila Reynolds, who scored 10 points in the opening quarter, credited her teammates and defense: "It was really our defense. Lex came to play, guarding one of their best players, and that just fueled our offense and my teammates kept me going, and we all just kept leaning on each other."

• Coach Finley also praised Lex Dizeko’s defensive effort against Solé Williams: "Lex Dizeko is a standout defender. She takes her role very seriously. She's elite at what she does. She's a great offensive player as well, but that's not what we asked her to do tonight. One thing about Lex is that whatever the team needs, she's willing to do, and it was a key to our success because these guys didn't have to pull in rotation. They were able to stay locked up as a result of her defense. We didn't have any forced rotations off of ball screens, and as a result we got a lot of deflections, and 38 points off turnovers."

GATOR BITES

• Florida now leads the all-time series against Florida State, 44-36.
• Each of the Gators’ last eight victories in the matchup has come by double-digit margins.
• Me'Arah O'Neal reached double figures for the sixth consecutive game this season (18 points) and recorded her fourth double-double of the year with 11 rebounds.
• Laila Reynolds set a new career-high with 21 points, marking her fifth double-digit scoring game of the season and the 31st of her career. It was also her second career outing with 20+ points.
• Liv McGill tallied 27 points, her fourth 20+ point performance this season and the 17th of her career, while tying her personal best with seven steals.
• Nyadieng Yiech added 11 points, her fourth career double-digit scoring effort, and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds.

NEXT OPPONENT

             The Gators will travel for their next contest on Monday, Nov. 24, facing Florida Atlantic (2-1 entering Thursday’s game at South Alabama). Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST on ESPN+.