GAINESVILLE, Fla.—Liv McGill delivered a career-best 38 points as Florida Women’s Basketball surged past Chattanooga, 94-52, on Thursday evening at Exactech Arena. The sophomore’s scoring total set a new program mark for most points in a home game. Florida’s decisive second quarter, where they outscored the Mocs 28-4, proved to be the turning point.
Key Runs
1st Quarter (Mocs 24, Gators 19) Florida opened with an 11-6 advantage, but Chattanooga responded with 11 straight points to close the period ahead by five. Gianna Corbitt paced the Mocs with 12 points, hitting 8 of 15 shots overall and 4 of 7 from beyond the arc.
2nd Quarter (Gators 47, Mocs 28) Trailing 25-23 early, the Gators tightened their defense and closed the half on a 24-1 run. Florida limited Chattanooga to just 1-of-9 shooting, forced nine turnovers, and grabbed eight offensive rebounds. Those miscues turned into 15 points for Florida. McGill scored 14 in the quarter, outscoring the Mocs by herself.
3rd Quarter (Gators 68, Mocs 43) Florida’s lead grew to as many as 27 late in the third. The scoring was spread across the roster, with five players contributing between three and six points.
4th Quarter (Gators 94, Mocs 52) The Gators closed strong, outscoring Chattanooga 26-9. McGill added 19 points in the final frame to cap her record-setting night.
Key Stats
- Florida shot 52.2% (35-67) compared to Chattanooga’s 33.3% (14-42).
- The Gators dominated the boards 46-26, including a 20-8 edge on the offensive glass, leading to a 31-6 margin in second-chance points.
- Florida forced 25 turnovers, converting them into 35 points. Chattanooga managed just five points off 13 Gator turnovers.
- In the paint, Florida held a 44-10 advantage and outscored the Mocs 14-2 in fast break opportunities.
Post Game Press Conference: Head Coach
Kelly Rae Finley, Guard
Liv McGill, and Guard Emilija Dakic.
Post Game Press Conference: Head Coach Kelly Rae Finley, Guard Liv McGill and Guard Emilija Dakic
From the Gators’ Mouths
- Liv McGill on breaking Florida’s home single-game scoring record — "As coach keeps saying that basket was just huge. But it's countless hours put in, countless hours with my teammates, countless hours of us drilling, work. I guess the basketball gods were just in my favor today, and we won. And that's what matters. It was a great team win, and everybody contributed. It's a blessing to set a record."
- Coach Kelly Rae Finley on the team’s early success — "I said this to our team after the game and I meant it. I said it on Media Day, and I meant it then too. The strength of our team is our team. We have great players. We have players who are hungry to win, and want to be great, and that love the game. I'm blessed as a coach, because we have complete and total buy in to whatever it takes to win."
- Coach Finley on Alexia Dizeko’s defensive impact — "Alexia Dizeko does a lot of things that don't end up on the stat sheet. This can make me really emotional because in this day and age with social media, with the pressure, with the 'ohh, ahh' everybody wants to be posting this, that and whatever, it doesn't matter to Lex. She just wants to win. She wants the Gators to be great, and I would say that is the absolute mindset of our entire roster."
- Emilija “Mills” Dakic on Alexia Dizeko — "Lex is the most selfless player I've ever played with on any team. She's there when you need something. She's always the first person you can go to. And having that person, especially as a freshman, to look up to, and you're like 'yeah, that's what I can also be for people coming through for years to come'. She sets an example day in and day out."
Gator Bites
- Florida improved to 17-2 at home in November under Head Coach Kelly Rae Finley.
- The Gators are now 3-3 all-time against Chattanooga and 14-6 against Southern Conference opponents.
- Liv McGill scored 20+ points for the 15th time in her career, finishing with 38. It was her first 30-point game as a Gator. The last Florida player to reach 30 was Aliyah Matharu, who had 35 against Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament on March 7, 2024.
- McGill’s 38 points set a new program record for most scored in a home contest, surpassing the previous mark of 36 by Vanessa Hayden (vs. Oakland, Nov. 16, 2001) and Cheryl Fisher (vs. Miami, Feb. 18, 1980).
- She also hit a career-high six three-pointers. The last Gator to make six threes in a game was Jeriah Warren at UNLV on March 23, 2025.
- Me'Arah O'Neal posted her third career double-double and second in a row to start the season, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
- Florida’s defense limited preseason Southern Conference Player of the Year Caia Elisaldez to nine points on 2-of-5 shooting, while forcing her into four turnovers.
Next Opponent
Florida continues its homestand next week, hosting Jacksonville (2-0) on Monday, November 10. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST at Exactech Arena inside the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
