BLACKSBURG, Va. — Preseason All-SEC standout Liv McGill poured in 30 points, while Florida’s defense limited Virginia Tech to 40.3 percent shooting. Still, the Hokies managed to edge out a 68-64 win on Thursday evening.

KEY RUNS

1st Quarter (Gators 19, Hokies 19) 

Virginia Tech opened strong, hitting its first four shots to build a 10-2 lead. Coach Finley called a timeout to regroup, and Gift Ezekiel answered with a basket to halt the run. Florida then strung together eight straight points and 17 of the next 22. Liv McGill paced all scorers with 11 points, while Mackenzie Nelson led the Hokies with seven. Florida’s defense forced five turnovers, including four from Carys Baker, who had committed only three in more than 240 minutes of play entering the contest.

2nd Quarter (Gators 34, Hokies 34) 
The Hokies closed the first quarter with four straight points and added the opening basket of the second to reclaim the lead. The period featured two ties and six lead changes, with neither side ahead by more than three until Liv McGill’s three-point play with 1:43 remaining gave Florida a 34-29 advantage. McGill tallied eight points in the quarter, while the Gators held leading scorer Carleigh Wenzel to just two points on 0-for-6 shooting in the first half.

3rd Quarter (Gators 52, Hokies 51) 
With the score knotted at 41, Virginia Tech surged with six consecutive points, highlighted by two fast-break layups from Carys Baker. Coach Finley again called timeout, and Florida responded with six straight of its own. A jumper by Samyha Suffren briefly put the Hokies back in front, but Alexia Dizeko scored five unanswered to give Florida its largest lead of the quarter, 52-49.

4th Quarter (Hokies 68, Gators 64) 

The teams were tied at 57 with 6:04 remaining when Virginia Tech went on a decisive 6-0 run. Florida was held scoreless for nearly four minutes during that stretch, though Liv McGill’s three-pointer with 2:10 left cut the deficit to 63-60. That was as close as the Gators would come, as the Hokies closed out the victory.

KEY STATS

• Florida shot 43.1% (25-58), while Virginia Tech finished at 40.3% (27-67).
• The Hokies attempted nine more shots, aided by a 12-9 edge in offensive rebounds and committing six fewer turnovers (16 vs. 22).
• Virginia Tech converted 11 of 15 free throws; Florida went 8 of 16.
• Florida hit 6 of 14 from beyond the arc, compared to Virginia Tech’s 3 of 15.
• The Gators limited Carleigh Wenzel to eight points on 2-for-12 shooting, but Carys Baker delivered 24 points on 10-for-16.

GATOR BITES

• Florida now holds a 3-2 all-time record against Virginia Tech.
• Liv McGill has scored in double figures for 11 straight games (30 points), topped 20 points for the seventh time this season and 20th in her career, and reached 30 points for the second time this season and career.
• Liv McGill shot 11-for-26 for her 30 points, while the rest of the team combined to go 14-for-32 for 34 points.
• Laila Reynolds  reached double figures for the eighth time this season and 34th in her career (10 points).

NEXT OPPONENT

The Gators return home for the rest of December, beginning with a matchup against South Alabama on Sunday, Dec. 7. Tip-off at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center is scheduled for 2 p.m. EST.