GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Liv McGill delivered 29 points, while Me’Arah O’Neal recorded a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double, helping the Gators improve to 11-2 with a 76-51 win over visiting Florida A&M (0-9).

KEY RUNS

1st Quarter (Rattlers 19, Gators 14) 

• Florida A&M opened with six straight points to turn a 5-5 tie into an 11-5 lead. Camille Jackson, making her season debut, scored 11 points in the quarter on 4-of-7 shooting. The Gators committed six turnovers compared to three by the Rattlers, giving A&M a 6-2 edge in points off turnovers. Three Florida A&M players picked up two fouls each in the opening period.

2nd Quarter (Gators 38, Rattlers 26) 

• Florida started the second with six unanswered points to reclaim the lead, then went on an 18-5 run to build a 14-point advantage at 38-24. Camille Jackson was held scoreless after her strong first quarter. Florida shot 9-of-14 (.643) from the field, while the Rattlers managed just 2-of-9 (.222). The Gators limited Florida A&M to seven points in the quarter, marking the 11th time this season they’ve held an opponent under 10 in a period. Liv McGill (10 points) and Laila Reynolds (8 points) each outscored A&M individually during the frame.

3rd Quarter (Gators 55, Rattlers 40) 

• Florida A&M scored the first three points after halftime, but Florida answered with 13 of the next 18 to extend the lead to 51-34 with 1:57 left. The Gators shot 8-of-11 from the floor, while the Rattlers went 4-of-13. Florida committed eight turnovers in the quarter compared to three by A&M.

4th Quarter (Gators 76, Rattlers 51) 

• Florida A&M never cut the margin closer than 15, as the Gators closed the game with seven straight points to secure the 25-point victory. Florida shot 7-of-12 in the quarter, with Liv McGill leading all scorers with eight points.

KEY STATS

• Florida shot a season-best 58.3% (28-48), while the Rattlers finished at 32.7% (17-52).
  
• Florida converted 17-of-28 free throws; Florida A&M went 13-of-24.
  
• The Gators dominated the paint, outscoring the Rattlers 50-18, and held a 14-8 edge in second-chance points.
  
• Florida outrebounded Florida A&M 40-27.
  
• The Rattlers’ bench outscored Florida’s reserves 22-15.

FROM THE GATORS' MOUTHS

• Coach Finley on maintaining momentum heading into SEC play… 
• "Winning is hard. Winning is really hard. Laila and Me'Arah know that, they understand that. I think that it takes a lot of consistency. We're a young team, we're fighting. I'm proud of these two, I'm proud of their leadership, I'm proud of their buy in. I thought Me'Arah took a tremendous step forward tonight. Laila was obviously in some foul trouble, I thought she was doing some great things, she looked good out there. The foul trouble is going to get you sometimes, right? But I thought Me'Arah did an exceptionally good job of taking that next step forward in her leadership, her demeanor, her body language, her communication and her talk in a competitive setting where she knew that eyes were on her to lead and guide our team."
  
• Coach Finley on Caterina Piatti’s growth and emerging skillset… 
• "Over the course of the last week I saw her become more and more comfortable. I was hearing her voice more and more. She's stepping out of her comfort zone and kind of getting to what she does. Like Me'Arah said, Cat is very versatile. She can guard a lot of different positions, she can play inside and outside, and so the two of them playing together are very dynamic. She's young, she's a freshman, it's her first year in the states and we're proud of where she's at. I know that she's a competitor though and she only wants to get better and better, which is what her trajectory will be."
  
• Coach Finley and Me’Arah O’Neal on the Gators’ defensive consistency… 
• "We're a better defensive team than that. We're one of the better defensive teams in the country. We hang our hat on that, and so I just challenged our team that we should play to our standard."
• "We take pride in our defense. We talk about staying in the stance, staying disciplined and guarding ours so I just think we emphasize that throughout the whole game."

Post Game Press Conference:
Head Coach  Kelly Rae Finley, Me’Arah O’Neal, and Laila Reynolds

GATOR BITES

• The Gators improved their all-time record against Florida A&M to 14-5.
  
• Florida now stands at 33-3 at home during November and December, including 14-1 in December under the Kelly Rae Finley era.
  
• The Gators are 8-0 at home this season and have extended their streak to 15 straight non-conference home victories.
  
• Florida limited the Rattlers to fewer than 10 points in the third quarter, marking the 11th time this season they’ve held an opponent under double digits in a period.
  
• The Gators shot 58.3 percent from the field, their best shooting performance of the season.
  
• Florida has held all 13 opponents this year below 70 points.
  
• Liv McGill reached double figures for the 14th consecutive game (29 points) and logged her ninth 20+ point performance of the season.
  
• Me’Arah O’Neal secured her sixth double-double of the year with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
  
• Caterina Piatti set career highs with five steals and three assists.

NEXT OPPONENT

The Gators return to action this Sunday, July 21, with a 2:45 p.m. EST tip-off at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. It will be the second game of a men’s-women’s doubleheader and will air on SECN+.

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