Gators Fall to Fifth-Ranked LSU Tigers

Sunday, January 19

Gainesville, FL

1 PM

Florida Gators

11-9,2-4SEC

Louisiana State University

20-0,5-0SEC

LSU

Florida

Liv McGill showed off her elite offensive abilities against the fifth ranked Tigers, posting 21 points. McGill has now hit double figures in scoring for 18 of her 20 outings as a Gator.

Gators Fall to Fifth-Ranked LSU Tigers

Sunday, January 19, 2025 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Meg Christenson

GAINESVILLE, Fla.— The Gators were challenged Sunday afternoon, falling 80-63 to an undefeated No. 5 LSU. Despite the loss, Florida out-rebounded the Tigers 44-38 and proved to be in the fight with seven Gators contributing to the scoreboard.

Liv McGill led the Gators with 21 points, securing her eighth 20+ point outing this season. Laila Reynolds totaled 16 points, followed by Ra Shaya who chipped in with 11. Kyle also led Florida on the boards alongside Me'Arah O'Neal, both logging seven rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
IN THE FIRST:

LSU opened play with a 7-0 run, UF reciprocated immediately to even the score at 7-7
Florida gained its first lead at 12-10 (5:21)
The Gators held a six-point lead twice, marking their largest lead of the period
- 16-10 (3:47), and 21-15 (00:59)
Kyle led UF in scoring with seven points, shooting 3-4 from the field and going 1-1 from the line
12 of the Gators 21 points were recorded inside the paint
As a team, Florida shot 47.1 percent from the field (8-17)

IN THE SECOND:

The Gators were held to 12-points and shot a game low 23.5 percent from the field (4-17)
McGill led Florida in scoring with nine of UF's 12 points
25 percent of UF's points were off second chances
Florida snagged a game high 14 rebounds
In the first half UF held the lead over LSU for six minutes and 32 seconds
The score stood in favor of the Tigers at 37-33 to end the period

IN THE THIRD:

LSU took a 15-point lead (53-38)—its largest in the first 30 minutes of play (4:43)
McGill and Reynolds led Florida on offense with five points apiece
The Gators went 5-11 from the field, shooting 45.5 percent
Going into the final period, Florida was down by 11 (59-48)

IN THE FOURTH:

Reynolds led in scoring with six of UF's 15 points
Florida secured eight points from inside the paint
LSU held its biggest lead at 76-48 (4:38)
The Gators forced four turnovers on the Tigers
O'Neal led on the boards, grabbing three of UF's eight rebounds

WORTH NOTING:

Sunday's attendance of 6,568 marks the fourth highest crowd in program history
Florida was held to 63 points—marking UF's third lowest scoring game of 2024-25
- Lowest was 55 points vs. Kentucky (01/09/2025)
McGill has now hit double figures in 18 of her 20 outings as a Gator
The Gators shot 37.9 percent from the field (22-58)
24 of Florida's 63 points were tallied inside the paint
Florida had three players in double figures for scoring
- McGill (21), Reynolds (16), and Kyle (11)
McGill led UF in scoring for her ninth time this season
Florida distributed 11 assists
McGill led UF in assists for the fourteenth time this season with six
Kyle led on the boards, securing seven rebounds
- Kyle has now led UF on the boards in 15 outings this season
Nine Gators contributed to UF's total of 44 rebounds
UF was forced a total 24 turnovers, their second most of the 2024-25 season
The Gators have secured 20+ points in 39 of 82 quarters played this season
UF made 12 layups in 19 driving attempts (63%)
Florida recorded a game total 73 possessions, converting for 0.86 points per possession

CAREER HIGHS:

Kenza Salgues
Blocks	1	vs LSU 01/19/25

GATOR BITES:
Head Coach Kelly Rae Finley on finishing through 40 minutes:
"I've challenged our young team in how we compete for 40 minutes and I thought we competed harder today than we did against Ole Miss and for a longer period of time. We have two very young guards and I was pleased with the progress that they made in the last three days from Ole Miss to today."

Head Coach Kelly Rae Finley on Me'Arah O'Neal's Future as a Gator:
"All of our forwards are extremely versatile. We were able to move Me'Arah around to different positions, offensively and defensively. She's a really good three-point shooter. We haven't seen that translate to the game just yet, but in due time when it does, it's going to be really scary. I see her being consistent. She's extremely bought in and she's really driven. I see that paying off for her in a huge way."

TEAM RECORDS:
Florida: (11-8, 2-4 SEC)
LSU: (15-0, 5-0 SEC)

SERIES RECORD:
The all-time series between Florida and LSU stands in favor of the Tigers at 33-16.

NEXT UP:
The Gators next time on the hardwood will be Sunday, Jan. 26, at Auburn. Florida will matchup against the Alabama based Tigers at 3 p.m. ET inside Neville Arena.

NEXT UP: at Auburn (9-9, 0-5 SEC)