Sunday, January 11
Auburn, AL
3 p.m.
Florida Gators
at
Auburn
Gators Head To Auburn Sunday for 3 p.m. Tip Against Tigers
Friday, January 9, 2026 | Women's Basketball
AUBURN, Ala. — The Florida Women's Basketball Team travels to Auburn Sunday, Jan. 11, with its sights set on picking up the Gators' first SEC win of the season. The Tigers will, likewise, be looking for their first conference victory after opening SEC play with defeats at the hands of Mississippi State (75-53), No. 23/21 Tennessee (73-56), and No. 2/2 Texas (97-36).
Tip at Neville Arena is slated for 3 p.m. EST, and the game is being broadcast on SECN+.
After putting a scare into the Lady Vols and No. 3/3 Gamecocks, Florida struggled through a difficult shooting night Thursday in the team's 74-66 loss to Texas A&M. The Gators shot 35.6 percent from the field which is their third lowest percentage of the season.
Laila Reynolds was a bright spot for Florida, going seven for 10 from the field, and scoring a career-high tying 21 points in the defeat. Me'Arah O'Neal was injured late in the first quarter, but returned in the second none the worse for wear, adding 15 points on five of 10 shooting, including a trio of three-pointers.
Liv McGill scored 16 points against the Aggies, putting her six points away from joining the Gators 1,000 point club. Should she reach the mark Sunday, she will become the second sophomore in program history to do so, and the third fastest to get there (54 games played).
McGill has also put herself in the running for the Nancy Lieberman Award presented annually to the Division I Women's Basketball player who exemplifies the floor leadership, play-making and ball-handling skills that personified Nancy Lieberman during her career. The sophomore was left off the 20-player preseason list, but the midseason watch list is due at the end of the month. McGill is averaging 23.9 points, 5.6 assists and 3.31 steals per game, while the 20 players on the preseason list are averaging a collective 14.4 points, 5.3 assists and 2.21 steals.
Auburn opened the season with eight straight victories, but has dropped six of nine since. In conference play, they are being outscored by an average of more than 30 points, while allowing teams to make 50.3 percent of their shots from the field including 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. The Tigers are also getting outrebounded by an average of nearly 19 boards per game against SEC competition.
Freshman guard Harissoum Coulibaly is Auburn's lone double-figure scorer in both conference play (12.5 ppg) and on the year (11.1 ppg). Against SEC competition, no member of the Tigers is averaging more than 4.5 rebounds per game, nor do any players have more than five total assists. This is, in part, because Auburn has nine different players averaging at least 15.0 minutes per game, and no player playing more than 27.4 per contest.
Florida is 27-40* all-time against Auburn, including 8-18 on the road. The teams split their two meetings last season. The Tigers beat the Gators 74-51 in Auburn during the regular season on January 26, 2025, but Florida got its revenge in the First Round of the SEC Tournament via a 60-50 victory on March 5.
Ra Shaya Kyle posted a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double in the victory, while Jeriah Warren (14 points), Laila Reynolds (12) and Liv McGill (11) also scored in double-figures. The free throw line proved to be crucial for the Gators who made 21 of 23 on the night, while Auburn went eight for 12 from the stripe.
* Auburn lists the all-time series at 27-41. This includes a game played in 1973-74 before Florida's recorded history.
Auburn (11-6, 0-3)
PROJECTED FLORIDA STARTERS
GATOR BITES
TIGERS QUICK HITS
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators
Tip at Neville Arena is slated for 3 p.m. EST, and the game is being broadcast on SECN+.
After putting a scare into the Lady Vols and No. 3/3 Gamecocks, Florida struggled through a difficult shooting night Thursday in the team's 74-66 loss to Texas A&M. The Gators shot 35.6 percent from the field which is their third lowest percentage of the season.
Laila Reynolds was a bright spot for Florida, going seven for 10 from the field, and scoring a career-high tying 21 points in the defeat. Me'Arah O'Neal was injured late in the first quarter, but returned in the second none the worse for wear, adding 15 points on five of 10 shooting, including a trio of three-pointers.
Liv McGill scored 16 points against the Aggies, putting her six points away from joining the Gators 1,000 point club. Should she reach the mark Sunday, she will become the second sophomore in program history to do so, and the third fastest to get there (54 games played).
McGill has also put herself in the running for the Nancy Lieberman Award presented annually to the Division I Women's Basketball player who exemplifies the floor leadership, play-making and ball-handling skills that personified Nancy Lieberman during her career. The sophomore was left off the 20-player preseason list, but the midseason watch list is due at the end of the month. McGill is averaging 23.9 points, 5.6 assists and 3.31 steals per game, while the 20 players on the preseason list are averaging a collective 14.4 points, 5.3 assists and 2.21 steals.
Auburn opened the season with eight straight victories, but has dropped six of nine since. In conference play, they are being outscored by an average of more than 30 points, while allowing teams to make 50.3 percent of their shots from the field including 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. The Tigers are also getting outrebounded by an average of nearly 19 boards per game against SEC competition.
Freshman guard Harissoum Coulibaly is Auburn's lone double-figure scorer in both conference play (12.5 ppg) and on the year (11.1 ppg). Against SEC competition, no member of the Tigers is averaging more than 4.5 rebounds per game, nor do any players have more than five total assists. This is, in part, because Auburn has nine different players averaging at least 15.0 minutes per game, and no player playing more than 27.4 per contest.
Florida is 27-40* all-time against Auburn, including 8-18 on the road. The teams split their two meetings last season. The Tigers beat the Gators 74-51 in Auburn during the regular season on January 26, 2025, but Florida got its revenge in the First Round of the SEC Tournament via a 60-50 victory on March 5.
Ra Shaya Kyle posted a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double in the victory, while Jeriah Warren (14 points), Laila Reynolds (12) and Liv McGill (11) also scored in double-figures. The free throw line proved to be crucial for the Gators who made 21 of 23 on the night, while Auburn went eight for 12 from the stripe.
* Auburn lists the all-time series at 27-41. This includes a game played in 1973-74 before Florida's recorded history.
Auburn (11-6, 0-3)
- Date: Sunday, Jan. 11
- Time: 3 p.m. EST
- Site: Neville Arena, Auburn, Ala.
- Listen: floridagators.com
- Watch: SECN+
- Live stats: StatBroadcast
- Improve the Gators record to 13-6 on the year, and 1-3 in the SEC.
- Improve Florida's record to 2-3 on the road home on the season.
- Be the Gators' second straight win over the Tigers, and fourth in the last five games.
- Improve Florida's records against Auburn to 28-40* overall and 9-18 on the road.
| Florida | Auburn | |
| 75.6 | PPG | 63.5 |
| 60.9 | OPP PPG | 58.6 |
| +14.7 | SCORING MARGIN | +4.8 |
| 44.6 | FG % | 41.3 |
| 36.8 | OPP FG% | 38.2 |
| 25.0 | 3 FG% | 29.4 |
| 25.9 | OPP 3 FG% | 29.3 |
| 4.7 | 3FG/G | 4.8 |
| 70.6 | FT % | 70.8 |
| 40.4 | REBOUNDS/G | 33.2 |
| 37.6 | OPP REBOUNDS/G | 35.6 |
| +2.8 | REB MARGIN | -2.5 |
| 13.3 | ASSISTS/G | 9.8 |
| 16.7 | TURNOVER/G | 17.2 |
| +0.80 | A/TO RATIO | +0.57 |
| 11.2 | STEALS/G | 11.9 |
| 4.72 | BLOCKS/G | 3.29 |
PROJECTED FLORIDA STARTERS
| No. | Ht. | Pos. | Class | Hometown/Previous School | |
| Me'Arah O'Neal | 8 | 6-4 | F | So | Houston Texas |
| Alexia Dizeko | 9 | 5-11 | G | Gr. | Sion, Switzerland |
| Laila Reynolds | 13 | 6-1 | G | Jr. | PG County, Md. |
| Caterina Piatti | 14 | 6-4 | F | Fr. | Scandiano, Italy |
| Liv McGill | 23 | 5-9 | G | So | Minneapolis, Minn. |
GATOR BITES
- Through games of Saturday, Jan. 10, Florida is … 11th in the SEC this season in points per game (75.6) ... 12th in scoring defense (60.9) ... 12th in scoring margin (+14.7) ... 12th in field goal percentage (.446) ... 9th in field goal percentage defense (.368) ... 16th in three-point field goal percentage (.250) ... 2nd in three-point field goal percentage defense (.259) ... 10th in offensive rebound percentage (.364) ... 15th in defensive rebound percentage (.661) ... 14th in assists (13.3) ... 7th in steals (11.2) ... 10th in blocked shots (4.73).
- The Gators have held all of their opponents this season below 80 points and 14 of 18 below 70 points.
- Florida is ranked 30th in the nation in free throws made per game (15.5), and 25th in free throw attempts per game (21.9) through games of Thursday, January 8.
- Florida's NET rating, which helps determine which teams make the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship, is No. 58 through games of Thursday, Jan. 8.
- Liv McGill and Me'Arah O'Neal have each earned SEC Player of the Week honors this season.
- Liv McGill is six points away from becoming the 30th player in Florida Women's Basketball history to score 1,000 points in her career.
- Liv McGill became the first player in Gators women's basketball history to be named a US Basketball Writers Association National Player of the Week on Tuesday, Nov. 11. She averaged 27.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 5.00 steals while connecting on 40.9 percent of her three-point field goal attempts in Florida's three wins. She also was named the SEC Player of the Week for her performance during that same stretch of games.
- Liv McGill was named the most outstanding player of the Grand Cayman Classic over Thanksgiving weekend when she averaged 27.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.00 steals and 1.00 blocked shots.
- Liv McGill has three games this season of at least 25 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals. The other 4,500-+ players competing in women's basketball at the Division I level have six 25-5-5-5 games … combined.
| No. | Ht. | Pos. | Class | Hometown / Previous Schools | |
| Mya Petticord | 1 | 5-9 | G | Sr. | Detroit, Mich. / Rutgers |
| Ja'Mia Harris | 2 | 5-11 | G | Jr. | Dallas, Texas / Texas State |
| Kaitlyn Duhon | 4 | 5-10 | G | RS Jr. | Houston, Texas |
| Khady Leye | 6 | 6-2 | F | So. | Louga, Senegal |
| A'riel Jackson | 7 | 5-9 | G | Sr. | Brooklyn, N.Y. / Cincinnati |
TIGERS QUICK HITS
- Members of the media and conference coaches tabbed Auburn to finish 15th in the SEC this season.
- Auburn is allowing opponents to score just 58.6 points per game this season ranking 10th in the SEC. However, SEC opponents are averaging 81.7 points per game against the Tigers on the year.
- The Tigers are holding opponents to 38.2 percent shooting from the field this season which ranks 13th in the SEC. However, SEC opponents are connecting on 50.3 percent of their field goal attempts against Auburn.
- Auburn ranks sixth in the SEC in steals averaging 11.88 per game.
- Kaitlyn Duhon ranks third in the SEC and tied for 14th in the nation in steals averaging 3.53 per game.
- Auburn has made just six three-pointers in three SEC contests so far this year.
SOCIAL: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
JOIN THE CONVERSATION: #GoGators
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballFlorida Women's Basketball | Postgame Press Conference | Texas A&M
Friday, January 09
Florida Women's Basketball Postgame Press Conference
Thursday, January 08
Florida Women's Basketball | Postgame Press Conference | South Carolina
Sunday, January 04
Florida Women's Basketball | Me'Arah O'Neal Named Co-SEC Player of the Week 😤
Wednesday, December 31
