After a promising 3-0 start to its 2024-25 campaign, the UF women’s basketball team has fallen to a below-.500 record following a rough weekend in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The Gators concluded their St. Pete Showcase slate with a 77-72 loss to James Madison on Friday afternoon. The defeat brought UF’s recent losing skid to four consecutive games, marking a stark contrast from the Gators’ start to the season.
Florida’s starting lineup showed up for the most part. UF freshman guard Liv McGill led the way with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range.
Meanwhile, sophomore guard Laila Reynolds tallied one of her strongest showings of the young season, finishing with 15 points, one block and one steal for the Gators. Senior guard Jeriah Warren chipped in 16 points and six rebounds as well.
The Gators got off to a strong start on Friday, leading by as many as 10 points in the first quarter. Nevertheless, James Madison quickly caught up as the afternoon went on, eventually tying the score 43-43 by the end of the first half.
Florida briefly reclaimed its lead from a layup by senior center Ra Shaya Kyle to open the third quarter, but it proved to be the Gators’ final lead of the day. JMU responded with an 8-0 run to take back over and leave UF with its fourth loss of the season.
Needless to say, Florida refused to go down without a fight. Facing a 14-point deficit with less than four minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the Gators went on a 13-2 run of their own to narrow JMU’s lead to 75-72.
Nonetheless, James Madison managed to hang on for the win, thanks in part to a pair of clutch free throws by redshirt junior guard Peyton McDaniel. McDaniel would go on to finish the day with 20 points on 6-of-15 shooting from three-point range, as the Gators were unable to pull off the last-second comeback.
Florida will return to the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Dec. 2 to play host to Hofstra. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.
Contact Jack Meyer at jmeyer@alligator.org. Follow him on X @jackmeyerUF.
Jack Meyer is a fourth-year journalism major and the Assistant Sports Editor for The Alligator. In his free time, he enjoys reviewing music, spending time with friends, playing video games and going to the gym.
