With their fourth-largest crowd this season of 6,586 fans at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, including NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, the Florida Gators (11-9, 2-4 SEC) lost 80-63 to the No. 5 LSU Tigers (20-0, 4-0 SEC) on Sunday.
This disappointing loss leaves UF’s highest-ranked opponent this season undefeated and extends Florida’s losing streak against ranked opponents, which dates back to 2022.
“Obviously, LSU is unbeaten, undefeated for a reason,” UF head coach Kelly Rae Finley said. “They’re [an] extremely talented basketball team and extremely well coached, both one on one players and team basketball play both ends of the floor, and they’re going to continue to be an incredibly difficult team to beat for the remainder of the season.”
Although the Gators out-rebounded the second-ranked team in the nation for rebounds (44 to 38), their consistent turnover struggles allowed the Tigers to come away with the win. LSU forced 10 turnovers in the first half and 24 by the end of the game, scoring 35 total points off of these UF miscues.
LSU sophomore guard Mikaylah Williams scored the first points of the game with a three-pointer, sending LSU fans scattered across the O’Dome into an uproar. This sparked a 7-0 run by LSU in just the first minute, forcing Finley to call a timeout.
Senior guard Jeriah Warren came back out and sunk a three-pointer that led the Gators to respond with a 16-3 run of their own. Freshman guard Liv McGill and senior center Ra Shaya Kyle led the run for Florida with a constant barrage of buckets to put the Gators in front.
LSU’s defense could not contain Kyle in the first period, as she used her 6-foot-4 frame to snatch the ball and score multiple layups. Kyle ended the first quarter leading in points for Florida with seven.
The Gators were fired up, shooting 47% in the period compared to the Tigers’ 35%. By the end of the first quarter, Florida held a 21-15 lead.
However, inconsistent levels of play have plagued the Florida Gators consistently throughout the season, and LSU took advantage of this as the game continued.
“I’ve challenged our young team in how we compete for 40 minutes, and I thought we competed harder than we did against Ole Miss for a longer period of time,” Finley said. “Like I said, we have two very young guards, and I was pleased with the progress that they made, [despite] still too many turnovers.”
The Tigers’ defense learned its lesson from the first quarter and locked down Kyle, only allowing her to score one point in the second quarter and three points in the second half. Kyle finished the day with 11 points and seven rebounds, falling short of reaching her eleventh double-double on the season.
However, McGill tallied nine points in the second quarter to hold LSU’s newfound lead to 37-33 by halftime. She was the first Gator to reach double digits with 13 points and led the Gators in scoring with 21 on the day, shooting 8-of-15 from the field.
“She’s an outstanding player for them, and brings a scoring mentality from the point guard position,” LSU head coach Kim Mulkey said.
But once again, when the Gators came out of the half, the Tigers entered with more momentum and secured a 7-0 run. LSU then extended its lead to double-digits, having three players reach double figures in scoring by the end of the third quarter.
By the end of the game, Williams had 22 points, junior guard Flau’Jae Johnson had 19 and senior forward Aneesah Morrow had 20. Morrow, the national leader in double-doubles (18), also secured 10 rebounds. She notched her 92nd career double-double, tied for the second-most in NCAA history.
In the fourth quarter, Florida started out even slower than before, allowing LSU to go on a 17-0 run six minutes into the quarter.
“I really think it’s an experience thing, it’s a field thing,” Finley said. “You have to make adjustments in game as players on the floor, and we have to make adjustments in game as coaches.”
Sophomore guard Laila Reynolds attempted to keep the Gators afloat by spear-heading a 6-0 run. She scored 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the free-throw line on Sunday, helping to keep Florida at 78% free throw shooting, compared to LSU’s 61%.
“Laila has worked her way into that position [of lead guard],” Finley said. “I’m really proud of her mental toughness and her mentality, which allows her to be able to play the primary position as well as off ball.”
Freshman wing Me’Arah O’Neal, who found herself in foul trouble throughout the game, still managed to come down with a tied team-high of seven rebounds. While the freshman is still finding her footing for the Gators, she worked hard on the court for the Gators tonight.
“You know, I would challenge you to find somebody that’s 6’5 as a freshman that can play the two through the five,” Finley said. “You can find who that is in the country and tell me that they’re better than her…but you won’t find it.”
Florida hopes to make improvements as it hits the road to play Auburn (9-9, 0-5 SEC) on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Contact Amanda Roman at aroman@alligator.org. Follow her on X @mandy_romannn
Amanda Roman is a sophomore sports journalism major and the Spring 2025 women's basketball reporter. This is her second semester at the sports desk for The Alligator, and she previously interned for Fort Lauderdale United FC. In her free time, she enjoys lifting, shopping and reading.
