Florida’s players dragged their feet walking out of the O’Connell Center loading dock on Thursday. They had just scored 86 points, their second-highest total in SEC play, but lost by 13 at home to Vanderbilt. That marked UF’s fourth loss in a row — a streak that spoiled a loosely promising 2-2 start in conference play.
“Our focus needs to be the consistency in [performing] every night for 40 minutes,” UF head coach Kelly Rae Finley said after the Vanderbilt loss. “When we do that, we are a very, very talented, very strong basketball team.”
Finley’s words came to fruition on Monday, as Florida (12-11, 3-6 SEC) leveled Arkansas 108-78 in Fayetteville behind its strongest and most well-rounded offensive performance of the season.
UF’s 108 points was its highest game total this year, eclipsing the 104 that it scored against Chicago State on Nov. 12. The Gators hit 42 shots, their most this season, and 59.1% of their 3-pointers, while freshmen guard Liv McGill and forward Me’Arah O’Neal led the way with 37 points. Sophomore guard Laila Reynolds, senior center Ra’Shaya Kyle and senior guard Jeriah Warren all scored double digits as well.
While the Gators have struggled early in games this season, only scoring 26 points in the first half against Vanderbilt, offense wasn’t at a premium in the first half against Arkansas (9-15, 2-7 SEC). UF finished the first quarter with a 28-16 lead, while O’Neal scored six of her career-high 19 points to lead the Gators.
Florida’s early lead never disappeared. UF spread the ball around in the second quarter, with Reynolds climbing her way to 12 points before the break. She dropped in a layup before the halftime buzzer, pushing Florida to a 22-point lead.
The second half was much of the same, with Florida putting up 28 and 26 points in the third and fourth quarters. The Gators were consistent throughout the evening. UF scored over 25 points in each period for the first time this season, shooting over 50% from the field in all four quarters. Including a productive second half against Vanderbilt, UF has scored 168 points over its last sixty minutes of play.
“I love competing with them,” Finley emphasized about her team on Thursday. “We don’t ever turn our backs on each other, and we’re relentless and we’re resilient.”
Arkansas never could truly find its rhythm, despite being on its own home court. With rows of open seats in the second level of Bud Walton Arena staring down at her, Arkansas senior guard Izzy Higginbottom scored 40 points as she tried to will the Razorbacks into the game. However, she rarely found any support, outscoring the rest of her team by two points while no other player reached 12 in the scoring column.
Florida’s offensive improvement will be necessary in its next game. UF will get three days to prepare for a rematch with Alabama, which previously outlasted Florida 79-69 on Jan. 2. The Gators will return to Gainesville to continue their SEC slate against the Crimson Tide (19-5, 5-4 SEC) on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Contact Noah White at nwhite@alligator.org. Follow him on X at @noahwhite1782
Noah is a Spring 2025 Assistant Sports Editor and Copy Desk Chief. He's a second-year journalism major who enjoys reading and shamefully rooting for Tennessee sports teams. He is also a Liberty League Women's Soccer expert.
