Last season, the Florida Gators pulled off one of the more impressive Cinderella runs in the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament. They skated by the bottom-seeded Missouri Tigers and pulled off an impressive upset against sixth-seeded Vanderbilt before coming up just short against Ole Miss.
This year, the stakes have been higher, and the opponents have been tougher. Florida’s first two games in the 2025 tournament came against an Auburn team that blew UF out 74-51 earlier in the season, and an Alabama squad ranked No. 19 in the nation.
The Gators took both down in a pair of down-to-the-wire contests, the latter giving them their first ranked win since 2022.
Florida shocked the Crimson Tide with a 63-61 victory on Wednesday night, thanks in part to a career-high 29 points from freshman guard Liv McGill. The UF floor general, who played despite tweaking her ankle late in Wednesday’s win over Auburn, shot 10 of 17 from the field and 3 of 4 from 3-point range.
When asked if there was any concerns regarding her status for Thursday night, McGill kept her response frank.
“There was no doubt in my mind that I was playing tonight,” McGill said. “Went straight back to the hotel, got some treatment and prayed. God took care of that.”
Senior center Ra Shaya Kyle also had an impressive night for Florida – and on her birthday, no less. Kyle tallied 12 points on a 5-for-7 clip from the field and six rebounds on the evening. Freshman wing Me’Arah O’Neal chipped in off the bench with a team-high nine boards.
Meanwhile, sophomore guard Laila Reynolds endured her share of ups and downs throughout the night, but was there for the Gators when they needed her the most. She finished with 10 points on 4-of-18 shooting from the field and 2-of-8 from the free throw line, but also came down with six rebounds and three blocks – the latter of which saved Florida’s night.
With less than three seconds on the clock, Alabama had a chance to tie the game and potentially push the Gators into overtime. Crimson Tide graduate student guard Sarah Ashlee Barker received the inbound and went up for a jumper from just outside of the key. Reynolds swooped in over her and sent her shot into the stands as the clock expired, sealing one of the biggest upsets in recent UF history.
“Nothing was really going through my mind besides getting the stop for my team,” Reynolds said. “Just staying disciplined and staying to my keys is the biggest thing for me.”
Despite entering the night as heavy underdogs, the Gators proved from the get-go that they wouldn’t be going away quietly. Neither team led by three points until the 1:56 mark of the first quarter, when Reynolds scored off an Alabama turnover to give UF a 13-8 edge.
Nevertheless, the Crimson Tide immediately responded with back-to-back threes to close out the quarter. That came after Alabama had missed its first five threes on the night, and before it would go on to shoot 1 for 10 from long range in the second quarter.
Florida got its lead right back on a pair of free throws from junior forward Alexia Mobley to start the second quarter. Less than two minutes later, UF senior guard Jeriah Warren kicked off a 13-2 run with a timely three-pointer – her first field goal of the day.
The Gators’ lead grew to as many as 11 points in the second quarter, but it didn’t take long for the Crimson Tide to muster a response of their own. Alabama closed out the first half on a 9-2 run to cut the gap to 30-26 at halftime.
The third quarter proved to be more of the same for both squads – lockdown defense, brief spurts of offense every couple of minutes and no clear team in the driver’s seat. Alabama cut its deficit to one point on a three-pointer from graduate wing Aaliyah Nye with eight minutes to go in the period, but never managed to retake the lead.
As the quarter went on, the two teams continued to tussle, with Florida building its lead to as many as four points and Alabama cutting it back down to one on three separate occasions. Eventually, a McGill corner three, which bounced all over the rim before landing, gave UF the breathing room it needed. The Gators went into the final 10 minutes sporting a 47-43 lead.
With the game hanging in the balance, McGill entered full takeover mode in the final quarter. The freshman guard scored 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, including back-to-back buckets off of Alabama turnovers and a pair of free throws that secured an eight-point lead for the Gators with 49 seconds remaining.
Nonetheless, the Crimson Tide gave the Gators one final scare in the game’s closing moments. A pair of threes from Barker and graduate guard Zaay Green, as well as two missed free throws from UF’s Reynolds, gave Alabama an opportunity to tie the game with under 30 seconds to go.
With the Crimson Tide trailing 62-59, Barker drove in for a layup to make it a one-point game. UA sophomore guard Diana Collins immediately fouled Reynolds on the subsequent possession, with the latter going 1 for 2 at the charity stripe. Alabama had the ball and an opportunity to send the game into overtime – or perhaps even win it outright.
Collins ran the clock down before launching a three that bounced off the rim. In the ensuing loose ball struggle, Alabama retained possession with just three seconds to go. From there, Barker launched her ill-fated game-tying attempt, and Reynolds sent her packing – all while thrusting her team to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
“I think you can see how hard this team has worked over the last couple months,” UF head coach Kelly Rae Finley said. “We always talk about earning everything, and I think we earned that win tonight.”
Up next for Florida is another late-night matchup, this time against No. 9 LSU. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m.
Contact Jack Meyer at jmeyer@alligator.org. Follow him on X @jackmeyerUF.
Jack Meyer is a fourth-year journalism major and the 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.
