Lexington, Ky. — The Florida Women’s Basketball Team erased a 17-point deficit against No. 7/9 Kentucky Thursday evening, and led by one, 87-86, with 2:20 remaining, but the Wildcats scored eight of the final 10 points of the game to thwart the Gators’ upset bid. Me’Arah O’Neal led Florida with 23 Points, while Liv McGill added 20 points and a career-high tying 11 assists, and Jade Weathersby poured in 18.

KEY RUNS

1st Quarter (Wildcats 29, Gators 14)

• Kentucky scored 12 of the first 14 points of the game holding the Gators to one of five shooting from the floor during that stretch. Florida called a timeout to stem the tide, and turned their shooting fortunes around connecting on five of their last seven shots of the quarter, including a pair of three-pointers. Unfortunately, the Wildcats forced the Gators into committing seven turnovers, and made 12 of 18 from the floor. Clara Strack led all scorers with eight points, while Liv McGill and Laila Reynolds had five apiece for Florida.

2nd Quarter (Wildcats 45, Gators 38)

• Florida scored 18 of the first 23 points of the period to reduce the Kentucky advantage to two, 34-32 with 5:21 remaining until halftime. Five different Gators scored during the run. After the teams traded buckets to make it 36-34 Wildcats, Kentucky netted seven in a row to extend the lead back to nine. Me’Arah O’Neal and Jade Weathersby led the Gators with six points apiece, while Kentucky’s Tonie Morgan led all scorers with nine. Florida made eight of 14 shots in the stanza including four of six from distance.

3rd Quarter (Gators 73, Wildcats 66)

• It was a nine-point Kentucky lead, 54-45 with 6:19 to go when the Gators put together a 12-1 run capped off by a pair of Me’Arah O’Neal free throws which gave Florida its first lead of the game, 57-55, with 3:36 on the clock. One minutes later, the score was knotted at 62, but the Gators scored 11 of the final 15 points to close out the period.

4th Quarter (Wildcats 94, Gators 89)

• Kentucky scored the first six points of the quarter (8:34), and for the next eight minutes, neither team led by more than four points. The Gators were up 87-86 with 2:20 on the clock, but the Wildcats scored six straight to and eight of the last 10 to close out the win. The Wildcats made nine of 12 shots in the fourth, three of five from distance, and seven of 10 from the free throw line, while the Gators made seven of 17, missing all four of their attempts form beyond the arc, and making two of two from the charity stripe. Asia Boone and Amelia Hassett each scored seven points for Kentucky to lead all scorers in the stanza.

KEY STATS

• The Gators made 57.1% of their field goal attempts (32-56), while the Wildcats made 54.8% of theirs (34-62).
• Kentucky made 12 of 31 from three-point range, while the Gators went nine for 20
• Florida’s bench outscored the Wildcats’ 30-11.
• The Gators outscored Kentucky 40-28 in the paint
• Kentucky outrebounded Florida on the offensive glass 10-6, leading to a 12-7 edge in second chance points.

GATOR BITES

• The Gators are now (27-39) all-time against Kentucky.
• Liv McGill scored in double figures for the 21st straight game (20 points), and 20 or more points for the 11th time this season. She also added a career-high tying 11 assists
• Liv McGill’s 20 points in the game moved her to within 11 of Talatha Bingham ’99 (1,039 points) and 13 of Nina Rickards ’23 (1,041) in 27th and 26th place respectively on the Gators’ career scoring charts.
• Me’Arah O’Neal scored in double figures for the 14th time this season (career-high 23 points).
• Florida’s last win over a nationally-ranked opponent was on Mar. 6, 2025 in a 63-61 victory over No. 20 Alabama in the SEC Tournament.
• Florida’s last road win over a nationally-ranked opponent was on Feb. 6, 2022 in a 54-51 victory over No. 14 Georgia.
• Jade Weathersby’s 18 points are the most she has scored as a member of the Gators.
• Alexia Dizeko scored a season-high 12 points and didn’t miss a shot from the field (five of five from the field, including two of two from three).

 
NEXT OPPONENT
           The Gators return home this Sunday, Jan. 18 for a 2 p.m. EST tip against Missouri at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The game is being broadcast on SECN+.

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