GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Me’Arah O’Neal scored the first basket of the game, draining a three-pointer just 16 seconds in, and the Gators (3-0) never looked back, leading wire-to-wire in a 100-55 victory over visiting Jacksonville (2-1). O’Neal finished with a career-high 20 points along with 11 rebounds for her third consecutive double-double to open the season.

KEY RUNS

1st Quarter (Gators 28, Dolphins 6)

• The Gators scored the first five points of the game and 21 of the first 24 to take control of the game early. Florida held Jacksonville to 1 of 12 shooting from the field in the period, including 0 for 5 from three-point range. That marked the third quarter this season that the Gators have held an opponent to fewer than 10 points in a quarter. Liv McGill led all scorers with eight points, while Laila Reynolds and Caterina Piatti each scored six.

2nd Quarter (Gators 55, Dolphins 20)

• Florida scored the final 10 points of the period to head into the locker room up 35. Nine different Gators dented the scoring column in the quarter.

3rd Quarter (Gators 80, Dolphins 39)

• An 11-0 midway through the third, turned a 35-point Gators advantage into a 46-point lead with 2:52 to go in the stanza. Me’Arah O’Neal scored 12 points to lead all scorers.

4th Quarter (Gators 100, Dolphins 55)

• Florida’s lead never dropped below 41 during the entire quarter. Jacksonville posted their best shooting percentages of the game, making 6 of 13 shots in the fourth, led by Bailey Burns’ seven points.

KEY STATS

• The Gators outshot the Dolphins from the field, 51.5% (35-68) to 35.6% (21-59).
• The Gators outrebounded Jacksonville, 28-17, including 14-11 on the offensive glass, leading to a 16-9 advantage in second chance points.
• Florida forced the Dolphins into committing 25 turnovers which the Gators flipped into 32 points. Meanwhile, Jacksonville scored 11 points off of 13 Florida miscues.
• The Gators outscored the Dolphins 60-22 in the paint, and 22-5 in fast break points.
• All 11 Florida players who entered the game, scored.
• The Gators went 26 for 35 from the free throw line while Jacksonville went 10 for 17.
• The Dolphins committed 29 personal fouls compared to 18 for Florida.

Post Game Press Conference: Head Coach Kelly Rae Finley, Guard Laila Reynolds, Forward Me’Arah O’Neal

FROM THE GATORS’ MOUTHS

• Laila Reynolds on  her growth in the game coming into her third year… — “It’s year three, so I would say a lot of things are slowing down for me. Just picking them apart slowly, it doesn’t have to be perfect, but taking what the defense gives me. I’m a play maker for sure, so I could score or I could pass it. I like to pass it, it makes my teammates look better for sure.”
• Me’Arah O’Neal on her mindset throughout the game to lead the team in points and a career high…  — “I think the most important thing for me was playing with my teammates and being connected. We emphasized getting to the paint and I was just trying my hardest to duck in and be open for my players to give me a ball or to pass to an open player.”
• Coach Finley on the overall performance in the game… — “I thought we started the game beautifully, you saw from the jump what we’re capable of. Both offensively and defensively, I thought we set the tone. We were aggressive on both ends of the floor. We were fairly consistent over the course of the entire game. I liked our effort, we had 13 turnovers, 14 assists, we’ve really reduced our turnovers and we’ve done a great job in that area. I thought we had some good individual performances, but most importantly it was a great team win.”

GATOR BITES

• Florida is now 18-2 at home in November under Head Coach Kelly Rae Finley.
• Florida has won its first three games of the season in each of the last three years. In 2024-25, they started the year 3-0, and the season prior, they won their first four games.
• The Gators are now 3-0 all-time against Jacksonville,
• Liv McGill scored in double figures for the 36th time as a Gator (19 points).
• Me’Arah O’Neal recorded the fourth double-double of her career, and her third straight to start the season (career-high 20 points, 11 rebounds). The last Florida player to record three straight double-doubles was Ra Shaya Kyle who did it four straight games from December 7-15, 2024. The last Gator with a 20-point, 10-rebound game was also Ra Shaya Kyle, who went for 21 and 12 vs Texas Tech on March 27, 2025 in the WBIT.
• Freshman Caterina Piatti grabbed a career-high nine rebounds.
• Florida’s 55 points in the first half were their most in a half this season.
• Laila Reynolds went 10 for 10 from the charity stripe. The last time a Florida player was that perfect from the free throw line was March 8, 2024 when Aliyah Matharu also made all 10 of her freebies vs. Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament. Those were also the most free throws that Reynolds has made and attempted in her collegiate career.
• KN’siha Godfrey recorded the first double-digit scoring game of her Gators career.
• Gift Ezekiel scored a career-high 9 points, and has yet to miss a shot from the field in her young collegiate career (5 for 5 over three games).

NEXT OPPONENT
The Gators remain at home this week, hosting Samford (1-1) on Thursday, Nov. 13. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. EST at Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O’Connell Center. 

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