Florida Women’s Basketball Eyes 2-0 Start Against Chattanooga
Florida women’s basketball looks to build on its strong start to the season, hosting the Chattanooga Mocs on Thursday night at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The matchup is part of a doubleheader with the Florida men’s team, which will tip off against North Florida following the Florida women’s game.
The meeting marks the first between the two programs since 2017, when Chattanooga bested the Gators 65-60 in Gainesville. The Mocs lead the all-time series 3-2.
Florida opened its season Monday night in dominant fashion, topping North Florida 96-62. Sophomore guard Liv McGill, a preseason All-SEC Second Team selection, led the way with 26 points, nine assists and nine rebounds — narrowly missing out on a triple-double. Five different Gators scored in double figures as Florida cruised to its seventh consecutive season-opening victory. “Tonight was just the tip of the iceberg for what’s to come this season,” coach Kelly Rae Finley said following the win.
Chattanooga (1-0) also started strong, defeating King University 82-34 in its home opener. Junior guard Caia Elisaldez, the Mocs’ leading scorer last season and the Southern Conference Preseason Player of the Year, poured in 20 points to go with five assists and two rebounds. The game was the program’s annual Special Education Day, with thousands of local students in attendance. Elisaldez said the loud crowd helped the team “prepare for Thursday” against Florida, adding, “we need to be in a loud environment and I think the kids did a great job of replicating that.”
The Mocs enter the year as preseason favorites to win the Southern Conference but will face a test in Gainesville, where the Gators are 16-2 at home in November under Finley, now entering her fifth season.
With a schedule that features eight ranked SEC opponents, including No. 2 South Carolina, No. 4 Texas and No. 5 LSU, Florida will look to capitalize on its lighter nonconference slate before the grind of league play begins. The Gators and Mocs tip off at 5 p.m.
Category: Gator Sports, Gators Women's Basketball
