Florida women’s basketball face Navy on Sunday

Florida women’s basketball will face Navy in Annapolis, Maryland, on Sunday, trying to maintain its undefeated start to the 2025 season. The Gators are coming off a strong performance against Samford, winning 87-40 on Thursday while improving to 4-0 for only the sixth time in program history.

The Gators’ defense was strong the whole night, holding Samford to seven points in the first quarter and just one in the second. The evening tallied the fourth and fifth times this season the Gators have held an opponent below 10 points in a quarter, and it was all Florida, up 41– 8 at the half.

Alongside star guard Liv McGill, forward Me’Arah O’Neal contributed another strong performance, posting double figures for the fourth straight game with 18 points. O’Neal has vastly improved from her freshman campaign to start this season, averaging nearly a double-double with 16.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.

But her sophomore running mate, McGill, continued to guide Florida’s offense. She’s averaged 25.8 points per game, good for first in the SEC. Her impressive start earned her the U.S. Basketball Writers Association National Player of the Week award for Florida’s opening performances last week. Against Samford, she was similarly impressive, scoring 20 and adding 7 assists.

Her greatest value may be elsewhere, though. After the game, McGill said that her emotions on the court help energize Florida: “I live for the excitement, as you all know. When I have a lot of energy, my team feeds off it.”

The Gators will need her energy heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Midshipmen. The teams have met only twice, with the last matchup in 2010, which Florida won 52-43. Navy has started its season strong at 2-0, led by Zanai Barnett, who is averaging 20.5 points per game, all while leading the team in rebounds and assists.

Category: Basketball, Gator Sports, Gators Women's Basketball, Women's College Basketball