Florida’s guard Laila Reynolds (13) shoots against the North Florida Ospreys at the O'Connell Center. [Kimberly Blum/WRUF]

Will Florida Women’s Basketball Break Pattern Against FSU?

After suffering a tough 69-54 loss against Navy last Sunday, Florida looks to bounce back from its first loss of the season when it faces Florida State on Thursday at the O’Connell Center.

Although the Gators (4-1) lead the all-time series against the Seminoles at 42-36, FSU (3-2) is slowly gaining ground after three consecutive wins.

But the question on Gator fans’ minds right now is the status of Liv McGill

“Liv is day to day. We are going to continue to evaluate her and see where we are,” UF coach Kelly Rae Finley said.

Florida had to play without their leading scorer last Sunday when McGill sat out due to an undisclosed lower-body injury. The Gators couldn’t fill the void at Annapolis, Md.

McGill leads the SEC with 25.8 points a game on 49.4% shooting and making 40% of her 3-pointers. She was named to the 2025 SEC All-Freshman Team and named a McDonald’s All-America in 2024.

The Gators were averaging 94.3 points per game, but the Midshipmen held them to just 54. Regardless, guard Laila Reynolds stepped up and scored 19 points. Defensively, the Gators forced 22 turnovers and converted them into 14 points, but they struggled without their leading scorer to make the critical shots.

“Our outside shots weren’t falling,” Finley said. “We weren’t finishing inside today either, and when the shots aren’t falling, it makes it really tough on the defense.”

Florida State is also coming off a 76-72 loss against Indiana last Sunday. Coincidentally, the Seminoles were also missing their lead scorer in Sole Williams, who was recovering from an injury she suffered in the previous game. Williams is also listed as day-to-day and it is not known if she will compete on Thursday. On average, FSU is averaging 84 points per game behind its fast offense that keeps opponents on their toes.

The Gators look to break the streak against FSU at 6:30 p.m. Thursday (SEC Network, 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF).

Category: Basketball, College Basketball, Gainesville, Gators Women's Basketball