Wednesday, December 17
Gainesville, FL
3 p.m.
Florida Gators
vs
Florida A&M
Women Tip Off Wednesday Doubleheader with 3 p.m. Start Against Florida A&M
Monday, December 15, 2025 | Women's Basketball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Women's Basketball Team (10-2) remains at home this week for a pair of games leading into the holiday break beginning with a Wednesday, Dec. 17 matchup against Florida A&M (0-8). Tip at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center is 3 p.m. EST, and serves as game one of a doubleheader as the nationally-ranked Florida men's basketball team takes on St. Francis at 6:30 p.m.
The Gators are coming off of an 85-41 victory over West Georgia which saw Florida limit the Wolves to 19.6 percent shooting from the field (third lowest in program history) and nine made field goals (tied for the fewest ever allowed by a Gators' squad, and fewest this season by an SEC defense.). Junior transfer Jade Weathersby scored a season-high 13 points, while Me'Arah O'Neal (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Liv McGill (12 points, 10 assists) chipped in with double-doubles in the win.
Through games of Dec. 14, McGill ranks second in the nation in scoring (25.8 ppg), fifth in steals per game (4.00) and 22nd in assists per game (5.9). The Minnesota native also has four near-miss triple doubles this season, including her 12-point, 10-assist, nine-rebound performance against West Georgia, Sunday.
Me'Arah O'Neal (14.1 ppg), and Laila Reynolds (13.4) give Florida a trio of double-digit scorers, as the Gators are averaging 78.5 points per game on the year. Should they maintain that average, it would be the second highest in program history.
Florida A&M is still in search of its first win this year as nearly the entire roster received a makeover during the offseason. The Rattlers return just two players from a year ago, who played a combined 21 games and just 239 minutes.
Junior guard Shaniyah McCarthy is A&M's leading scorer at 10.9 points per game, while five other players average between 6.4 and 9.5 points. Only one member of the starting lineup is making more than 40 percent of her shots on the season (Breazia Robinson, .458), as the Rattlers connect on just 32.3 percent of their shots as a team. Florida A&M's 53.0 points per game scoring average is the 15th lowest in the nation.
Defensively, the Rattlers allow opponents to score an average of 82.8 points per game, while making 35.5 percent of their shots from beyond the arc.
The Gators and Rattlers have three common opponents this season in Florida State, South Alabama and Jacksonville.
Florida is 13-5 all-time against the Rattlers, and has won six straight in the series. Those six most recent victories have come by an average of 30.3 points per game. In last year's 102-67 win, Liv McGill's 21 points led six Gators in double figures. RA Shays Kyle added a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double as Florida connected on 59.6 percent of its shots from the field, and forced 22 A&M turnovers.
Florida A&M (0-8)
PROJECTED FLORIDA STARTERS
GATOR BITES
RATTLERS QUICK HITS
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The Gators are coming off of an 85-41 victory over West Georgia which saw Florida limit the Wolves to 19.6 percent shooting from the field (third lowest in program history) and nine made field goals (tied for the fewest ever allowed by a Gators' squad, and fewest this season by an SEC defense.). Junior transfer Jade Weathersby scored a season-high 13 points, while Me'Arah O'Neal (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Liv McGill (12 points, 10 assists) chipped in with double-doubles in the win.
Through games of Dec. 14, McGill ranks second in the nation in scoring (25.8 ppg), fifth in steals per game (4.00) and 22nd in assists per game (5.9). The Minnesota native also has four near-miss triple doubles this season, including her 12-point, 10-assist, nine-rebound performance against West Georgia, Sunday.
Me'Arah O'Neal (14.1 ppg), and Laila Reynolds (13.4) give Florida a trio of double-digit scorers, as the Gators are averaging 78.5 points per game on the year. Should they maintain that average, it would be the second highest in program history.
Florida A&M is still in search of its first win this year as nearly the entire roster received a makeover during the offseason. The Rattlers return just two players from a year ago, who played a combined 21 games and just 239 minutes.
Junior guard Shaniyah McCarthy is A&M's leading scorer at 10.9 points per game, while five other players average between 6.4 and 9.5 points. Only one member of the starting lineup is making more than 40 percent of her shots on the season (Breazia Robinson, .458), as the Rattlers connect on just 32.3 percent of their shots as a team. Florida A&M's 53.0 points per game scoring average is the 15th lowest in the nation.
Defensively, the Rattlers allow opponents to score an average of 82.8 points per game, while making 35.5 percent of their shots from beyond the arc.
The Gators and Rattlers have three common opponents this season in Florida State, South Alabama and Jacksonville.
| Florida | Florida A&M | ||||||
| W/L | Fla | Opp | W/L | Fla A&M | Opp | ||
| Florida State | W | 89 | 67 | L | 39 | 112 | |
| South Alabama | W | 75 | 61 | L | 54 | 75 | |
| Jacksonville | W | 100 | 55 | L | 63 | 70 | |
Florida is 13-5 all-time against the Rattlers, and has won six straight in the series. Those six most recent victories have come by an average of 30.3 points per game. In last year's 102-67 win, Liv McGill's 21 points led six Gators in double figures. RA Shays Kyle added a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double as Florida connected on 59.6 percent of its shots from the field, and forced 22 A&M turnovers.
Florida A&M (0-8)
- Date: Wednesday, December 17
- Time: 3 p.m. EST
- Site: Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O'Connell Center
- Listen: wruf.com/listen-live/
- Watch: SECN+
- Live stats: FloridaGators.com
- Improve the Gators record to 11-2 on the year. Only eight teams in program history have won 11 of their first 13 games in a season.
- Improve Florida's record to 9-0 at home on the year.
- Improve the Gators' record to 33-3 at home during the months of November and December in the Kelly Rae Finley era, including 8-0 this season.
- Run the Gators' streak of consecutive non-conference home wins to 15, which would be tied for the sixth longest such streak in program history.
- Run the Gators' streak of consecutive home wins to 10, which would be the sixth longest such streak in program history.
| Florida | Florida A&M | |
| 78.5 | PPG | 53.0 |
| 56.8 | OPP PPG | 82.8 |
| +21.7 | SCORING MARGIN | -29.8 |
| 45.1 | FG % | 32.3 |
| 35.3 | OPP FG% | 44.9 |
| 26.4 | 3 FG% | 17.4 |
| 25.2 | OPP 3 FG% | 35.5 |
| 4.8 | 3FG/G | 2.6 |
| 71.0 | FT % | 62.0 |
| 42.7 | REBOUNDS/G | 37.1 |
| 35.9 | OPP REBOUNDS/G | 44.9 |
| +6.8 | REB MARGIN | -7.8 |
| 13.5 | ASSISTS/G | 8.2 |
| 15.5 | TURNOVER/G | 20.4 |
| +0.87 | A/TO RATIO | +0.39 |
| 11.6 | STEALS/G | 5.6 |
| 4.67 | BLOCKS/G | 2.75 |
PROJECTED FLORIDA STARTERS
| No. | Ht. | Pos. | Class | Hometown/Previous School | |
| Me'Arah O'Neal | 8 | 6-4 | F | So | Houston Texas |
| Alexia Dizeko | 9 | 5-11 | G | Gr. | Sion, Switzerland |
| Laila Reynolds | 13 | 6-1 | G | Jr. | PG County, Md. |
| Caterina Piatti | 14 | 6-4 | F | Fr. | Scandiano, Italy |
| Liv McGill | 23 | 5-9 | G | So | Minneapolis, Minn. |
GATOR BITES
- Through games of Sunday, Dec. 14, Florida is 10th in the SEC this season in points per game (78.5), 10th in scoring defense (56.8), 12th in scoring margin (+21.7), 11th in field goal percentage (.453), eighth in field goal percentage defense (.364), first in three-point field goal percentage defense (.252), seventh in steals (11.6), ninth in turnover margin (+5.50), ninth in defensive rebound percentage (.374), and ninth in blocked shots (4.67).
- The Gators have held 14 straight opponents below 70 points.
- Florida's NET rating, which helps determine which teams make the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship, is No. 45 through games of Sunday, Dec. 14.
- Liv McGill became the first player in Gators women's basketball history to be named a US Basketball Writers Association National Player of the Week on Tuesday, Nov. 11. She averaged 27.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 5.00 steals while connecting on 40.9 percent of her three-point field goal attempts in Florida's three wins. She also was named the SEC Player of the Week for her performance during that same stretch of games.
- Liv McGill was named the most outstanding player of the Grand Cayman Classic over Thanksgiving weekend when she averaged 27.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.00 steals and 1.00 blocked shots.
- Liv McGill has three games this season of at least 25 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals. The other 4,500-+ players competing in women's basketball at the Division I level have three 25-5-5-5 games … combined.
| No. | Ht. | Pos. | Class | Hometown / Previous Schools | |
| Miya Giles-Jones | 1 | 6-0 | F | RSSo. | Fayetteville, N.C. / Fordham |
| Aina Subirats | 2 | 5-8 | G | Sr. | Barcelona, Spain / Morehead State |
| Tahnyjia Purifoy | 3 | 5-0 | G | RSJr. | Pensacola, Fla. / Chipola College |
| Za'Naria Robinson | 15 | 6-4 | G | Jr. | Fayetteville, N.C. / Tallahassee CC |
| Sahniyah McCarthy | 22 | 5-8 | G | Jr. | Apopka, Fla. / Cerro Coso CC |
RATTLERS QUICK HITS
- The Rattlers return just two players from the 2024-25 roster,
- Florida A&M Head Coach Bridgette Gordon played for the Sacramento Monarchs in the WNBA's first two years of existence (1997, 1998).
- The Rattlers are still in search of their first win of the 2025-26 season, and have lost 11 straight games dating back to last season.
- Florida A&M's 53.0 points per game on offense are the 15th lowest in the nation.
- The Rattlers are allowing 82.8 points per game on defense, which are the fifth most in the nation.
- Florida A&M was picked to finish eighth out of 12 teams in SWAC preseason polling as voted on by league coaches and sports information directors.
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Players Mentioned
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