In a thrilling encounter at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., freshman Liv McGill led the No. 11 seed Florida to a surprising victory over the No. 19-ranked and sixth-seeded Alabama, with a narrow score of 63-61 in the Southeastern Conference Tournament’s second round on Thursday night. Florida, having increased its record to 16-16, managed to topple a ranked team for the first time since 2022, advancing to face the third-seeded LSU in the quarterfinals. This follows a victory against 14th-seeded Auburn with a scoreline of 60-50 in the previous round.
McGill was instrumental in Florida’s success, notching up 11 points in the crucial fourth quarter and sinking a pair of free throws with just 49 seconds on the clock to extend Florida’s lead to 61-53. However, Alabama made a spirited comeback with Sarah Ashlee Barker and Zaay Green scoring crucial 3-pointers, and Barker adding a layup to close the gap to a single point with only 16 seconds remaining. Laila Reynolds, however, sealed the win for Florida by scoring one of two free throws and blocking Barker’s attempt as time expired, preventing Diana Collins’ missed 3-pointer attempt from altering the outcome prior to the block.
Throughout the game, McGill proved unstoppable, connecting on 10 of 17 shots and making three 3-pointers along with 6 out of 8 free throws, leading the Gators by scoring a remarkable 29 points. Supporting her efforts, Ra Shaya Kyle contributed 12 points and secured six rebounds while Reynolds, aside from her defensive contributions, chipped in with 10 points despite struggling with her shooting form—hitting only 4 of 18 attempts—and grabbing six rebounds.
On Alabama’s side, Barker, who recently earned a spot on the All-SEC first team for the second consecutive year, paced her team with 24 points and eight rebounds. Meanwhile, Aaliyah Nye posted 13 points, and Zaay Green added 11 to their tally. Karly Weathers also stood out with a well-rounded performance, gathering 10 rebounds and providing 10 assists alongside her six points.
The loss marked Alabama’s continuation of a discouraging trend, as they have been unable to secure a win this season when trailing at the end of the third quarter, now standing at 0-8 in such situations.
