Florida’s McGill Powers Upset Victory Over 19th-Ranked Ole Miss

Liv McGill exploded for 28 points to help Florida defeat No. 19 Ole Miss 74-67 in a major upset Thursday night. The Gators shot nearly 60% from the field to earn their first victory against a ranked opponent this season.

Florida guard Liv McGill delivered a dominant performance Thursday night, dropping 28 points to power the Gators past 19th-ranked Ole Miss 74-67 in Southeastern Conference action at Gainesville, Florida. McGill was particularly effective early, netting 19 of her points before halftime while also contributing eight assists and six rebounds.

The Gators (17-13, 5-10 SEC) received additional scoring from Laila Reynolds, who chipped in 14 points in the victory. Florida connected on an impressive 59.1 percent of their field goal attempts and built leads as large as 14 points throughout the contest. The triumph marked the Gators’ first success against a ranked opponent after eight previous failed attempts this season, and their fourth victory in their last six outings.

Ole Miss got a career-high 25 points from Tianna Thompson, who also set a personal record by drilling seven three-pointers. The Rebels (21-9, 8-7) also received 15 points from Cotie McMahon and 10 from Christeen Iwuala, but couldn’t overcome their recent struggles. The loss extended Ole Miss’s losing streak to three games and marked their fifth defeat in seven contests.

The Rebels made a push in the final period, cutting Florida’s advantage to just five points. However, the Gators responded with authority as Reynolds converted two field goals and McGill connected on a three-pointer during a decisive 9-0 surge that stretched the lead to 65-51 with 6:08 left on the clock. Although Ole Miss managed to trim the deficit to five on three separate occasions down the stretch, they couldn’t mount a complete comeback.

In other Top 25 action, sixth-ranked LSU dominated Tennessee 89-73 behind Mikaylah Williams’ double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds, plus five assists. MiLaysia Fulwiley contributed 18 points, six rebounds and four blocks off the bench as the Tigers (25-4, 11-4 SEC) captured their third consecutive victory.

ZaKiyah Johnson recorded 14 points and eight rebounds for LSU, while Grace Knox posted 13 points and nine boards. Flau’jae Johnson rounded out the scoring with 10 points for the Tigers.

Tennessee (16-11, 8-7) got 17 points from reserve Jaida Civil, but couldn’t avoid their fifth straight defeat and eighth loss in their past 10 games. Nya Robertson scored 14 points and Talaysia Cooper added 13 for the struggling Volunteers.

Meanwhile, 10th-ranked Louisville cruised past Georgia Tech 69-50 in Atlantic Coast Conference play in Atlanta. Elif Istanbulluoglu paced the Cardinals with 18 points, while Imari Berry provided 13 points off the bench.

Tajianna Roberts contributed 12 points and reserve Reyna Scott added 10 for Louisville (25-5, 15-2 ACC), which secured its fourth victory in five games. The Cardinals established control early, taking a 36-24 halftime advantage and extending their largest margin to 20 points.

Georgia Tech (12-17, 7-10) was led by Talayah Walker’s 20 points but suffered their second consecutive loss. The Yellow Jackets struggled offensively, shooting just 38.3 percent from the floor while turning the ball over 21 times.