NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - FEBRUARY 1: Liv McGill #23 of the Florida Gators drives down the court against the Vanderbilt Commodores in the first half at Vanderbilt University Memorial Gymnasium on February 1, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Florida tops No. 19 Ole Miss for 1st ranked win this season

The Associated Press
2 months ago
Carly Mackler / Getty Images Sport / Getty

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Liv McGill had 28 points, six rebounds and eight assists, Laila Reynolds added 14 points, and Florida beat No. 19 Mississippi 74-67 on Thursday night for its first victory over a ranked opponent this season.

Florida (17-13, 5-10 SEC) snapped a seven-game losing streak in the series.

McGill found Reynolds for an alley-oop layup in transition for a 63-51 lead early in the fourth during a 12-1 run.

But Ole Miss scored the next nine points, with two 3-pointers from Tianna Thompson, to get within 65-60 with 4:13 left. The Rebels would not get closer that five points the rest of the way as Me’Arah O’Neal and McGill combined to go 4 of 4 at the stripe in the final 1:16 to secure it.

Florida (17-13, 5-10 SEC) shot 59% from the field and outscored Ole Miss 46-20 inside the paint. McGill made a layup early in the third quarter to break Florida’s single-season scoring record, passing Tonya Washington’s mark of 631 points.

Thompson set career highs with 25 points and seven 3-pointers for Ole Miss (21-9, 8-7). Cotie McMahon added 15 points and Christeen Iwuala had 10. Latasha Lattimore, the Rebels' third-leading scorer, was injured in the third and did not return.

Florida closed the first half on a 15-5 run to take a 40-37 lead into the break. McGill led the Gators with 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting. Ole Miss went without a field goal for the final five minutes of the first half.

Up next

Ole Miss: Returns home to play Texas A&M on Sunday in a regular-season finale for both teams.

Florida: Goes on the road to face No. 23 Georgia to conclude its season.

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