For the sixth time this season against a top-10 opponent, Florida walked off the court thinking about what slipped away. Florida women’s basketball has

now led in all six of those matchups, including games against No. 3 South Carolina, No. 7 Kentucky, No. 6 LSU, No. 4 Texas, No. 5 Vanderbilt and now No. 10 Oklahoma.

Florida (15-12, 3-9 SEC) led Oklahoma (18-6, 6-5) for more than two thirds of the night Thursday and built a 13-point lead. Once again, the Gators could not finish in falling 81-74 at Lloyd Noble Center.

Oklahoma opened the game on a 6-0 run. Florida recovered quickly after the shaky start by responding with a 12-2 surge to take control.

The Gators led 19-15 at the end of the first quarter, and that momentum carried into the second. After the Sooners briefly tied the game, Florida ripped off a 13-0 run in less than three minutes to push the lead into double digits. Me’Arah O’Neal beat the halftime buzzer with a layup to send the Gators into the break ahead 37-26.

Florida shot 56 percent from the field and 43 percent from 3 in the first half, while Oklahoma managed just 28 percent overall and 11 percent from beyond the arc.

The script flipped after halftime.

Oklahoma shot 70 percent from the field and 63 percent from 3 in the second half. The Sooners outscored Florida 55-37 over the final two quarters, including a 28-20 edge in the third to cut the deficit to 57-54 entering the fourth.

With 5:59 left, Oklahoma’s Peyton Verhulst converted a three-point play to tie the game at 64. After Florida’s Liv McGill answered with a put-back, Oklahoma went on a decisive 7-0 run fueled by transition baskets and free throws from Aaliyah Chavez. The Sooners never trailed again.

The game followed a familiar pattern for Florida. The same three issues that plagued the team during its recent three-game, seven-day gauntlet against top-10 opponents resurfaced: building an early lead before fading in the second half, turning the ball over and allowing the opponent to dominate inside. Florida committed 23 turnovers, which Oklahoma turned into 28 points. Despite the loss, Florida shot 49 percent from the field and 37 percent from three, both slightly better than Oklahoma’s overall marks. However, the Sooners controlled the interior, winning the rebounding battle 38-34 and outscoring the Gators 44-36 in the paint.

Before the game, Florida coach Kelly Rae Finley described Oklahoma as a “high-octane offense” that likes to “get out and run.” 

She also said the Gators needed “to play transition defense.” 

They did not. The Sooners outscored Florida 16-2 in fast-break points.

Missed free throws compounded Florida’s problems. The Gators shot just 9 of 16 from the free throw line.

Liv McGill carried Florida early and often. She had 17 points late in the second quarter while the Sooners had 19 as a team. McGill finished with 29 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, extending her streak to 27 straight games in double figures and marking her 15th 20-point performance of the season.

Outside of McGill, Florida also got production from O’Neal and Jade Weathersby. O’Neal finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Weathersby added 11 points and six boards off the bench.

Three Sooners scored more than 15 points. Zya Vann led the way with 18, while Verhulst and Chavez each added 16.

The Gators return to action Thursday when they travel to Starkville for a matchup with Mississippi State (17-8, 4-7) at 7:30 p.m. on SECN+.

Category: College Basketball, Gator Sports, Gators Women’s Basketball, SEC, Women’s College Basketball