Mizzou Falls to Florida After a Shaky Start in Gainesville

The first quarter was the difference maker for Missouri and Florida, which remained even in the scoring column across the final three frames

Florida guard Liv McGill (23) drives past Missouri guard Grace Slaughter (0) during the first half of an NCAA Women’s basketball game at Exactech Arena in the Steven C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, FL on Sunday, January 18, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun] | Alan Youngblood / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Missouri (13-8, 1-5 in SEC) women's basketball's latest road loss, 89-71 at Florida (13-8, 1-5), exemplifies the difficulty of winning on the road in the Southeastern Conference.

The Tigers and Gators are in dire straits, free-falling through the conference standings. Missouri most recently nabbed its first league victory under head coach Kellie Harper, defeating Arkansas at Mizzou Arena on Thursday. Meanwhile, Florida fumbled its upset bid against No. 7 Kentucky in Lexington.

Sunday's contest proved yet again why the SEC is the most competitive conference in college basketball. Florida earned its first conference win with a dominant effort, backed by its home crowd, and stumped Missouri.

Both sides possess evenly matched offenses. Entering Sunday, they each averaged exactly 75 points as a team each game. The Tigers rely heavily on the three-point shot, and their full roster is capable of stretching the floor, while the Gators' offense, powered by the nation's No. 6 leading scorer, Liv McGill, stands among the best inside-the-arc scoring squads in the country.

McGill and the Gators stuck to their guns in the early going, creating shots around the rim. Outscoring the Tigers' entire team in the first quarter, McGill posted 13 points in the opening frame to help Florida jump out to a 26-8 lead. Missouri was stuck playing catch-up for the rest of the game, frantically firing threes in an attempt to spark the comeback.

The triples weren't falling at the typical rate for the Tigers, only managing eight makes on 25 attempts on the afternoon. Grace Slaughter, who led all players with 29 points, sank four 3-pointers on seven tries, leaving the rest of the team shooting a 4-18 clip from behind the arc.

With a comfortable lead in hand, the Gators need to prevent any momentum-stealing runs and hold even with the Tigers for the rest of the contest. Florida followed up the thunderous first quarter charge by matching the Tigers' exact point totals across the final three quarters. In the second, McGill went quiet, scoring zero points, but Me'Arah O'Neal and Laila Reynolds combined for the majority of Florida's 21 points. Slaughter caught fire on the other end, scoring 12 of Missouri's 21.

Out of the break, Slaughter and McGill duelled, leading to another evenly matched period, both teams tallying 19 points. Missouri entered the final frame, facing the same 18-point deficit lingering from the opening minutes of the game. Misosuri's Shannon Dowell supplied the Tigers' strongest efforts in the waning moments of the contest, adding 12 points, countered by the Gators' strong quarter from long range, making four 3-pointers, which helped secure the victory and a tally in the conference win column.

Slaughter outscored McGill, 29 to 28, to lead all players, but McGill showcased her capabilities to make plays for not only herself, but her teammates as well. McGill added 7 assists to her stat line, while Missouri only managed 10 as an entire team. She also posted a game-high 9 rebounds, flirting with a triple-double. O'Neal and Reynolds, the most frequent recipients of McGill passes, totaled 17 and 14, respectively.

Dowell posted her best scoring total since returning from injury three games back, posting 23 points, which offers strong signs for Missouri's one-two punch of Slaughter and Dowell, which dominated non-conference competition.