Georgia Lady Bulldogs (9-1, 1-1 SEC) vs. No. 4/5 South Carolina (7-1, 2-0 SEC)
Thursday, January 7 | 19h ET | Colonial Life Arena | Columbia, SC
To watch: SEC Network + (Burch Antley (game by game) / Brian Hand (analyst)
I hear: Georgia Bulldogs Sports Network (Jeff Dantzler)
* 960 AM The REF, WXKT 103.7 FM in Athens or via the Georgia Bulldogs app
Opening tip stories
• Georgia will face 4th place in the South Carolina Gamecocks ranking Thursday at 7 pm on SEC Network +.
• Lady Bulldogs, who are 9-1 this season, are in 16th place in NET’s first ranking and are receiving votes in the Associated Press and Coaches polls.
• Georgia started the year 8-0 away from the conference, marking their best start in seven seasons.
• Georgia have won 14 of their last 18 games since last year, with the only defeats occurring in the top 15 teams from South Carolina, Mississippi, Texas A&M and Kentucky.
• Lady Bulldogs win 4-0 in road games during the 2020-21 campaign. Georgia started the year with three consecutive road victories for the first time in school history.
• Head coach Joni Taylor’s team is third in the Southeast Conference in terms of defense, with just 55.6 points per game. Georgia kept six out of 10 opponents with 30% or less of field shots.
• Georgia’s mantra has been “Defense travel” in recent years. The Lady Bulldogs could do that in the offensive end this season. The team scored 80 points or more four times in 10 games, compared with just twice in 31 games last season.
• Lady Bulldogs averaged 78.4 points per game, an increase of 13 points per dispute compared to the first 10 games in the 2019-20 season.
• Two years after having the youngest SEC team, Georgia is a veteran team with four veterans who have graduated and are pursuing a master’s degree.
• Senior Jenna Staiti leads Georgia in scoring and rebounds with 15.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Staiti accompanies the SEC and occupies the third place nationally with 30 blocks in total (3.0 per contest).
• Balance and depth were essential for Lady Bulldogs during the first part of the season. Eleven or more players scored a goal in four of the last five games, with all 13 players seeing action routinely.
• Georgia leads the all-time series against South Carolina, 33-19, but is looking to blow up a skid of 12 games lost in the series.
• Georgia are looking for their first win over a top 5 team since defeating No. 4 Stanford at the 2013 NCAA Sweet 16.
Scouting in South Carolina
South Carolina is ranked 4th in the Coaches Survey and 5th in the Associated Press Top-25. The Gamecocks finished the 2019-20 season in first place, after boasting a record of 32-1 and the title of the Southeastern Conference. Four players on average in double digits, led by Zia Cooke and Aliyah Boston.
Series division
In general: Georgia leads, 33-19
In Athens: Georgia leads, 15-6
In Colombia: Georgia leads, 14-7
Neutral locations: South Carolina leads, 6-4
Current string: South Carolina has won 12 consecutive games
Last meeting: South Carolina won 89-56 (3/6/20) in the SEC tournament
Greater Margin of Victory: 43 points, Georgia won 78-35 (2/1/97) in Columbia
Biggest defeat: 35 points, South Carolina won 88-53 (26/01/20) in Athens
Georgia Notes
Georgia leads nation in blocks
The Lady Bulldogs lead all NCAA teams with a total of 66 blocks this season. Georgia averages 6.6 strokes per game, which is the seventh best average in the country and the second in the SEC.
Going to 100
Georgia scored 107 points against the Appalachian State on December 22. This total marked the highest number of points for a Georgia team since the 2000-01 campaign and was the first time that the Lady Bulldogs have reached the 100 point mark since 2007.
Dishing Dimes
Georgia finished with 32 assists in 46 baskets against the Appalachian State. The 32 coins are the fourth most in a single game in Georgia’s history and the Lady Bulldogs’ best effort since 2003.
Offensive improvement
The Lady Bulldogs are a much better team on the offensive side compared to last season. Georgia averaged 78.4 points per game in 2020, after scoring just 63.2 points per game last year. The team scored more than 80 points four times in the first 10 games. Last season, the Lady Bulldogs scored 80 or more points twice in 31 competitions.
Barker named SEC freshman of the week
Sarah Ashlee Barker was named Freshman of the Week in the league after performances against East Carolina and Oklahoma. Barker continues to play valuable minutes and has made several important plays for the Lady Bulldogs this season.
With 2:19 remaining to the end of the overtime period against Georgia Tech, Barker opened a tie with a shot made to put his team in 65-63. The Lady Bulldogs did not give up the lead the rest of the way to a 75-69 victory. Barker then hit a 3-point basket in the fourth quarter against Oklahoma, giving Georgia their biggest advantage of the game, with 14.
Barker recorded his first double-double career with 10 points. and 12 rebs. against the state of Georgia.
Taylor and Connally reach major brands against technology
Georgia defeated Georgia Tech this year to improve the Lady Bulldogs’ record to 36-7 against the Yellow Jackets. The victory also marked the 100th career of coach Taylor. Owner Gabby Connally reached the 1,000 point mark with a basket in the first half against Tech.
Georgia reaches milestone of 1,000 victories
With its victory against East Carolina on December 3, Georgia became one of only two SEC (Tennessee) programs and one of 16 across the country to reach the 1,000-win mark. The team celebrated the milestone with a special social media video narrated by Andy Landers and Joni Taylor.
Staiti among the best blockers of all time in Georgia
With 148 blocks, Jenna Staiti is ninth on the all-time block table in Georgia. Tawana McDonald holds the UGA career record with 297 in his career.
Staiti Firme no Stripe
Jenna Staiti filled the stats sheet with double-digit and double-scoring attempts in her last nine games of the 2019-20 season. What may have gone unnoticed was Staiti’s free-throw line. Staiti ended the year with 89% hitting the streak – good for the second best season average in Georgia’s history.
Connally Lands in Top-10
Georgia’s Gabby Connally moved up to ninth on the UGA career 3-goal scoring table. Connally totaled 151 during his time in Georgia.