University of Georgia
Michigan State
Lady Bulldogs Upset Michigan State 69-60 to Remain Undefeated
December 07, 2014 | Women's Basketball
Highlights and interviews with Merritt Hempe, Marjorie Butler, and Andy Landers following No. 19 Georgia's win over No. 16 Michigan State
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ATHENS, Ga. --- In a thrilling second-half defensive stand, the No. 19 Georgia Lady Bulldogs upset No. 16 Michigan State 69-60 on Sunday afternoon in Stegeman Coliseum to remain American's winningest basketball team. With the victory, Georgia continues its perfect 10-0 start for only the 10th time in program history, while the Spartans fall to 5-2 on the season.
Tiaria Griffin led Georgia's scoring effort with 15 points, including three from 3-point range, as well as season highs of eight rebounds and six assists. Krista Donald added 12 points and grabbed nine boards, while Marjorie Butler tied her career high with 11 points. She also recorded four assists and three rebounds.
Michigan State took the opening tip and put the first points on the board, but Georgia used a Donald layup and Shacobia Barbee 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions to take the lead. The Lady Bulldogs maintained their lead for the entirety of the game.
"I liked the way we started more than anything," head coach Andy Landers said. "I thought we came out and did what we do. That's what Georgia does and we talked about that in the dressing room - be confident, go out and do what we do and do it the way that we do it. Don't be distracted by who they are or what they may be able to do. That's exactly how we started the game, and it knocked them off balance."
Midway through the first stanza, Georgia took control of the game on a 17-2 run, with four Lady Bulldogs adding points at the rim. Merritt Hempe and Pachis Roberts led the charge for Georgia, both hitting shots from 3-point range and forcing a Michigan State timeout. After trailing by as much as 23 points, the Spartans used an 8-point run in the final two minutes of the half to narrow the score to 36-21 at the break.
Michigan State returned to the court in a comeback fashion, outscoring the Lady Bulldogs 19-12 in the opening minutes of the second half. With the Spartans sitting only six points behind at the 10:41 mark, Griffin sunk a 3-pointer, Erika Ford stole the ball back and Butler hit consecutive jump shots to keep Georgia in front.
The Spartans used another run to again draw within six points, but a Butler shot from 3-point range gave Georgia a double-digit lead with less than two minutes to play. Michigan State sent Georgia to the line in a final effort, but the Lady Bulldogs shot a perfect 6-for-6 in the closing minute to seal the Georgia win.
"In the second half, as I said, they got composed and we didn't get as much productivity off of our bench, got into a little bit of foul trouble and then it became a thing of hitting shots and making free throws," Landers said.
Georgia was out-rebounded for the first time this season, grabbing 33 boards to the Spartans' 37. But the Lady Bulldogs held onto the ball, forcing 15 Michigan State turnovers and having only nine miscues of their own. This resulted in 17 points-off-turnovers for Georgia and only 10 for Michigan State.
The Lady Bulldogs will return to action to face Furman on Saturday, Dec. 20. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.
Single-game reserved seat tickets for Lady Bulldog games are $5 for adults and $3 for children. UGA students, faculty and staff are admitted to all Lady Bulldog games free of charge with a valid UGA Card. Faculty and staff should pick up tickets at the Coliseum box office. Students are admitted to the arena via the entrance to the left of the box office by showing their UGA Card.
Single-game tickets are on sale via georgiadogs.com, by calling 877-542-1231 or in person at the UGA Ticket Office in the Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall from 8:30-4:30 on weekdays. In addition, single-game tickets go on sale at the Stegeman Coliseum box office (closest to Sanford Drive) beginning 60 minutes before tip-off of every home game.
Georgia Lady Bulldog Basketball
Post-Game Notes & Quotes
No. 19/23 Georgia vs. No. 16/16 Michigan State
Sunday, December 7, 2014 • Stegeman Coliseum • Athens, Ga.
Notes
• Georgia improves to 4-1 all time versus Michigan State.
• Georgia is 10-0 for the 10th time in the program's history. The Lady Bulldogs' best-ever start was 16-0 in 2009-10. Georgia started both last season and the 2001-02 season at 11-0.
• Georgia becomes the first Division I women's basketball team in the nation with 10 wins this season.
• The Lady Bulldog basketball program is 10 wins away from reaching their 900th victory in program history.
• Andy Landers is 15 victories away from his 950th win as a collegiate head coach.
• Marjorie Butler tied her career high of 11 points today - tying with her effort against Missouri on Jan. 3, 2013.
• Tiaria Griffin posted season highs of eight rebounds and six assists.
Lady Bulldogs In Double Digits
• Marjorie Butler grabbed her first double-digit scoring output of the season and third of her career with 11 points.
• Tiaria Griffin posted her seventh double-digit scoring output of the season and 30th of her career with 15 points.
• Krista Donald produced her fifth double-digit scoring output of the season and 25th of her career with 12 points.
Georgia Head Coach Andy Landers
On today's game...
"I liked the way we started more than anything. I thought we came out and did what we do. That's what Georgia does and we talked about that in the dressing room -- be confident, go out and do what we do and do it the way that we do it. Don't be distracted by who they are or what they may be able to do. That's exactly how we started the game and it knocked them off balance. (Michigan State) is a terrific basketball team and I think at halftime, they regained their composure and showed you how good they were in the second half. We started strong with everybody playing well. We went to the bench and got excellent play coming off the bench in the first half and then it was a tale of two halves. In the second half, as I said, they got composed and we didn't get as much productivity off of our bench, got into a little bit of foul trouble and it became a thing of hitting shots and making free throws."
On Pachis Roberts...
"I thought Pachis Roberts was terrific during the time she was in there. Somebody is probably wondering why she isn't in there more but we've got to be able to guard you and she's got a little more work to do. She's getting better but she's got a little more work to do defensively."
Michigan State Head Coach Suzy Merchant
On today's game...
"It was kind of about what we weren't doing. We were trying to do it all individually and jacking up shots...not really playing playing inside out and playing together. I thought Georgia did a good job of rattling us a little bit. We were ready for it. It wasn't like we weren't expecting it, but I was just disappointed in how we responded to it I guess. We knew it would be a little bit more challenging to get into a flow offensively, just with our situation, but I didn't think it would be that bad. I do think the last handful of minutes there going into the halftime made it a little more respectable. Unfortunately, you can't put yourself down like that. Win the second half, but you don't win the game. That's back to back games we've come out sluggish and a little bit sloppy so we're going to have to kind of take a look at that."
On cutting the Georgia lead from 23 to five...
"We started to do a better job handling their pressure. I thought defensively we were getting some stops that we weren't. We made a couple of adjustments in our zone that I thought helped a little bit in terms of making different people have to shoot it. No. 24, the Butler kid, she is a non-scoring and she hit her first three of the season at the end. It was a big one. We were trying to play through some people. I thought we did a nice job. We did a couple of adjustments on the outside ball screen there that I thought helped us not get behind the ball. Honestly, we just started to play together offensively. We weren't just dribbling it down and people just taking crazy shots. We played inside-out. I thought we did a good job of establishing our inside game in the second half, but again that's unusual for us. We shot seven free throws this game to their 24 and that's shocking to me because I thought we got hit in there and I thought we should've had a few more opportunities at the charity stripe, but at the end of the day they were just more physical and a little more aggressive. We just didn't handle it well for probably about a 14 minute period."
