Lady Bulldogs Play Host To Lipscomb

December 18, 2018 | Women's Basketball

Game Notes

Georgia Lady Bulldog Basketball Game Notes
Georgia (6-4) vs. Lipscomb (2-8)
Wednesday, December 19 | 11 a.m. ET
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) | Athens, Ga.
Radio: Georgia Bulldogs Sports Network - 960 AM in Athens (Jeff Dantzler)
TV: None
Video: SECN+ (Matt Stewart and Christy Thomaskutty)

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Probable Starters

Pos	No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Joni Taylor
69-36 (4th year) at UGA
69-36 (4th year) overall
G	0	Taja Cole	10.4	6.0
5-8; RS-Jr.; Richmond, Va./Louisville
G	2	Gabby Connally	11.4	1.5
5-6; So.; San Antonio, Texas/Brandeis HS
G	23	Que Morrison	2.0	3.5
5-7; So.; Riverdale, Ga.
F	3	Stephanie Paul	7.2	5.1
6-1; Jr.; Naples, Fla./Community School of Naples
F	4	Caliya Robinson	13.9	8.6
6-3; Sr.; Marietta, Ga./McEachern HS

TEAM COMPARISON

GEORGIA LADY BULLDOGS		LIPSCOMB BISONS
65.2	Scoring	53.1
41.6%	FG%	34.2%
26.4%	3FG%	26.4%
43.4	Rebounds	31.0
15.9	Assists	9.3
6.3	Blocks	1.2
8.5	Steals	9.3
54.8	Scoring Def.	69.4
34.2%	FG% Def.	41.9%
25.3%	3FG% Def.	33.2%
+9.0	Reb. Margin	-10.8
+0.0	T/O Margin	-3.0
1.1	Ast-T/O Ratio	0.4

Parking Info

With UGA staff still operating on regular schedule, all fans are encouraged to park in either the Carlton Street Deck (behind Stegeman Coliseum) or South Campus Deck (located at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education). FREE parking is available in both decks to all fans that show their game ticket as they're leaving.

Georgia Hosts Annual Elementary School Day

A little over 5,200 students (grades second through fifth) from 14 schools in Athens-Clarke County will make their way to Stegeman Coliseum to watch the Lady Bulldogs take on Lipscomb this Wednesday. Tip time is set for 11 a.m. ET.

Trio of Home Games Close 2018

Wednesday's contest is the first of three-straight home matchups to close out the 2018 non-conference slate. Georgia will welcome Georgia Southern on Friday, Dec. 21 at 1 p.m. ET, before taking a week off for Christmas. The Lady Bulldogs then host Presbyterian at 2 p.m. ET on Friday, Dec. 28 to close out this year's non-conference schedule.

Series History: Georgia and Lipscomb Meet for Third Time

The Lady Bulldogs and Lady Bisons will be meeting on the hardwood for just the third time in program history. The two schools met in back-to-back years in 2012 and 2013, with both of those games coming in Athens. Georgia defeated Lipscomb 93-42 in 2012 and 81-46 in 2013.

Scouting Lipscomb

The Lady Bisons returned six letterwinners off last year's team that finished fourth in the Atlantic Sun Conference standings. Lipscomb is 2-8 overall this year and is led by Taylor Clark, who is the team's only double-digit scorer with 10.9 points per game. The Lady Bisons have played six of their 10 games on the road and own a 1-5 record in those contests.

Paul's Points Spree Leading Lady Bulldogs

Georgia junior forward Stephanie Paul has been the bright spot for the Lady Bulldogs in the last three games. It marks the first time in her career she has scored in double figures in three consecutive contests with 10 against Charleston Southern, 15 against Furman and a career-high 19 at Villanova. The 15-point, 10-rebound effort versus Furman marked the first double-double of her career.

Georgia Gives Back at 12th Annual Bike Build

The Lady Bulldogs traded basketballs for a set of wrenches at the team's annual Bike Build on Dec. 8.

Now in its 12th season, the Bike Build offers an opportunity for the Lady Bulldogs, along with Fastbreak Club members, to assemble bikes, which will be distributed throughout schools in Athens/Clarke County, the Boys & Girls Club of Athens and the Jackson County Family Connection.

"This is something we look forward to each and every year," head coach Joni Taylor said. "To see all those little boys and girls light up when they get their new bike is just such a special feeling. As a mother, I know how sweet this time of year is, and it's our hope that this Bike Build goes a long way in helping so many families this Holiday season."

Georgia's Bike Build started under Hall of Fame head coach Andy Landers and Taylor has continued the tradition through her four seasons at the helm of the program. All told, Georgia has partnered with Academy Sports + Outdoors to assemble over 600 bikes since 2007.

This year, Academy Sports + Outdoors donated 63 bikes.

Lady Bulldogs Add Top Prospects in 2019 Signing Class

The initial signing period was a good one for the Lady Bulldogs as Georgia signed three players who are among some of the best in the nation. Currently, the Lady Bulldogs' 2019 class ranks 14th overall by ESPNW.

Mitchellville, Maryland native and five-star guard Chloe Chapman was the first to ink with Georgia. Chapman, a five-star prospect, is the No. 28 overall recruit and No. 7 point guard according to ESPNW. Later in the week, Georgia announced the signing of five-star forward Javyn Nicholson from Lawrenceville, Georgia. Nicholson is ranked No. 6 among the country's top power forwards. Another Georgia native, Jordan Isaacs from Alpharetta, rounds out Georgia's class. She is a five-star player according to Prospects Nation and No. 14 overall forward according to ESPNW.

Georgia Has Led in All Four Losses

In each of Georgia's four losses this season, the Lady Bulldogs have led in the game. Against UCLA, Georgia built a 12-point advantage and led for over 30 minutes. Against Tech, the Lady Bulldogs led by five points, while they erased a 15-point deficit against Maryland to build a two-point advantage late in the second half. Against Villanova the Lady Bulldogs led by seven in the first quarter. In four losses, Georgia was outscored in the fourth quarter, 74-56.

Young Pups

With eight underclassmen and just four upperclassmen, the Lady Bulldogs are the youngest team in the Southeastern Conference. All eight of Georgia's freshmen and sophomores (minus Malury Bates now due to injury) are seeing valuable playing time and are each averaging right at or more than 10 minutes per game.

Filling the Void Left By Que Morrison's Injury

On Nov. 1, SEC All-Freshman Team selection Que Morrison had surgery to repair a lateral meniscus in her left knee. That has forced Gabby Connally to start at the two guard spot and the combination of Maya Caldwell and freshman Caitlin Hose at the three guard, with all three of those players -- Connally, Caldwell and Hose -- starting for the first times in their careers.

Robinson Inching Closer to Blocked Shots Record; Staiti Among SEC Leaders

Georgia's lone senior Caliya Robinson needs just 62 more blocks to break the school record of 297 set by Tawana McDonald during her four-year career from 1998-2002. Robinson is not the only Lady Bulldog shot blocker. Jenna Staiti actually ranks third in the SEC in blocks with 21 total this season.

Cole the SEC Leader in Assists

Redshirt-junior guard Taja Cole is off to a strong start this season as Georgia's third-leading scorer with 10.4 points per game. Cole also leads the SEC in assists with 61 total, an average of 6.1 per contest.

Exceeding Expectations Under Taylor

Georgia continued its upward trend under head coach Joni Taylor last season. The Lady Bulldogs finished tied with South Carolina for second place in the final SEC standings after being picked eighth in the preseason poll. It's a trend that goes all the way back to Taylor's first year, when her squad was picked ninth and finished sixth. Then, in 2016-17, Georgia was picked 12th and finished eighth.

Georgia Set for Primetime

Eleven of Georgia's 16 SEC games are set to air nationally on either ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNU or the SEC Network.

Among the games selected for television, ESPN will carry the Lady Bulldogs' home contest against Tennessee on Jan. 13 at 3 p.m. Georgia will also host Alabama (Jan. 27, 2 p.m.) and Florida (Feb. 10, noon) on ESPNU and Texas A&M (Jan. 20, 4 p.m.) on ESPN2.

Georgia's SEC Network schedule includes road matchups at Mississippi State (Jan. 10, 9 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. CT), Missouri (Jan. 17, 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT), Auburn (Feb. 3, 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT), South Carolina (Feb. 14, 7 p.m.) and Alabama (Feb. 24, 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT).

The SEC Network will also broadcast home games against Ole Miss on Monday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. and Kentucky on Sunday, March 3 at 1 p.m.

Taylors Expecting Second Child

Jacie Taylor will be gaining a new brother or sister this spring as Coach Taylor and her husband Darius are expecting their second child. The baby is due to come sometime in the month of February. Taylor will still coach this season, but any head coaching duties during her absence will be handled by associate head coach Karen Lange. During Taylor's last pregnancy, Lange coached the first six games of the 2016-17 season, going 4-2 during that span.

FOLLOW THE LADY BULLDOGS

For more information on the Georgia Lady Bulldogs, follow the team on Twitter (@UGA_WBB), Instagram (@uga_wbb) and Facebook (Facebook.com/UGAWomensBasketball).