Georgia Back From Break to Host Furman

Georgia Lady Bulldogs (6-3) vs. Furman Paladins (6-3)
Sunday, Dec. 15 | 2 p.m. ET
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) | Athens, Ga.
Radio: Bulldog Sports Network (Kaleb Frady) WXKT 103.7FM and 960 AM The REF
TV: None
Stream: SECN+ (Matt Stewart and Christy Thomaskutty)

No.	Name	PPG	RPG
Georgia Lady Bulldogs Possible Starters
Coach: Joni Taylor
87-47 in 5th season at UGA
87-47 in 5th season overall
2	Gabby Connally	15.3	3.6
G; 5-6; Jr.; San Antonio, Texas
10	Caitlin Hose	3.1	2.4
G; 5-8; So.; Hazel Green, Ala.
11	Maya Caldwell	11.2	3.6
G; 5-10; Jr.; Charlotte, N.C.
3	Stephanie Paul	6.7	5.3
F; 5-10; Sr.; Naples, Fla.
14	Jenna Staiti	10.8	10.8
C; 6-4; R-Jr.; Cumming, Ga.

TEAM COMPARISON

GEORGIA LADY BULLDOGS		FURMAN PALADINS
64.1	Scoring	68.8
40.6%	FG%	46.0%
29.1%	3FG%	32.8%
39.2	Rebounds	37.3
12.7	Assists	14.8
3.2	Blocks	2.2
8.1	Steals	5.7
60.9	Scoring Def.	66.6
38.8%	FG% Def.	40.3%
35.8%	3FG% Def.	30.4%
+5.4	Reb. Margin	+0.9
-0.9	T/O Margin	-5.1
0.7	Ast-T/O Ratio	0.7

Opening Tip

Reading with the Dawgs – Elementary school participants in Clarke & Oconee Counties who meet their reading requirements will receive two free tickets to the game. The top 20 participants will receive an on-court recognition at halftime.

Opening Tip

Georgia returns to Stegeman Coliseum following an 11-day exam break to host Furman at 2 p.m. ET Sunday. This is the first of three home contests before the Christmas holiday.
The Lady Bulldogs have won three of their last four games, with the lone loss coming on the road at defending national champion Baylor.
Six of Georgia's first nine opponents this season reached postseason play during the 2018-19 campaign. Furman, which earned a bid to the 2019 WNIT, will be the seventh team to do so.
Furman enters Sunday's game with a 6-3 record. The Paladins returned four starters and 12 total letterwinners off last year's team that finished second in the SoCon. Head coach Jackie Carson's team was picked to win the Southern Conference this season in the coaches' preseason poll.
Georgia owns a 15-0 all-time record, including an 11-0 mark in Athens, against the Paladins.
Junior guard Gabby Connally, who earned SEC Player of the Week honors on Dec. 2, leads Georgia with 15.3 ppg. She has scored in double figures in eight of nine games this season and in 12 of her last 14 contests overall.
Connally and Maya Caldwell have paced the Lady Bulldogs in their last three wins. Against USC Upstate, Butler and Virginia Tech, Connally scored 17.7 ppg, while Caldwell averaged 12.7 ppg. The two combined to shoot 44 percent from the floor, 90 percent at the free-throw line (19-of-21) and hit eight total 3-pointers in those games.
Que Morrison's minutes have increased over the last two games. She played 35 minutes and scored 10 points against Virginia Tech, before playing 36 minutes at Baylor.

Series History

Overall: Overall: Baylor leads, 1-0
In Athens: Never Met
In Waco: Never Met
Neutral Sites: Baylor leads, 1-0
Current Streak: Baylor won only meeting
Last Meeting: Baylor won, 84-72 (11/13/05) in Lubbock
Largest Margin of Victory: SameLargest Defeat: NA
Full Series History

Scouting Furman

The Paladins return a talented roster off last year's 19-win team that earned a bid to the WNIT. Furman is coached by Jackie Carson, who ranks ninth all time in Southern Conference history with 150 career victories. Senior Le'Jzae Davidson leads her team with 13.6 points per game. Furman boasts a 6-3 record with road losses to Clemson, Vanderbilt and Middle Tennessee.

Up Next for Georgia

Over 4,000 elementary school kids will be in attendance when the Lady Bulldogs host No. 10-ranked UCLA on Thursday, Dec. 19 at 11 a.m. ET. Georgia then hosts Gardner-Webb on Dec. 22 at 2 p.m., before taking a week off for Christmas.

Georgia Hosts Bike Build

The Lady Bulldogs will host the 13th annual Bike Build on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 2 p.m. Student-athletes, coaches and Fastbreak Club members will gather together to donate bikes to area children from all around Athens. This is a yearly tradition that started under Hall of Fame Coach Andy Landers and has continued during Taylor's five seasons as head coach.

Turnovers Improve

The Lady Bulldogs committed just 10 turnovers in the win against Virginia Tech on Nov. 30. Georgia ranks 12th in the SEC in turnover margin at -0.9, but improved that to a +6.5 ledger in its two wins against Butler and Virginia Tech.

Advantage in the Paint

Georgia has outscored its opponents in the paint in all but two games this season (vs. Kennesaw State and Baylor), owning a 272-214 point advantage. In three-straight wins from Nov. 26-Nov. 30, the Lady Bulldogs owned a 116-60 edge, including a 44-26 advantage against Virginia Tech.

Connally Earns SEC Player of the Week

Gabby Connally averaged 18.5 points per game, hit 12-of-22 shots (54.5%) from the field, 4-of-8 from 3-point range, and a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw stripe in wins against Butler and Virginia Tech. Those performances helped the San Antonio native earn SEC Player of the Week.
In six wins this season, Connally is averaging 18.5 points per game.

A Difference Behind the Arc

Georgia has hit big shots from 3-point range this season. In Georgia's six victories, the team has hit 39 percent (32 total 3-pointers) from behind the arc, compared to just seven made 3-point baskets in its three losses.

Peach State Players

Georgia's roster features seven players from the state of Georgia. During the initial signing period, the Lady Bulldogs inked Brunswick native Zoesha Smith, who is the 10th Georgian that head coach Joni Taylor has signed during her five years at the helm of the program.

Pair of Two-Sport Stars

Georgia's roster this season features a pair of two-sport athletes -- the Lady Bulldogs' first since ESPN-star Maria Taylor played both basketball and volleyball. Incoming freshman Chloe Chapman plays soccer and basketball, while senior Stephanie Paul will compete on the track team, with her specialty being the discus.

All-Time Lady Bulldog Two-Sport Athletes
Tina Price -- 1975-78 -- Women's basketball/Tennis
Donna Noonan – 1975-77 – Women's basketball/Golf
Beth Timmons – 2000 – Women's basketball/Swimming
Maria Taylor – 2007 -- Women's basketball/Volleyball
Chloe Chapman – present – Women's basketball/Soccer
Stephanie Paul – present – Women's basketball/Track (discus)

Chapman Named to Soccer's SEC All-Freshman Team

Chloe Chapman put together a remarkable year on the soccer field as she led Georgia with six goals on her way to placing on the SEC All-Freshman Team. The Mitchellville, Maryland native was named SEC Freshman of the Week after scoring two goals on the road at Missouri. She also notched Georgia's lone goal in a draw at then-No. 6 Arkansas.

Andiamos Bulldogs! Georgia Embarks on Trip to Italy

Georgia spent 11 days on a foreign tour to Italy this past summer. The Lady Bulldogs were there from July 29-Aug. 7 and took in the sights and sounds of Rome, Florence, Venice and Trieste. Georgia played three games in Italy, winning all three contests. Junior Maya Caldwell led all scorers with 12 points per game.

Another Top Signing Class

Head coach Joni Taylor and her staff signed another top-15 class. Five-star point guard Chloe Chapman and five-star forward Javyn Nicholson each rank among the nation's top-40 prospects according to espnW, while fellow freshman forward Jordan Isaacs was a highly sought after recruit who was tabbed a four-star player by ProspectsNation.com.

Defensive Dogs

Under head coach Joni Taylor, Georgia has finished in the top-5 of the SEC in both field-goal percentage defense and 3-point field-goal percentage defense in each of the last four years. Below is a closer look at those defensive numbers.

Year	Scoring Def./Rank	FG % Def./Rank	3-pt. FG%/Rank
2015-16	54.1 ppg/1st	35.0%/2nd	24.3%/1st
2016-17	62.4 ppg/8th	36.8%/2nd	28.6%/5th
2017-18	57.6 ppg/2nd	35.1%/1st	29.2%/4th
2018-19	60.1 ppg/5th	37.5%/3rd	29.8%/5th

Georgia Approaching Unique Milestones

Georgia has a long and storied history, dating back to the 36-year tenure of Hall of Fame head coach Andy Landers. As the Lady Bulldogs enter the 2019-20 campaign, the program is nearing its 1,000th win and is also approaching the 500-victory mark inside Stegeman Coliseum. Georgia boasts a 986-431 overall record since the 1973-74 season and can become one of just two SEC schools (joining Tennessee) and one of 14 programs nationwide to reach 1,000 victories. The Lady Bulldogs boast a 488-108 all-time record at Stegeman Coliseum.

Lady Bulldogs Sign Pair of Highly-Touted Prospects

Sarah Ashlee Barker - a guard from Birmingham, Ala. — and Zoesha Smith — a forward from Brunswick, Ga. — have signed national letters of intent with the Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball program. Each are highly-rated recruits who will join the Lady Bulldogs as freshmen, beginning with the 2020-21 season. According to espnW, Barker is a four-star recruit and ranked in the top-25 nationally among guard prospects. The same recruiting service tabbed Smith as the No. 23 overall forward in the nation.

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).

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Maya Caldwell

Chloe Chapman

Jordan Cole

Gabby Connally

Caitlin Hose

Que Morrison

Javyn Nicholson

Stephanie Paul

Jenna Staiti