Georgia Hosts Undefeated #10 UCLA

Thursday, December 19

Athens, Ga.

11:00 AM

University of Georgia

UCLA

Tickets

December 18, 2019 | Women's Basketball

Game Notes

Georgia Lady Bulldogs (7-3) vs. No. 10 UCLA Bruins (9-0)
Thursday, Dec. 19 | 11 a.m. ET
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) | Athens, Ga.
Radio: Bulldog Sports Network (Jeff Dantzler) WXKT 103.7FM and 960 AM The REF
TV: SEC Network (Brenda VanLengen and Christy Thomaskutty)
Stream: SECN+

No.	Name	PPG	RPG
Georgia Lady Bulldogs Possible Starters
Coach: Joni Taylor
88-47 in 5th season at UGA
88-47 in 5th season overall
2	Gabby Connally	14.2	3.6
G; 5-6; Jr.; San Antonio, Texas
10	Caitlin Hose	3.0	2.6
G; 5-8; So.; Hazel Green, Ala.
11	Maya Caldwell	11.0	3.5
G; 5-10; Jr.; Charlotte, N.C.
3	Stephanie Paul	7.4	5.0
F; 5-10; Sr.; Naples, Fla.
14	Jenna Staiti	10.6	6.3
C; 6-4; R-Jr.; Cumming, Ga.

TEAM COMPARISON

GEORGIA LADY BULLDOGS		UCLA BRUINS
65.4	Scoring	77.4
41.4%	FG%	43.0%
29.1%	3FG%	27.6%
39.5	Rebounds	42.1
13.4	Assists	19.1
3.5	Blocks	2.9
8.0	Steals	11.6
59.6	Scoring Def.	54.4
37.9%	FG% Def.	35.0%
34.9%	3FG% Def.	27.1%
+5.5	Reb. Margin	+7.4
-0.3	T/O Margin	+8.4
0.8	Ast-T/O Ratio	1.5

Game Promotions

Elementary School Day – Georgia welcomes students from Athens-Clarke County school district
Dynamo Dogs Halftime Performance
$1 Hot Dogs

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 hosts No. 10-ranked UCLA this Thursday at 11 a.m. ET as part of the annual Elementary School Day. The contest will air nationally on the SEC Network, with Brenda VanLengen and Christy Thomaskutty on the call.
Over 4,700 children from the Athens-Clarke County school district will be attendance for Thursday's game. It marks the fourth time the Lady Bulldogs have hosted Elementary School Day, with the first taking place in 2015.
Georgia has won four of its last five games this season, with the only loss during the current stretch coming on the road at defending national champion Baylor.
UCLA will be the eighth Georgia opponent through 11 games that reached postseason play last season. The Bruins advanced to the 2019 NCAA Sweet 16, before losing to No. 1 seed UConn, 69-61.
Junior guard Gabby Connally, who was named SEC Player of the Week on Dec. 2, leads Georgia with 14.2 ppg. She has led the Lady Bulldogs in scoring in seven of 10 games and has reached double figures in eight contests.
Redshirt-sophomore guard Shaniya Jones made the most of her first game as a Lady Bulldog this past Sunday. The transfer from Virginia Tech scored 20 points off an 8-of-11 shooting effort against Furman. Not only did it mark a career high, but it was also the highest point total from a Georgia player in a debut since Tasha Humphrey scored 25 points against Furman in her first game as a freshman in 2004.
The Lady Bulldogs notched a season-high 20 assists against Furman, compared to just 14 turnovers. Georgia forced 19 Paladin turnovers to just seven assists. In Georgia's wins this season, the team's turnover margin is +1.3. In three losses the margin is -4.0.

Series History

Overall: Tied, 3-3
In Athens: Georgia leads, 1-0
In Los Angeles: Georgia leads, 2-1
Neutral Sites: UCLA leads, 2-0
Current Streak: UCLA has won two-straight meetings
Last Meeting: UCLA won, 80-69 (11/14/18) in Los Angeles
Largest Margin of Victory: W, 78-42 (3/21/85) NCAA Tourney
Largest Defeat: L, 84-64 (11/25/05) in Los Angeles
Full Series History

Scouting UCLA

UCLA is off to its best start since the 2010-11 season and is just three wins away from marking its best start in program history. Under head coach Cori Close, the Bruins earned their fourth-straight 20-win season in 2018-19. They returned three starters off last year's team, including 2019 All-Pac-12 selection Michaela Onyenwere, who leads the squad with 19.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.

Up Next for Georgia

Georgia hosts Gardner-Webb on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET, before taking a short break for the Christmas holiday. The Lady Bulldogs return home Sunday, Dec. 29 to take on East Carolina in the team's final non-conference game. The SEC schedule tips off at Ole Miss on Jan. 2 at 7:45 p.m. ET.

Top-25 Success Under Taylor

Georgia has won nine games against top-25 opponents during head coach Joni Taylor's tenure. The UCLA Bruins enter Thursday's game ranked 10th nationally in both the Associated Press and Coaches polls. Georgia's last win against a top-10 team in Athens came in Coach Taylor's first season, when the Lady Bulldogs knocked off No. 10 Mississippi State, 47-43.

Shaniya Shines

It was quite the debut for redshirt-sophomore guard Shaniya Jones this past Sunday against Furman. Jones came off the bench to score 11 quick points in the second quarter, knocking down four of her first five shots in the period. Jones finished with 20 points in just 14 minutes of action against the Paladins.

The High Point, N.C., native was a highly-regarded, top-100 player out of high school and transferred to Georgia from Virginia Tech in January, 2019.

Free-Throw Numbers Improve for Lady Bulldogs

During the 2018-19 season, the Lady Bulldogs finished 12th in the SEC with a 67.1-percent effort from behind the line. Currently, Georgia ranks second in the league, shooting 74 percent at the free-throw stripe. The Lady Bulldogs have four players that are hitting over 80 percent, led by Maya Caldwell's 88.9-percent clip. Last season, Georgia had just two players shoot over 80 percent.

Bench Coming Up Big

Georgia has played a deep rotation this season with 11 players who have played in eight or more games. The Lady Bulldogs' bench has outscored its opponents in all but three contests, including a 20-2 advantage against Virginia Tech and a 39-22 edge versus Furman.

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 304-238 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 line in wins against Butler and Virginia Tech. Those performances helped the San Antonio native earn SEC Player of the Week.

In seven wins this season, Connally is averaging 16.4 points per game.

A Difference Behind the Arc

Georgia has hit big shots from 3-point range this season. In Georgia's seven victories, the team has hit 37.4 percent (37 total 3-pointers) from behind the arc, compared to just seven made 3-point baskets in its three losses.

Georgia Hosts Bike Build

The Lady Bulldogs hosted the 13th annual Bike Build on Saturday, Dec. 14. Student-athletes, coaches and Fastbreak Club members gathered 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.

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 will be the 10th Georgian that head coach Joni Taylor has signed during her five years at the helm of the program.

SEC's Youngest team Continues to Grow

With eight players who were either freshmen or sophomores, last year's Lady Bulldog basketball team was the youngest in the Southeastern Conference. This season's junior class -- which was a top-10 signing class back in 2017 -- returns four players who have combined to start 90 games coming into this season.

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, Md., 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.

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.

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 987-431 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).