Georgia Travels to #20 Arkansas

Thursday, January 23

Fayetteville, AR

7:00 PM

University of Georgia

Arkansas

January 22, 2020 | Women's Basketball

Game Notes

Georgia Lady Bulldogs (11-7, 2-3 SEC) vs. Arkansas Razorbacks (15-3, 3-2 SEC)
Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020 | 7 p.m. ET
Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Radio: Bulldog Sports Network (Jeff Dantzler) WXKT 103.7FM and 960 AM The REF
TV: SEC Network (Courtney Lyle and Carolyn Peck)
Stream: SEC Network +

No.	Name	PPG	RPG
Georgia Lady Bulldogs Possible Starters
Coach: Joni Taylor
92-51 in 5th season at UGA
92-51 in 5th season overall
2	Gabby Connally	12.1	3.3
G; 5-6; Jr.; San Antonio, Texas
23	Que Morrison	6.6	4.4
G; 5-7; Jr.; Riverdale, Ga.
11	Maya Caldwell	10.0	3.3
G; 5-10; Jr.; Charlotte, N.C.
3	Stephanie Paul	7.0	4.3
F; 5-10; Sr.; Naples, Fla.
14	Jenna Staiti	9.2	5.7
C; 6-4; R-Jr.; Cumming, Ga.

TEAM COMPARISON

GEORGIA LADY BULLDOGS		ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS
63.9	Scoring	86.9
41.2%	FG%	45.1%
27.1%	3FG%	39.3%
39.0	Rebounds	40.8
13.9	Assists	13.3
4.1	Blocks	4.1
7.7	Steals	8.7
59.5	Scoring Def.	63.0
37.0%	FG% Def.	35.4%
33.7%	3FG% Def.	23.2%
+3.1	Reb. Margin	-1.8
-0.8	T/O Margin	+5.9
0.8	Ast-T/O Ratio	1.2

Opening Tip

Georgia travels to Fayetteville this Thursday to take on No. 20/21-ranked Arkansas at 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. Courtney Lyle and Carolyn Peck will call the action from Bud Walton Arena.
Arkansas is the fifth top-25 team the Lady Bulldogs have played this season. This is the first of four-straight games against top-25 squads coming up on Georgia's schedule over the next couple of weeks.
Three of Georgia's seven losses this season have come against teams currently ranked in the top-10 of both the Associated Press and Coaches polls (No. 1/2 Baylor, No. 9 Mississippi State and No. 10 UCLA).
Georgia head coach Joni Taylor owns a 5-1 record against Arkansas during her head coaching career. The Lady Bulldogs have won five of the last six and 13 of the last 15 meetings against the Razorbacks. Overall, Georgia is 34-6 against Arkansas, including a 14-3 mark in Fayetteville.
The Lady Bulldogs defeated Auburn this past Sunday in front of nearly 5,000 fans at Stegeman Coliseum. The win snapped a three-game losing skid in SEC play.
Georgia's bench outscored Auburn's bench by an impressive 34-4 margin. The Lady Bulldogs were down 17-9 at the end of the first quarter before the lineup of Chloe Chapman, Shaniya Jones, Caitlin Hose, Stephanie Paul and Malury Bates provided Georgia a spark in the second quarter.
Lady Bulldog guard Shaniya Jones had her best game of the season against Auburn. She scored a career-high 21 points in 21 minutes of action. Jones hit 5-for-6 from the field and scored 11 points in the third period.

Series History

Overall: Overall: Georgia leads, 34-6
In Athens: Georgia leads, 17-2
In Fayetteville: Georgia leads, 14-3
Neutral Sites: Georgia leads, 3-1
Current Streak: Georgia has won five of the last six
Last Meeting: Arkansas W, 86-76 (3/7/19)
Largest Margin of Victory: Georgia W, 87-54 (2/24/96)
Largest Defeat: Arkansas W, 66-45 (2/24/02)
Full Series History

Last Meeting Against Arkansas

The Georgia Lady Bulldogs fell to Arkansas, 86-76, in the SEC Tournament on March 7, 2019 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville.

Then-sophomore Que Morrison and junior Stephanie Paul scored in double-digits, tallying 10 and 11, respectively. Arkansas' Chelsea Dungee led all scorers, shooting 10-of-15 from the field for 30 points. The Razorbacks shot a season-high 58.2 percent from the field.

The Lady Bulldogs scored the first four points in the game, but Arkansas answered with six unanswered to take the early advantage. The Razorbacks extended the lead to 19-7, but a 6-0 run kept Georgia close. Still, Arkansas led 25-20 at the end of the first quarter.

Behind an offensive furry from Dungee, Arkansas went ahead 38-25 with just under five minutes to go before the half. The Razorbacks finished the first half with a 60-percent mark from the field en route to a 48-35 halftime lead.

With four minutes remaining in the fourth period, a 3-pointer from sophomore Gabby Connally got the Bulldogs within single digits of the Razorbacks for the first time in the second half. Georgia was unable to overcome the deficit, falling to the Razorbacks by 10.

Up Next for Georgia

Georgia hosts No. 1-ranked South Carolina on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET, before hitting the road to face Texas A&M next Thursday.

Caldwell's Offensive Importance

Maya Caldwell has started 17 of 18 games this season and has reached double figures 10 times. The Lady Bulldogs own a 7-3 record this season when Caldwell scores in double digits.

In games won, she is the team's second-leading scorer with 11.5 points per game, hitting 44.1 percent of her shots. In seven losses, Caldwell averages 7.6 ppg.

Overcoming Bad Quarters

Georgia has scored in single digits in at least one quarter during six games this season. The Lady Bulldogs are 1-5 when having at least one 'bad' quarter in a game, with the lone win coming this past Sunday against Auburn.

Nicholson's Rare Feat Leads to SEC Freshman of the Week Honor

Javyn Nicholson had a strong finish to 2019 and an impressive start to her collegiate career.

The Lawrenceville native became the first Lady Bulldog rookie in over 15 years to record back-to-back double-doubles when she totaled 22 points and 10 boards against Gardner-Webb (Dec. 22) and 10 points, 10 rebounds versus East Carolina (Dec. 29). She is the first Georgia freshman since National Freshman of Year Tasha Humphrey in 2004 to record back-to-back double-doubles. Nicholson has brought down six or more rebounds in seven games so far this season.

Tawana McDonald Robinson tabbed SEC Legend

Tawana McDonald Robinson, who played for the Georgia Lady Bulldog basketball team from 1998-2002, has been named a 2020 Southeastern Conference legend, the league office announced earlier this week. A native of Flint, Mich., McDonald Robinson was one of the premier post players in the nation during her time in Athens. She still owns the Georgia career record and ranks among the top-10 in SEC history with 297 blocked shots after leading the conference in that category in three-straight seasons. McDonald Robinson helped the Lady Bulldogs earn a trip to the 1999 NCAA Final Four, win the 2000 SEC regular season crown and claim the 2001 SEC Tournament Championship.

Free-Throw Improvement

As a team, Georgia has hit 80 percent or better from the free-throw line six times this season. The Lady Bulldogs only hit that 80 percent mark six times all of last season (30 games) . After finishing the 2018-19 campaign ranked 12th in the SEC in free-throw percentage, Georgia is currently ranked second with a 73.4 percent clip.

Lady Bulldogs Fall Late to Mississippi State

Georgia trailed Mississippi State by just one point -- 48-47 -- going into the fourth quarter on Jan. 5. MSU began the fourth period on an 8-0 run to close the game. The Lady Bulldogs shot a season-best 51 percent from the floor in the loss. Georgia then shot just 33.3 percent against Vanderbilt -- the Lady Bulldogs' second-worst percentage of the year.

Freshmen Posts Play Well in SEC Opener

Freshmen forwards Javyn Nicholson and Jordan Isaacs played valuable minutes in the first SEC game of their careers against Ole Miss on Jan. 2. Isaacs knocked in two shots in the second half, each giving Georgia the lead in a tie game. Nicholson played 25 minutes, including all 10 in the fourth quarter, and finished with nine boards. She has totaled nine or more boards in three games this season.

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 year's squad is starting to jell as Georgia's lineup has featured 11 players that have played in 15 or more games this season.

Shaniya Shines

It was quite the debut for redshirt-sophomore guard Shaniya Jones against Furman on Dec. 15. 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.

Connally Earns SEC Player of the Week on Dec. 2

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.

Top-25 Success Under Taylor

Georgia has won nine games against top-25 opponents during head coach Joni Taylor's tenure. 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.

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.

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.

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.

Georgia Approaching History

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 991-434 overall record since the 1973-74 season and can become one of just two SEC schools (joining Tennessee) to reach 1,000 victories. The Lady Bulldogs boast a 491-111 all-time record at Stegeman Coliseum.

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).