WBB Game Notes: No. 25 Georgia Travels to Alabama

Thursday, February 4

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

7:00 PM ET

University of Georgia

Alabama

February 03, 2021 | Women's Basketball

Game Notes

#25 Georgia Lady Bulldogs (13-4, 5-4 SEC) vs. RV Alabama Crimson Tide (12-4, 5-4 SEC)
Thursday, Feb. 4 | 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT
Coleman Coliseum | Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Radio: Bulldog Sports Network (Jeff Dantzler) 960 AM The REF, WXKT 103.7 FM in Athens
TV: SEC Network (Eric Frede and Tamika Catchings)
Video Stream: SEC Network +
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com

JONI TAYLOR - HEAD COACH

SIXTH SEASON // RECORD: 111-62 (.642)

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

2018 Werner Ladder Naismith National Coach of the Year Semifinalist
Two-time Atlanta Tip-Off Club Georgia College Coach of the Year
2016 Spalding Maggie Dixon National Rookie Coach of the Year
Three WNBA Draft picks
Led Georgia to a 26-7 record in 2017-18, marking the team's most wins in a single season since 2006-07
Georgia hosted the NCAA first and second rounds in Athens for first time since 2003 during the 2017-18 campaign
Five All-SEC honorees and two SEC Scholar-Athletes of the Year
Created the award-winning Beyond Basketball group

No.	Name	PPG	RPG
Georgia Lady Bulldogs Most Recent Starters
2	Gabby Connally	11.2	2.1
G; 5-6; Sr.; San Antonio, Texas
23	Que Morrison	10.1	4.7
G; 5-7; Sr.; Riverdale, Ga.
11	Maya Caldwell	6.9	2.9
G; 5-11; Sr.; Charlotte, N.C.
20	Jordan Isaacs	4.2	3.3
F; 6-0; So.; Alpharetta, Ga.
14	Jenna Staiti	14.3	7.5
C; 6-4; R-Sr.; Cumming, Ga.

Opening Tip Storylines

The Lady Bulldogs are back on the road for Thursday's matchup at Alabama. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.
Georgia is ranked No. 25 in both the associated press and coaches polls and No. 21 in the NET rankings. Alabama is receiving votes in the coaches poll.
The Lady Bulldogs have won five of the last six games against the Crimson Tide, with each of those wins in single-digit margins. Three of the last six meetings have gone into overtime -- all of those are Georgia wins.
Georgia defeated Alabama twice last season, winning 76-75 in Athens and 68-61 at the SEC tournament in Greenville, S.C.
Georgia leads the SEC in scoring defense, holding teams to just 58.4 points per game. The Lady Bulldogs rank in the top-5 of the conference in every defensive category, including steals (9.3 per game), blocked shots (6.1 per game), field-goal percentage defense (.368) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.254).
Alabama and Georgia rank No. 1 and No. 2 in the SEC in free-throw shooting. The Tide hits 75.5 percent from the free-throw line, while the Lady Bulldogs have made 75.4 percent from the stripe this season.
Georgia features one of the deepest teams in the nation. The Lady Bulldogs have played 11 or more players in all but five games this season.
The Lady Bulldogs are led by four seniors who have all graduated from the University of Georgia. Each of the four seniors -- Gabby Connally, Maya Caldwell, Que Morrison and Jenna Staiti -- are currently pursuing master's degrees at UGA.
Georgia has lost two games in a row for the first time this season. The Lady Bulldogs held leads in both games, including a five-point second quarter advantage against No. 7 Texas A&M and a six-point edge going into the fourth quarter against LSU.
The Lady Bulldogs started the season with a perfect 8-0 record -- its best start in seven seasons. Georgia also began the year with three-straight road wins.

Series Breakdown

Overall: Georgia leads, 42-12
In Athens: Georgia leads, 19-4
In Tuscaloosa: Georgia leads, 16-6
Neutral Sites: Georgia leads, 7-2
Current Streak: Georgia has won three-straight and five of the last six meetings
Last Meeting: Georgia won, 68-61 (3/5/20) in Greenville, S.C.
Largest Margin of Victory: Georgia won, 96-41 (1/7/01)
Largest Defeat: Alabama won, 105-81 (2/29/92)
Full Series History

Historical Hidden Figures

In honor of Black History Month, the SEC is highlighting pioneers and trailblazers in our sport. Cynthia Collins and Bernadette Locke (Mattox) were the first two African-Americans recruited to enroll at UGA and play for the Lady Bulldogs on scholarship. They were teammates on Andy Landers' first Georgia team in 1979-80. Each set a standard of excellence for countless Lady Bulldogs and young women who followed.

Taylor Returns to Alma Mater

Georgia head coach Joni Taylor will return to her alma mater on Thursday. Taylor played for head coach Rick Moody at Alabama from 1998-02. She was the 1997 Gatorade Player of the Year for Mississippi after leading Meridian High to a 67-7 record during her junior and senior seasons. She also won three state titles in track and field and was selected as the school's Homecoming Queen.

At Alabama, Taylor was a significant contributor to four teams that reached postseason play -- the 1998 and 1999 NCAA Tournaments and the 2000 and 2001 WNITs. She was a two-year starter and scored 716 points, grabbed 555 rebounds and blocked 103 shots, which is No. 4 among the Tide's career leaders.

Taylor also was a standout off the basketball court. She was recognized as one of the most influential African Americans on the Alabama campus in 2001, was named to the SEC's Community Service team for women's basketball in 1999, 2000 and 2001 and was awarded a post-graduate scholarship from the SEC for her community service record. She received her bachelor's degree in Education from Alabama in 2002.

Trio of Lady Bulldogs Back Home

Georgia's Sarah Ashlee Barker, Maori Davenport and Caitlin Hose will return home to the Yellowhammer State on Thursday.

Barker was a standout player at Spain Park High School in Birmingham, Ala., earning the Alabama Sports Writer's Miss Basketball honor. Barker's father, Jay, played quarterback at Alabama, winning a national title in 1992. Her brother Braxton is a quarterback for the Crimson Tide, while her other brother Harrison is a quarterback at UAB.

Hose prepped at Hazel Green High School in the northern part of the state. She was the ASWA 6A Player of the Year in 2018 and led her team to the state championship game in each of her four years of high school.

Davenport -- from Troy, Ala., -- was one of the most sought after recruits in the 2019 class. She was the runner up Miss Basketball in the state of Alabama after an outstanding career at Charles Henderson High School.

Georgia Looks to Bounce Back

In each of Georgia's last two games against LSU and Texas A&M, the Lady Bulldogs have been held below 35 percent shooting. Georgia has also been plagued by turnovers and fouls over the last two contests. The Lady Bulldogs committed 19 fouls against LSU, before committing 24 fouls against Texas A&M. The Aggies also scored 21 points off 18 Georgia turnovers this past Sunday.

Smith Plays Well in College Station

One bright spot for the Lady Bulldogs against Texas A&M was freshman forward Zoesha Smith. She logged nine minutes against the Aggies and scored on her first shot of the game -- her first field goal against an SEC foe this season.

Georgia Senior Guards Heat Up

Seniors Que Morrison and Gabby Connally combined to hit 12 three-pointers and totaled 67 points in Georgia's three wins against Florida, Tennessee and Ole Miss. The two combined to hit just five 3-pointers in the first two SEC games of the year.

Options at the Post

Georgia has relied on a deep rotation of post players this season. Against Florida, Javyn Nicholson came off the bench and scored eight points in the first half after Jenna Staiti got into foul trouble. It was Maori Davenport and Malury Bates who led the Georgia frontcourt against Tennessee as the two combined to play 33 minutes in the final two quarters.

Winning on the Road

The Lady Bulldogs are 5-2 on the road this season, including wins in its first three games of the year — the first time in school history Georgia has accomplished that feat. Georgia's win at Tennessee was its first in Knoxville since 1996.

oombs Georgia's Newest Defensive Back

C Redshirt junior guard Mikayla Coombs grew up wanting to play football, and she has certainly carried that passion over to the basketball floor. Coombs is one of Georgia's top defensive players as she currently ranks 12th in the SEC in total steals with 20. In two games against Tennessee and Ole Miss , Coombs has hit 9-of-14 from the field (64 percent), scored 19 points, totaled seven rebounds, 12 assists and four steals.

Not Just Defense … Georgia Sees Offensive Improvement

The Lady Bulldogs are an improved team on the offensive end compared to last season. Georgia is averaging 71.6 points per game in 2020 after scoring just 63.2 points per game in 2019-20. The team has scored over 80 points four times through the first 17 games. Last season, the Lady Bulldogs scored 80 or more points twice in 31 contests.

Block Party for the Bulldogs

The Lady Bulldogs are second in the SEC and sixth nationally with 103 total blocks. Senior center Jenna Staiti leads the SEC with 48 total blocks.

Georgia One of League's Most Unselfish

The Lady Bulldogs average 16.1 assists per game, which ranks third in the SEC. Georgia has totaled a conference-best 273 dimes during the 2020-21 campaign.

Reaching 100

Georgia scored 107 points against Appalachian State on Dec. 22. That total marked the most points by a Georgia team since the 2000-01 campaign and was the first time the Lady Bulldogs have reached the 100-point mark since 2007.

Barker Named SEC Freshman of the Week ... Again

Sarah Ashlee Barker has been named SEC Freshman of the Week twice this season. She earned her most recent honor after scoring 11 points, including nine off a trio of 3-pointers in the second quarter, against Ole Miss.

Barker has made several key plays for the Lady Bulldogs this season.

With 2:19 left in the overtime period against Georgia Tech, Barker broke open a tie game with a made jump shot to put her team up 65-63. The Lady Bulldogs did not give up the lead the rest of the way en route to a 75-69 win. Barker then hit a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter against Oklahoma, giving Georgia its largest lead of the game at 14.

Georgia Reaches 1,000-Win Milestone

With its win against East Carolina on Dec. 3, Georgia became one of just two SEC programs (Tennessee) and one of 16 nationwide to reach the 1,000-win mark. The team commemorated the milestone with a special social media video narrated by Andy Landers and Joni Taylor.

Taylor, Connally Reach Important Marks Against Tech

Georgia defeated Georgia Tech this year to improve the Lady Bulldogs' record to 36-7 against the Yellow Jackets. The win also marked the 100th of Coach Taylor's career. Senior guard Gabby Connally reached the 1,000-point mark with a first-half basket against Tech.

Staiti's Streak

Jenna Staiti had one of the best late season stretches of any player in the SEC last season, averaging 19.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game over the last nine contests. That trend has continued into the 2020-21 campaign. She has now scored in double figures in 23 of her last 26 games and has nine double-doubles during that time.

Staiti Among Georgia's All-time Best Shot Blockers

With 166 blocks , Jenna Staiti stands in a tie for eighth place on Georgia's all-time blocked shots chart. Tawana McDonald owns the UGA career record with 297 in her career.

Connally Reaches Career Top-10

Georgia senior Gabby Connally has moved into eighth place on UGA's career 3-pt field goals made chart. Connally has totaled 165 during her time at Georgia.

Two-Sport Star in Rare Company

Sophomore guard Chloe Chapman is one of only six Lady Bulldogs to play two sports while at UGA. Below is a list of these elite athletes.

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
Stephanie Paul – 2019-20 – Women's basketball/Track (discus)
Chloe Chapman – present – Women's basketball/Soccer

Georgia Seniors Earn Degrees

Each of Georgia's four seniors -- Gabby Connally, Maya Caldwell, Que Morrison and Jenna Staiti -- will wear the SEC graduate patch this season after earning their degrees. The four Lady Bulldogs are all pursuing master's degrees, with Connally focusing on public administration, Cadwell in non-profit management and leadership, and Morrison and Staiti in sport pedagogy.

Georgia Led League in Honor Roll Selections

The Georgia Lady Bulldogs led all Southeastern Conference basketball teams (women or men) with nine players on the league's Academic Honor Roll this past winter.

Each winter, student-athletes from across the conference are recognized for having a 3.0 GPA or above for either the preceding academic year or a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

One of Peach State's Best Joins 2021 Signing Class

Jillian Hollingshead, a 6-foot-5 forward from Powder Springs, Ga., added to an already impressive 2021 signing class for the Lady Bulldogs. She was the fourth signee of Georgia's class, joining fellow top-40 prospect Reigan Richardson (Huntersville, N.C.) as well as Alina Sendar (Amsterdam, Netherlands) and Kimora 'Kimmie' Jenkins (Long Island, N.Y.).

Hollingshead was ranked as the No. 5 forward in the nation according to espnW and was also ranked No. 22 in the ESPN HoopGurlz Terrific 25 for the 2021 class.