WBB Game Notes: No. 12 Georgia Travels to Ole Miss for Top-25 Showdown

Sunday, January 30

Oxford, Miss.

3:00 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT

University of Georgia

Ole Miss

WBB Game Notes: No. 12 Georgia Travels to Ole Miss for Top-25 Showdown

January 28, 2022 | Women's Basketball

Game Notes

Georgia Basketball Game Notes

#12/15 Georgia Lady Bulldogs (15-4, 4-3 SEC) vs. #24 Ole Miss Rebels (17-3, 5-2 SEC)
Sunday, Jan. 30 | 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT
Oxford, Miss. | SJB Pavilion (9,500)
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Jeff Dantzler) 960 AM The Ref, WXKT 103.7 FM | Affiliates
TV: None
Video Stream: SEC Network + (Seth Austin and Lindsay King)
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
History: UGA 37-13 (Full History)
Last Meeting: W 73-57 {1/17/2021)

TEAM COMPARISON

GEORGIA LADY BULLDOGS
Ranking: #15 (AP) #12 (Coaches)
Head Coach: Joni Taylor
Career Record: 134-69 (7th season)
Record at Georgia (7th season): Same

OLE MISS REBELS
Ranking: #24 (AP) RV (Coaches)
Head Coach:Yolett McPhee-McCcuin
Career Record: 150-124 (9th season)
Record at OM: 56-61 (4th season)

GEORGIA (Natl. Rank)	2020-21 STATISTICS	OLE MISS (Natl. Rank)
72.3 (52)	POINTS PER GAME	69.7 (90)
57.6 (51)	SCORING DEFENSE	54.1 (16)
.442 (49)	FG PERCENTAGE	.433 (67)
.376 (89)	FG PERCENTAGE DEFENSE	.369 (62)
.318 (132)	3-PT. FG PERCENTAGE	.296 (209)
.292 (118)	3-PT. FG PERCENTAGE DEFENSE	.273 (58)
.729 (103)	FREE-THROW PERCENTAGE	.676 (249)
42.1 (31)	REBOUND AVERAGE	38.8 (107)
+7.4 (34)	REBOUND MARGIN	+5.3 (62)
17.2 (17)	ASSISTS PER GAME	15.7 (41)
+2.8 (72)	TURNOVER MARGIN	+6.2 (16)
9.3 (85)	STEALS PER GAME	10.3 (37)
6.4 (5)	BLOCKS PER GAME	4.3 (54)

Opening Tip

Georgia returns to action with a road trip to Oxford on Sunday. The Lady Bulldogs and Rebels tip off at 2 p.m. CT/3 p.m. ET in a matchup of top-25 teams.

The Lady Bulldogs have won five-straight meetings against Ole Miss, with the last loss coming in 2017. Georgia owns a 37-13 all-time record against the Rebels.

Georgia has played exceptionally well on the road this season, boasting a 7-1 mark in games played away from Stegeman Coliseum.

Graduate guard Que Morrison has scored in double figures in all seven SEC games and in 15 of 19 contests overall.
This past week, Morrison was one of 15 players named to the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year Watch List. The 2021 SEC Defensive Player of the Year ranks among the SEC's best in assists (third), steals (eighth), free-throw percentage (second), scoring (17th) and minutes played (ninth).

Graduate center Jenna Staiti was recently named to the Wooden Award Top-25 Midseason Watch List, which recognizes the nation's top players. Steady Staiti has scored in double figures in 46 of her last 54 games with 18 double-doubles.

Senior guard Mikayla Coombs has played some of her best basketball season as of late. Coombs has scored in double figures in three of the last five games. She totaled 13 points -- with six of those coming in the third quarter -- in the road win at Mississippi State.

Junior forward Jordan Isaacs is in the best three-game stretch of her career. She is averaging 7 ppg game, has hit 69 percent from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from the free-throw line over the last trio of contests.

Georgia's bench is deep with the Lady Bulldogs routinely playing 11-12 players per game. In fact, Georgia's bench has outscored the opponent's non-starters in all but two games this season (Texas Tech and NC State).

Big MAC Dawgs

Georgia signee Janiah Barker became the third Lady Bulldog in the past two years to be named to the McDonald's All-American Team. She is the 13th Georgia commit in program history to earn that distinction, joining current Lady Bulldogs Reigan Richardson (2021), Jillian Hollingshead (2021) and Mikayla Coombs (2017).

Shining at the Line

This year's Georgia team ranks second in the SEC with a 73 percent shooting effort from the free-throw line. The Lady Bulldogs have hit over 80 percent from the charity stripe in four of the last five games. Staiti and Morrison each rank in the top-7 of the SEC in free-throw percentage.

SEC's Most Unselfish

Georgia paces the SEC and ranks No. 17 nationally with 17.2 assists per game. The Lady Bulldogs have ranked in the top-3 of the SEC in assists in six of the first seven years under head coach Joni Taylor.

Georgia has totaled 327 assists on 542 made field goals this season -- an average of 60 percent.

Better Starts for Bulldogs

Georgia has stormed out to strong starts in each of the last three games, outscoring Missouri, Mississippi State and Tennessee 62-30 in the first quarter. The Lady Bulldogs hit 64 percent from the field in the first period against Mizzou and knocked in 53 percent in the first 10 minutes against the Bulldogs from Starkville.

Road Dawgs

The Lady Bulldogs own a 7-1 record in games played away from home this season, highlighted by wins against No. 19 Notre Dame and No. 2 NC State.

Staiti Adds to National Honors

Jenna Staiti is being recognized as one of the top players in all of basketball. She has been tabbed to the Lisa Leslie Award Watch List, the Naismith National Player of the Year Watch List and recently landed on the Wooden Award Top-25 Watch List. She has already totaled five double-doubles this season and has reached double figures in scoring in all but three contests.

Que Does it All

Que Morrison -- the 2021 SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year and two-time SEC All-Defensive Team selection -- is literally doing it all. If you look at an SEC stat sheet, you will find Morrison's name in nearly every statistical category.

Over the course of the season, Morrison has hit big shot after big shot to carry her team. She has scored in double figures 15 times, has totaled 20 or more points on four occasions, recorded three or more steals seven times and three or more assists in every single game.

Coombs Swipes the Irish

Senior guard Mikayla Coombs nearly set the school record with eight steals in the win against Notre Dame -- a total that was just two shy of the school record. Coombs recorded six steals in the first quarter alone to lead her team in the early going.

Barker's Bomb Shocks NC State

Sarah Ashlee Barker nailed a 25-foot heave at the buzzer to send the game against NC State into overtime. Barker finished with a career-best four 3-point field goals in the win, including back-to-back three's late in the game to stop a NC State rally.

No. 3 Heats up from 3

Barker has drastically improved her shooting from behind the arc throughout the course of the season. In the first four games, she hit just 2-of-14 (.143) from behind the arc, but has knocked in 43 percent (16-of-37) over the last 10 contests.

Overtime Success

Georgia improved to an impressive 9-2 overall in overtime games under head coach Joni Taylor. In fact, Georgia has won four-straight and nine of its last 10 OT contests.

Down Goes No. 2

Georgia's win at then No. 2-ranked NC State marked the program's first true road win against a top-25 team in program history. The victory ended the Wolfpack's 10-game win streak.

Many Contributors

Georgia's bench has outscored its opponents by a 449-195 margin, an average of 14 points per game, this season. Every available player has touched the floor in six of the team's 19 games.

Bulldog Block Party

The Lady Bulldogs set a new school record with 18 blocks in the win against Alabama State on Nov. 21. That total broke a 34-year old record from 1987, when Georgia had 16 against Mercer. The Lady Bulldogs' 18 swats are tied for the second-most in a game in SEC history.

Offensive Improvement

Head Coach Joni Taylor and her staff implemented a new offensive philosophy prior to the 2020-21 season with the goal of playing a more up-tempo style with defensive pressure.

That move has paid dividends. Since last season, Georgia has scored over 90 points four times. The Lady Bulldogs scored over 90 points just four times combined in the five seasons prior.

UGA Seniors Earn Degrees

For the second-straight year, each of Georgia's seniors have already earned their college degrees. Malury Bates (sociology), Mikayla Coombs (sport management), Que Morrison (communication studies) and Jenna Staiti (human development and family science) have all graduated from the University of Georgia.

A Healthy Dose of Que

After suffering a string of injuries in her career, Morrison finally experienced a full healthy season for the Lady Bulldogs.

Here is a look back at some of the adversity Morrison has overcome.

The defensive stopper placed on the SEC All-Freshman Team after drawing 32 starts on Georgia's NCAA tournament team. Then, in her sophomore campaign, Morrison missed the first eight games due to a torn meniscus in her left knee. In 2019-20, she had an injury to her foot before the year began. She then suffered a torn labrum in her right shoulder to end her junior campaign midway through SEC play.

Coombs Takes on Leadership Roles

Mikayla Coombs — a native of Buford, Ga. — was selected by her peers to serve as the vice chair of the SEC Women's Basketball Leadership Council. As one of four elected officers, she will participate in various meetings throughout the year to provide feedback to Athletics Directors, Senior Woman Administrators and Faculty Athletics Representatives.

This news came after she was chosen as the only student-athlete representative on the NCAA competition committee. Coombs graduated with a degree in sport management from the University of Georgia and is currently pursuing a master's in the same program. She was named a UGA Presidential Scholar in 2020, has placed on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll three times and made the Dean's List in 2021.

Coaching Consistency

Georgia has one of the longest tenured staffs in the SEC. With the return of Karen Lange, Chelsea Newton and Robert Mosley, Georgia is the only team in the conference to not have a single coaching change at any level -- head coach or assistant coach -- over the past six years.

Chapman Sticks with Basketball

Junior guard Chloe Chapman played two seasons with the Georgia soccer team, but after spending two years as a dual-sport athlete, she will now focus on just basketball. The Mitchellville, Md., native was a consensus top-40 prospect and was rated as the No. 8 overall point guard in the nation coming out of high school.

Georgia Freshmen Already Making History

Lady Bulldog freshmen Reigan Richardson and Jillian Hollingshead were both named McDonald's All-Americans, marking the first time in Georgia history the program has signed two McDonald's All-Americans in one class. Hollingshead and Richardson are the 11th and 12th McDonald's All-Americans to sign with the Lady Bulldogs and are the first to commit right out high school since Ronika Ransford in 2010. Current Lady Bulldog Mikayla Coombs was a McDonald's All-American in 2017.

A Storied History

Georgia is one of just two SEC programs (Tennessee) and one of just 16 teams nationwide to reach the 1,000 win total. The Lady Bulldogs accomplished the feat last season on the road at East Carolina, marking the latest impressive accomplishment for the storied program.

The Lady Bulldogs are one of only three teams, joining Wisconsin-Green Bay and Tennessee, to have a winning record every year since 1980 and have been to 34 of 39 NCAA tournaments.