Georgia Opens SEC Play Against Texas A&M

Georgia Lady Bulldogs Game Notes

Georgia (9-4) vs. Texas A&M (12-1))
Thursday, Jan. 4 || 7 p.m. ET
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) in Athens, Ga.
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Jeff Dantzler) WXKT 103.7 FM or 960 AM The REF and the Georgia Bulldog App | Affiliates
TV: None
Video Stream: SEC Network + (Matt Stewart and Anne Marie Armstrong)
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
Social: @UGA_WBB
History: Texas A&M 10-5 (Full History)
Last Meeting: - Texas A&M won, 75-73 (1/22/23)

TEAM COMPARISON

GEORGIA LADY BULLDOGS
Head Coach: Coach ABE
Career Record: 403-173 (19th year)
Record at Georgia: 31-16 (2nd year)

TEXAS A&M AGGIES
Head Coach: Joni Taylor
Career Record: 161-96 (9th Season)
Record at Texas A&M: 21-21 (2nd year)

GEORGIA	2023-24 STATISTICS	TEXAS A&M
69.4	POINTS PER GAME	76.8
42.6	FG%	42.6
29.1	3FG%	28.5
62.3	FT%	65.4
44.23	REBOUNDS PER GAME	49.62
15.5	ASSISTS PER GAME	17.2
3.8	BLOCKS PER GAME	4.8
9.2	STEALS PER GAME	9.5
61.0	SCORING DEFENSE	48.8
34.0	FG% DEFENSE	31.1
30.6	3FG% DEFENSE	24.0
+5.5	REBOUND MARGIN	+15.7
1.01	AST - TO RATIO	1.40

Opening Tip

» Georgia welcomes Texas A&M to Athens for a 7 p.m. tip Thursday in Stegeman Coliseum.

» Georgia is led by fifth-year senior Javyn Nicholson, who is tied for the lead in the SEC this season with eight double-doubles, including four straight. Nicholson has reached double figures in scoring in every game during the 2023-24 campaign.

» Junior guard Asia Avinger is coming off her first career double-double with 11 points and 10 assists against Wofford.

» The Lady Bulldogs rank third among SEC teams and No. 18 nationally in field-goal percentage defense, holding teams to just 34 percent from the field.

» Georgia's bench averages 26 points per game -- the second-best average in the league behind South Carolina (35.6 ppg).

» Georgia enters SEC play with a 9-4 non-conference mark. The Lady Bulldogs held at least a five-point advantage in three of their four losses this season.

» Texas A&M head coach Joni Taylor spent seven seasons as the head coach at Georgia. Her record at UGA was 140-75 overall (.651) and 62-48 (.563) in SEC play. This is her first trip back to Stegeman Coliseum as the head coach of the Aggies.

» Georgia is in its second season under the leadership of Coach ABE. ABE's successful first year included a NCAA tournament appearance, 22 wins, and a fifth-place finish in the final SEC standings.

» The Lady Bulldogs were the only SEC squad to not have a single player enter the transfer portal this past offseason.

» Coach ABE's teams have won 20 or more games in 11-straight seasons, while her 12 NCAA tournament appearances rank third among active SEC coaches, only behind Kim Mulkey (LSU) and Dawn Staley (South Carolina).

» Georgia is one of three programs nationwide, joining Wisconsin Green Bay and Tennessee, to never have a losing record in a season.

Henderson Returns

Georgia redshirt freshman Savannah Henderson made her first appearance of the season during the team's outing against Wofford on Dec. 30. Henderson suffered a season-ending injury last year at the beginning of what was a promising start to her freshman year. During her return against Wofford, she knocked in a pair of 3-pointers.

Avinger Posts First Double-Double

Lady Bulldog junior guard Asia Avinger posted her first career double-double with 11 points and 10 assists against Wofford. She has now scored in double figures 39 times in 73 career games.

Ingram Earns Starts

Redshirt freshman guard Stefanie Ingram has provided a spark for Georgia with three-straight starts. Ingram scored 11 points against Pitt, hitting 3-for-5 from the field.

Avinger and Chapman Rank Among SEC's Best

Georgia guards Asia Avinger and Chloe Chapman rank among the SEC's top-10 in assists with 58 and 48, respectively. Avinger's 2.76 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks fifth best among league players and top-50 nationally.

400 Wins

Georgia head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson reached the 400-win mark of her career earlier this year. She is one of five active SEC coaches to record 400 or more wins.

Four Top-100 Signees the Most Since 2017

Georgia has already signed four top-100 players in the 2024 class. Indya and Summer Davis — twin sisters from Farmington Hills, Michigan — along with Mia Woolfolk (Midlothian, Virginia) and Trinity Turner (Orlando, Fla.) signed with the Lady Bulldogs earlier this year. All four players are four star prospects and ranked in the top-100 nationally, marking the first time since 2017 the program has signed four top-100 players.

Chloe's Career Day

Chapman played the best game of her career in the team's win against Columbia. She scored a career-best 15 points and knocked in a career-high three 3-pointers in the win. Prior to the Columbia game, Chapman had not hit more than one 3-pointer in a game in her career. She also hit a pair of 3's against Furman and finished with 10 points and 10 boards against the Paladins.

Zoe's Production Increases

Zoesha Smith has seen increased production this season. She has scored in double figures in eight games after totaling just seven double-figure scoring contests in her previous three seasons combined.

Year Two with Coach ABE

Georgia is in its second season under the leadership of head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson. Coach ABE led the Lady Bulldogs to 22 wins – the most for the program in five years – and a NCAA tournament win against Florida State, marking Georgia's first NCAA tourney victory against a Power 5 opponent in 10 seasons. In addition, Georgia went 5-0 against rivals Florida, Auburn and Georgia Tech.

The Lady Bulldogs won seven of their last nine SEC games last year, with the only losses coming to top-5 teams South Carolina and LSU on the road.

20-Win Streak

Last year marked the 11th-straight season a Coach ABE led team has earned 20 wins or more. She has also guided her teams to 12 NCAA tournament appearances, which is the third-highest mark of any coach in the SEC, only behind Dawn Staley at South Carolina and Kim Mulkey at LSU.

Familiar Face, New Name

Jordan Cole returns for her fifth year in the red and black. Formerly Jordan Isaacs, she changed her legal last name to Cole after her stepfather, Brian Cole, adopted her on Oct. 4, 2023.

"I've created an identity behind the last name Isaacs, who I am on the court and off the court and just me as a person. It's very safe and familiar," said Jordan, who started 25 games last season. "I hate to see it go, because it is a part of me, who I became and who I'm going to become, but I definitely think this is the next big step in my life. It's going to open new doors for me, it's going to help me put myself out there. Me and the coaching staff ... we made a joke that this is just a new version of me, like a new player, new person. There's nothing wrong with Jordan Isaacs, but there's always room for growth."

First Verse

Georgia welcomed one true freshman this year in Arizona product Miyah Verse. A member of ESPN's Super 60 as one of the top 60 prospects nationally, Verse prepped at national powerhouse Arizona Elite Prep and Mountain Ridge High in Peoria, Ariz.

Verse was also a track star in high school, earning the state title in the discus throw. Her brother Jared is a defensive lineman on the Florida State football team.

Stealing the Show

Georgia led the SEC in steals last season with 10.5 per game. It marked the 10th time in the last 13 years that Coach ABE's teams have led their respective conference in steals. It was also the first occasion since the 2005-06 season – a span of 17 years – that Georgia led the SEC in steals.

Before taking the head coaching job at Georgia, Coach ABE's UCF squad led the nation in scoring defense for two straight years from 2020-22.

Create What You Can't Have

Georgia guard Chloe Chapman is the founder and CEO of Create What You Can't Have (CWUCH) -- a successful fashion merchandising company.

"CWUCH was created to represent originality. This is for people who aspire to be unique and have their own style. High quality clothing for streetwear lovers." -- Chloe Chapman

All in the Family

Miyah Verse's brother, Jared Verse, is a junior defensive lineman on the Florida State football team. The highly recruited prospect was a first-team All-American selection by The Athletic during the 2022 football season. Verse leads FSU with 4.5 sacks this year.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Asia Avinger

Chloe Chapman

Jordan Cole

Savannah Henderson

Stefanie Ingram

Javyn Nicholson

Zoesha Smith

Miyah Verse