Georgia Welcomes Nicholls for Sunday Matinee - University of Georgia Athletics

Game Information

GEORGIA (2-0) VS. NICHOLLS (1-1)
Sunday, Nov. 8 || 1 p.m.
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) || Athens, Ga.
SEC Network + (Matt Stewart and Niya Butts)
Listen to Jeff Dantzler on 960 AM The Ref, ESPN 103.7 FM or the Georgia Bulldogs Sports App.

SERIES VS. NICHOLLS
OVERALL Never Met, 0-0
IN ATHENS Never Met, 0-0
IN THIBODAUX Never Met, 0-0
NEUTRAL Never Met, 0-0
LAST MEETING Never Met, 0-0

Opening Tip Storylines

» Georgia welcomes Nicholls to Stegeman Coliseum for a 1 p.m. tip on Sunday.

» The Lady Bulldogs and the Colonels will meet for the first time in program history on Sunday.

» Sophomore forward Dakota Howard leads the Lady Bulldogs in scoring after contributing back- to-back double-digit scoring efforts in the first two matchups, (18 vs. UWG and 17 vs. Winthrop).

» Four Lady Bulldogs are averaging double digits: Dakota Howard (17.5), Nya Smith (12.0), Milan Brown (11.5) and Blessing Adebanjo (11.5).

» Georgia's defensive dominance continued in game two. The Lady Bulldogs recorded 25 steals against Winthrop -- the fourth-most in a single game in program history.

» Georgia also capitalized on turnovers, scoring 51 points off 35 Winthrop miscues.

» This year's Georgia's roster is made up of two returners in sophomore Aubrey Beckham and senior Vera Ojenuwa.

» The Lady Bulldogs have 11 fresh faces in Athens this season. Some notable additions include: sophomore Dakota Howard (McNeese State, 12.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg), senior Jailyn Banks (Belmont, 15.4 ppg), sophomore Milan Brown (Wake Forest, 9.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg), Junior Nya Smith (Purdue, 8.0 ppg) and senior Jordana Codio (Seton Hall, 12.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg).

TEAM COMPARISON

LADY BULLDOGS Ranking: RV Head Coach: Ayla Guzzardo Career Record: 153-111 (10th season) Record at Georgia: 2-0 (1st season)		EAGLES Ranking: NR Head Coach: Jayln Johnson-Joubert Career Record: 1-1 (1st season) Record at Nicholls: 1-1 (1st season)

	TEAM COMPARISON
83.5	POINTS PER GAME	63.5
46.0	FG%	32.8
30.4	3FG%	25.7
80.0	FT%	79.1
40.5	REBOUNDS PER GAME	40.5
13.0	ASSISTS PER GAME	9.0
4.0	BLOCKS PER GAME	2.4
18.0	STEALS PER GAME	11.0
46.5	SCORING DEFENSE	61.0
33.0	FG% DEFENSE	41.2
18.4	3FG% DEFENSE	20.6
+12.0	REBOUND MARGIN	-2.0
1.1	AST - TO RATIO	0.8

Stealing the Show

The Lady Bulldogs recorded 25 steals against Winthrop, which ranks fourth in school history for most swipes in a single game.

New Look for the Lady Bulldogs

Coach Ayla Guzzardo is kicking off her first season as head coach at Georgia and her 10th year as a collegiate head coach.

Before arriving in Athens, Guzzardo made history at McNeese State, engineering the best single-season turnaround in NCAA women's basketball. After finishing 10–21 the previous season, McNeese State exploded to a school-record 29 wins during the 2025–26 season.

Familiar Faces in Athens

Georgia has two returning players in Vera Ojenuwa and Aubrey Beckham. With 4.1 rpg, Ojenuwa is one of the stronger rebounders the Lady Bulldogs have to offer. Beckham was sidelined due to a knee injury she suffered before the season. The highly-touted Beckham was a five-star prospect and ranked No. 49 nationally in the class of 2025 by ESPN.com following a stellar high school career.

New Dawgs on the Block

Georgia signed Belmont's leading scorer Jailyn Banks in this year's transfer portal class. The incoming senior and native of Spring Hill, Tenn., led the Bruins with 15.4 ppg. The point guard tallied 21 games last season and was named the 2025 WBIT All-Tournament Team.

The Lady Bulldogs also inked 5th year Seton Hall transfer Jordana Codio. The Winter Garden, Fla. native averaged 12.5 ppg and 4.3 boards last season for the Pirates. Codio was a 2026 BIG EAST All-Tournament Team selection following a 35-point performance against St. Johns in the quarterfinals.

Incoming sophomore Milan Brown also joins the Lady Bulldog squad following an impressive freshman campaign at Wake Forest. The Baltimore, Md. native was named to the 2026 ACC All-Freshman Team after leading the Demons Deacons in rebounding, averaging 6.3 boards per game.

Double Threat Follows Guzzardo

Coach Guzzardo brings a duo of talented players with her from McNeese State in sophomore Dakota Howard and junior Tyreona Sibley.

Howard led the Cowgirls in scoring and rebounding last season, averaging 12.9 ppg and rebounds 6.1 rpg. The SLC Freshman of the Year also tallied an impressive 95 steals on the season.

Sibley averaged 8.3 ppg, 2.1 assists and 5.3 rebounds last season for the Cowgirls, playing in every game.

Defensive Identity

Coach Guzzardo's teams are known for their defensive identity. Last season, McNeese State ranked fifth nationally in points allowed per game, giving up just 52.8 points per game.

Georgia Culture

Coach Guzzardo has assembled a staff that brings together the best of her previous stops while also welcoming new coaches with fresh perspectives. Together, Guzzardo and four staff members she brought with her from previous stops tally 32 combined years of coaching experience.

Sister Dawg Duo

Freshman Alanna Beckham joins her sister Aubrey in Athens. She made four state championship appearances and was a three time champion in her time at Hebron Christian Academy. Alanna was a McDonald's All-American nominee and averaged 17 ppg, five rebounds and four assists her senior season. She leaves her high school with a 123-5 win-loss record.

A Winning Tradition

Georgia women's basketball stands among the most elite programs in the SEC and the country. The Lady Bulldogs rank second in SEC history and 19th nationally with 1,110 all-time wins – one of just six league teams to reach the 1,000-victory mark (Tennessee, Georgia, LSU, South Carolina, Auburn and Texas). Georgia is tied for second in total conference victories (352) and third, behind Tennessee and South Carolina, with seven league championships.

Full Game Notes (PDF)

For a full game notes packet the game, CLICK HERE.

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Players Mentioned

Blessing Adebanjo

Jailyn Banks

Alanna Beckham

Aubrey Beckham

Milan Brown

Jordana Codio

Dakota Howard

Vera Ojenuwa

Tyreona Sibley

Nya Smith