Georgia Lady Bulldogs (10-4, 1-0 SEC) vs. No. 14/15 Mississippi State (13-2, 1-0 SEC)

Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020 | 4 p.m. ET| Stegeman Coliseum (10,523)

TV: SEC Network (Tyler Denning and Andraya Carter) 

Radio: Bulldog Sports Network (Jeff Dantzler) WXKT 103.7FM and 960 AM The REF

Game Promotions

• WEAR RED – the first 500 fans receive a FREE red t-shirt.
• TODDLER TROT– contact Leigh Ann Gibbons (lgibbons@sports.uga.edu) from Georgia promotions to sign your toddler up for this exciting halftime race featuring the youngest Bulldogs. Must be 2 years old and younger.

Opening Tip

» Georgia welcomes the No. 14-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs to Stegeman Coliseum this Sunday for a 4 p.m. ET tipoff. The contest will be carried nationally on the SEC Network.  

» Sunday is Georgia’s Red Out game, with fans encouraged to wear red. 

» The Lady Bulldogs have won seven of their last nine games this season, with their only losses during the current stretch coming to top-10 teams Baylor and UCLA.

» Georgia leads the all-time series against the Bulldogs from Starkville, 28-18. The Lady Bulldogs own a 16-4 edge in Athens, including a 47-43 victory against No. 10-ranked Mississippi State during head coach Joni Taylor’s first season in 2015-16.  

» Senior forward Stephanie Paul led Georgia with a season-high 18 points in the 58-51 road win at Ole Miss Thursday evening. Paul scored eight of those points in the fourth quarter.  

» Reigning SEC Freshman of the Week Javyn Nicholson continues to play well for the Lady Bulldogs. In the last three games, she has recorded two double-doubles and is averaging 9.7 rebounds per contest. Nicholson played all 10 minutes in the fourth quarter during Thursday’s win against Ole Miss. 

» Junior guard Gabby Connally leads the Lady Bulldogs. The Preseason All-SEC performer has scored in double figures in 15 of her last 19 games dating back to last year.

» Georgia has played a strong schedule so far this season. The Lady Bulldogs’ strength of schedule ranks No. 28 nationally, with 12 of 14 opponents boasting winning records. 

Scouting Mississippi State

» Under the guidance of head coach Vic Schaefer, Mississippi State enters Sunday’s contest averaging 84.8 points per game, which is the second-best mark in the SEC behind Arkansas. The Bulldogs shoot an SEC-best 48 percent from the field, including a 33.8 percent clip from behind the arc. Defensively, MSU owns a +8.7 turnover margin against its opponents and forces an average of 22.2 turnovers per game. 

The Bulldogs are 13-2 this season, with their only two losses coming to No.4 Stanford and No. 19 West Virginia. Jordan Danberry leads the Bulldogs at 13.6 points per game, while Jessika Carter averages 10.6 boards per contest. Those two players have started each of Mississippi State’s 15 games.

Series Breakdown

Overall: Georgia leads, 28-18

In Athens: Georgia leads, 16-4

In Starkville: MSU leads, 12-10

Neutral Sites: Tied, 2-2

Current Streak: MSU has won three-straight meetings

Last Meeting:  MSU W, 80-71 (1/10/19)

Largest Margin of Victory: Georgia 87, MSU 47 (2/8/1986)

Largest Defeat: MSU 86, Georgia 54 (1/21/1978)

Last Time Out Against Mississippi State

During last season’s meeting in early January, Georgia hit 16 of its first 22 shots in the second half to build a late second-half lead against then-No. 6 Mississippi State. The Bulldogs from Athens led 66-63 with just over six minutes remaining but missed their last 10 shots in the 80-71 loss. Then-senior forward Caliya Robinson scored a game-high 26 points, while current Lady Bulldog Gabby Connally finished with 13. 

Up Next for Georgia

Following Sunday’s game, Georgia hosts Vanderbilt, which boasts an 11-3 record. That game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET tip Thursday, Jan. 9.