Paced by a trio of seniors, the Georgia Lady Bulldog basketball team (18-6, 6-5) defeated the Ole Miss Rebels (10-13, 2-8) by a 70-56 tally on Sunday afternoon at Stegeman Coliseum.
 
 
Shacobia Barbee recorded her eighth double-double of the season, posting 12 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Tiaria Griffin tied her career best with five deep balls in the contest, finishing with a game-high 19 points. Forward Merritt Hempe also shined on the offensive end, totaling 17 points after scoring 10 in the first half. The win was Georgia’s fourth consecutive victory.
 
 

 
 
“Ole Miss is a really good team and they’re very athletic,” said Georgia head coach Joni Taylor. “Give them credit, they came out and hit open shots. We just had to stay the course and stay with it. We made some adjustments at halftime, and it worked in our favor.”
 
 
The Lady Dogs got off to a strong start as Hempe cashed in for three buckets with a Barbee score in between, giving Georgia an 8-2 lead in the early going. The Rebels battled back, using an 8-0 run to claim a 10-8 advantage. The teams remained tight the rest of the way, finishing the first quarter with four ties and three lead changes as the visiting Rebels led 17-14 through 10 minutes.
 
 

 
 
The second quarter was all Lady Dogs in the early running, as the team opened the second frame with a 9-0 run to take a six-point lead, but an Ole Miss trey cut that in half. The Rebels would not allow distance for the remainder of the quarter, never allowing Georgia to lead by more than three. The Rebels took a 30-27 lead, but Georgia tied it before the half at 30 thanks to a trey from Griffin.
 
 
The third quarter proved kind to the Lady Dogs, who opened on a 14-5 run that featured two deep balls from Griffin as Georgia seized a nine-point lead before the media timeout at the 4:31 mark. The lead grew after the break to 14 points at the 2:42 mark. Ole Miss worked hard to cut the deficit toward the end of the quarter, btGeorgia led 56-44 thanks to a gorgeous back-door alley-oop from Marjorie Butler to Barbee.
 
 

 
 
The Lady Dogs maintained their strong lead throughout the fourth quarter, never allowing the Rebels to claw back to within single digits and held on to win 70-56.
 
 
Georgia will next travelAnd to to LSU for a Sunday contest on Feb. 14.