The Lady Dawgs took on the Vanderbilt Commodores Sunday afternoon. Georgia beat Vandy 70-68, with the winning shot by Stephanie Paul. The Dawgs are currently on a two-game winning streak. This victory marked the sixth-straight home game win against SEC opponents.
https://twitter.com/UGA_WBB/status/818244763057029120
The leading scorer for Georiga was Shanea Armbrister. She scored 18 points and shot 64 percent from the floor. Armbrister also sunk two crucial three-point shots that gave the Lady Dawgs the momentum they needed.
Georgia scored 32 points off the bench and had four players score double-digit points. Caliya Robinson put up 10 points. She also had seven blocks, a career and season high for her. Pachis Roberts scored 13 points and brought down nine rebounds. Stephanie Paul, scored not only the game-winning shot but also scored 12 points and had seven rebounds. Both were career highs for her. Paul also made 67 percent of her shots and went 4-6 from the free throw line.
Paul may only be a freshman, but when on the court she is fearless and looks like a veteran. Paul and Armbrister made their presence known throughout the game, and both made important shots that help win the game.
“She has no fear, and had no idea that was going to be the game-winning shot. She was just out there making a play,” Coach Joni Taylor said of Stephanie Paul . “She’s someone who is continuing to evolve, and is doing a better job getting herself into shape and playing well. This is a perfect example of her future career.”
Georgia scored 38 points in the paint, using their height advantage to score easy baskets. The team also scored 15-second chance points and 13 points off of rebounds.
Vanderbilt was a fierce competitor. They came out in the opening quarter and made six three-point shots. The Commodores went on a 13-2 run after a sluggish start by the Lady Dawgs. However, that sluggishness didn’t last long as Georgia scored 22 vital points during the second period. The offense gained the momentum and made three key baskets right before the half, cutting the score 33-32.
Georgia came out after the half playing lights out. The defense caused 14 turnovers and scored 15 points off of them. With under a minute left, Roberts produced a clutch three-point play tying the contest at 68. The defense stopped Vandy and set up the game-winning possession. Armbrister passed to Paul down low as the final seconds ticked away. Paul made the jumper, putting Georgia ahead by two. Vanderbilt had less than a second to answer and came up empty handed.
“We knew we wanted one shot,” Coach Joni Taylor said. “We planned to run our motion offense and get the ball in the paint. Stephanie’s shot isn’t what we planned, but that didn’t matter. They knew they needed to get the job done.”
The Lady Dawgs won two important games this week, and improved to 10-6 on the season. They return to Stegman on January 22 to host the Flordia Gators in another SEC matchup. Tip-off is at 1 p.m. and will be aired by SEC Network.
Here is Head Coach Joni Taylor’s Press Conference:
https://soundcloud.com/user-197203470/womens-basketball-joni-taylor-post-vanderbilt-game-press-conference