#22/23 Georgia Lady Bulldogs (12-2, 4-2 SEC) vs. #15/17 Arkansas Razorbacks (11-5, 2-4 SEC)
Monday, Jan. 25, 2021 | 7 p.m. ET | Athens, Ga. | Stegeman Coliseum (1,638)
TV: SEC Network (Courtney Lyle and Carolyn Peck)
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Jeff Dantzler)
Watch Link: Click Here
Storylines
• Georgia and Arkansas meet in a top-25 battle this Monday at 7 p.m. ET. The matchup will be carried nationwide on the SEC Network.
• Monday’s game features the SEC’s best offensive team (Arkansas — 86.2 ppg) and the league’s top defensive squad (Georgia opponents — 57.1 ppg).
• The Lady Bulldogs have won six of the last seven contests against the Razorbacks, including last season’s 64-55 win in Fayetteville. The 55 points were a season low for an Arkansas team that averaged 83.4 points per game.
• Georgia held South Carolina to its second-lowest scoring output of the season this past Thursday in Columbia. The Gamecocks — who scored just 62 points against Georgia — average over 80 points per game.
• The Lady Bulldogs have been much improved offensively. The 50 points scored against South Carolina marked the first time during the 2020-21 campaign Georgia has scored below 60 points in a game. The Lady Bulldogs scored less than 60 points 12 times last season.
• Georgia is ranked No. 13 in the NET rankings, No. 22 in the Associated Press Poll and No. 23 in the Coaches Poll.
• Georgia began the year 8-0 in non-conference action, marking its best start in seven seasons.
• Georgia has won 17 of its last 22 games dating back to last year, with the only losses coming to top-15 teams South Carolina, Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Kentucky.
• The Lady Bulldogs are in the midst of a tough stretch with three contests against top-25 teams over four games.
• Four seniors who have all earned their undergraduate degrees and are pursuing master’s degrees sit atop Georgia’s scoring column. Jenna Staiti, Gabby Connally, Que Morrison and Maya Caldwell rank 1-4 in season scoring averages for the Lady Bulldogs.
• Staiti has scored in double figures in 21 of the last 23 games. She finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 15 points and nine boards against South Carolina.
Series Information
Overall: Georgia leads, 35-6
In Athens: Georgia leads, 17-2
In Fayetteville: Georgia leads, 15-3
Neutral Sites: Georgia leads, 3-1
Current Streak: Georgia has won six of the last seven meetings
Last Meeting: Georgia won, 64-55 (1/23/20) in Fayetteville
Largest Margin of Victory:Georgia W, 87-54 (2/24/96)
Largest Defeat: Arkansas W, 66-45 (2/24/02)
Georgia Season Notes
Defense Travels … Lady Bulldogs Top of the SEC in Defense
Georgia is the only team in the SEC to rank in the top-5 in scoring defense (No. 1; 57.1 ppg), field-goal percentage defense (No. 4; .362), 3-point field-goal percentage (No. 3; .261), blocked shots (No. 2; 6.2 per game) and steals (No. 5; 9.6 per game).
Georgia Senior Guards Heat Up
Seniors Que Morrison and Gabby Connally combined to hit 12 three-pointers and totaled 67 points in Georgia’s last three wins against Florida, Tennessee and Ole Miss. The two combined to hit just five 3-pointers in the first two SEC games of the year.
Options at the Post
Georgia has relied on a deep rotation of post players this season. Against Florida, Javyn Nicholson came off the bench and scored eight points in the first half after Jenna Staiti got into foul trouble. It was Maori Davenport and Malury Bates who led the Georgia frontcourt against Tennessee as the two combined to play 33 minutes in the final two quarters.
Winning on the Road
The Lady Bulldogs are 5-1 on the road this season, including wins in its first three games of the year — the first time in school history Georgia has accomplished that feat. Georgia’s win at Tennessee was its first in Knoxville since 1996.
Coombs Georgia’s Newest Defensive Back
Redshirt junior guard Mikayla Coombs grew up wanting to play football, and she has certainly carried that passion over to the basketball floor. Coombs is one of Georgia’s top defensive players as she currently ranks 10th in the SEC in total steals with 26. In two games against Tennessee and Ole Miss , Coombs has hit 9-of-14 from the field (64 percent), scored 19 points, totaled seven rebounds, 12 assists and four steals.
Not Just Defense … Georgia Sees Offensive Improvement
The Lady Bulldogs are a much improved team on the offensive end compared to last season. Georgia is averaging 74.4 points per game in 2020 after scoring just 63.2 points per game in 2019-20. The team has scored over 80 points four times through the first 14 games. Last season, the Lady Bulldogs scored 80 or more points twice in 31 contests.