Georgia Lady Bulldogs (6-0) vs. Furman Paladins (2-4)
Sunday, Dec. 20 | 2 p.m. ET | Stegeman Coliseum (1,638) | Athens, Ga.
Watch: SEC Network + (Kaleb Frady (play-by-play)/Mark Slonaker (analyst)
Watch Link: Click Here
Listen: Georgia Bulldogs Sports Network (Jeff Dantzler)
*960 AM The REF, WXKT 103.7 FM in Athens or via the Georgia Bulldogs App
Women’s Basketball Fan Attendance Policy
– Due to social distancing protocols, Stegeman Coliseum will be operating at a reduced capacity of approximately 20% with ticket opportunities in blocks of two or four seats only.
– Fans will be required to wear face masks at all times while in Stegeman Coliseum.
– No fans are allowed on the court level of Stegeman.
– All seating is reserved for the 2020-2021 women’s basketball season.
– Tickets are mobile for the 2020-21 season. Tickets for Sunday’s game ARE still available. Visit www.georgiadogs.com/tickets to purchase a mobile ticket.
Opening Tip Storylines
• Sunday’s contest between Georgia and Furman will tip at 2 p.m. ET and will be carried on SEC Network +. Jeff Dantzler will call the matchup on the Georgia Bulldogs Sports Network.
• The Lady Bulldogs have won 11 of their last 14 games dating back to last season, with the only losses in that span coming to top-15 teams Texas A&M, Kentucky and South Carolina.
• Georgia is trying to match its best start in four seasons. The Lady Bulldogs began the 2017-18 campaign with a 7-0 record.
• Senior center Jenna Staiti continued her impressive play Thursday night against Georgia State. Staiti recorded her second straight double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds versus the Panthers. She has now scored in double figures in 14 of her last 15 games dating back to last season.
• Senior guard Maya Caldwell was another bright spot for the Lady Bulldogs against Georgia State. She tied a game-high with 16 points to go with six boards.
• Freshman guard Sarah Ashlee Barker — who earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors on Dec. 8 — recorded her first career double-double with a season-best 10 points and 12 rebounds Thursday night.
• With Georgia’s 85-51 win against Georgia State, the Lady Bulldogs have scored 80 or more points three times in six games. Last season, Georgia scored 80 or more points twice in 31 total contests.
• Sophomore center and Rutgers transfer Maori Davenport saw her first action as a Lady Bulldog this past Thursday. Davenport became immediately eligible following the NCAA’s transfer eligibility ruling on Wednesday.
• Georgia showed off its deep roster once again Thursday night with 11 players scoring at least one field goal. Mikayla Coombs and Sarah Ashlee Barker — who each come off the bench — actually rank second and fifth respectively in minutes played this season.
• Georgia is now receiving votes in the Associated Press top-25. The Lady Bulldogs have been ranked in the top-25 533 weeks of the poll’s existence.
• The Lady Bulldogs have committed a season-low 14 turnovers in back-to-back games against Jacksonville State and Georgia State.
Scouting Furman
Jackie Carson is in her 11th season coaching a Furman team that returned nine letterwinners and three starters off last year’s squad that finished with a 19-12 record. Tierra Hodges has led the Paladins this season with her double-double of 16.3 points and 10.0 rebounds per contest. Furman enters Sunday’s game after taking down Converse 81-28 on Wednesday.
Series History
Georgia owns a 16-0 record in the all-time series against Furman. The two teams first met in 1975 with the Lady Bulldogs taking a 61-43 win in the first game. Georgia is 12-0 in games played in Athens, including last season’s 77-48 victory.
Series Breakdown
Overall: Georgia leads, 16-0
In Athens: Georgia leads, 12-0
In Greenville: Georgia leads, 3-0
Neutral Sites: 1-0
Current Streak: Georgia has won 16-straight
Last Meeting: Georgia won, 77-48 (12/15/19) in Athens
Largest Margin of Victory: 41 points, Georgia won 80-39 (2/18/81) in Greenville
Largest Defeat: NA
Game Notes
Perfect At The Top
Georgia’s top three scorers — Jenna Staiti, Gabby Connally and Que Morrison — have combined to hit a perfect 37-of-37 at the free-throw line this season. As a team, Georgia is second in the SEC (behind Alabama) in free-throw percentage, knocking in a collective 75.2 percent from the stripe.
Block Party For The Dawgs
The Lady Bulldogs lead the Southeastern Conference in blocks, totaling 42 this season for a 7.0 per game average. Staiti leads the SEC in both total blocks (19) and blocks per game (3.2).
Offensive Improvement
The Lady Bulldogs are a much improved team on the offensive end compared to last season. Georgia is averaging 78.3 points per game in 2020 after scoring just 63.2 points per contest last year.
Barker Named SEC Freshman of the Week
Sarah Ashlee Barker was named the league’s Freshman of the Week following performances against East Carolina and Oklahoma. Barker continues to play valuable minutes and has made several key plays for the Lady Bulldogs this season.
With 2:19 left in the overtime period against Georgia Tech, Barker broke open a tie game with a made jump shot to put her team up 65-63. The Lady Bulldogs did not give up the lead the rest of the way en route to a 75-69 win. Barker then hit a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter against Oklahoma, giving Georgia its largest lead of the game at 14.
Georgia Reaches 1,000-Win Milestone
With its win against East Carolina on Dec. 3, Georgia became one of just two SEC programs (Tennessee) and one of 16 nationwide to reach the 1,000-win mark. The team commemorated the milestone with a special social media video narrated by Andy Landers and Joni Taylor.
Taylor, Connally Reach Important Marks Against Tech
Georgia defeated Georgia Tech this year to improve the Lady Bulldogs’ record to 36-7 against the Yellow Jackets. The win also marked the 100th of Coach Taylor’s career. Senior guard Gabby Connally reached the 1,000-point mark with a first-half basket against Tech.
Best Shooting Effort Since 2009
Georgia’s offense got off to a good start against Mercer. The Lady Bulldogs finished the game hitting 32-of-53 shots (60.4 percent), marking the team’s best single-game shooting percentage since March 5, 2009 against Kentucky (63.4 percent) — a span of 11 seasons.
The Lady Bulldogs knocked in 8-of-10 (80 percent) field goals in the fourth quarter against the Bears. Eight of the 11 Lady Bulldogs who played hit 50 percent or better from the field.