Led by a stellar 29-point performance from senior guard Gabby Connally, the Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball team defeated the Oklahoma Sooners, 93-80, at Stegeman Coliseum on Sunday afternoon.
This is the first time since Feb. 21, 2019, against Arkansas that the Lady Bulldogs have scored 93 points in a home-opener. Georgia now holds a 5-1 record against the Sooners.
“We were really happy to be home after being on the road. To me, it’s the same answer as it was last time we played,” head coach Joni Taylor said. “We have options, and we have depth. That’s what shows up, and that’s a really fun style to watch to look over and see all our young ladies cheering for each other. I think we have really clearly defined roles, and everyone stays within their role and shows up to provide what we need from them day in and day out. If we continue to do that and stay healthy, we’re going to be a fun team to watch this year.”
Connally had 15 points at the end of the first half on 50 percent shooting. Coming out halftime, she had a scoreless 10 minutes in the third frame but aggressively took over in the fourth, collecting 14 points. Connally’s dominant outing matches her second-highest scoring performance in her career.
In the first quarter, the Bulldogs went on an early 14-2 run after being tied 11 apiece to start the game. The Sooners slowly climbed their way back from being down 12 and scored 10 points in a three-minute time frame. Georgia had a slight 29-22 lead going into the second frame.
The Sooners’ Madi Williams ties the game at 37 apiece in the second frame with a driving layup but a pair of three big three-pointers from Connally and senior Maya Caldwell kept Oklahoma out of reach.
The Lady Bulldogs went into halftime with a season-high in first half points, leading the Sooners, 48-42.
Oklahoma’s Madi Williams gave the Sooner’s their first lead of the game on a long shot from beyond the arc with 3:18 remaining in the third frame. The Lady Bulldogs had a three-minute stretch without a field goal but two back to back layups by Mikayla Coombs and Sarah Ashlee Barker ties the game at 62-all.
Georgia outscored the Sooners 26-13 in the fourth quarter alone, and that strong offensive and defensive crunch-time effort from the Lady Bulldogs gives the team its fourth win on the season.
The Lady Bulldogs return to Stegeman to host Jacksonville State on Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m.