Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015 | Stegeman Coliseum | 7 p.m. ET
TV: SEC Network + (Matt Stewart, PBP; Kiesha Brown, Analyst)
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Radio Network by IMG (Jeff Dantzler, PBP)
[su_spacer size=”40″]
Live Stats: GeorgiaDogs.com (Click Here)
Twitter: @UGA_WBB
Fresh off a 78-66 victory against in-state rival Georgia Tech on Sunday, the Georgia Lady Bulldog basketball team returns to Stegeman Coliseum on Tuesday to host Georgia Southern at 7 p.m. ET.
Tuesday’s contest will air on the SEC Network + with Matt Stewart and Kiesha Brown calling the action.
[su_spacer size=”40″]
Opening Tip — Five Things To Know
– Georgia faces an in-state team for the second-straight game when the Lady Bulldogs host Georgia Southern on Tuesday. UGA owns a 23-9 all-time series advantage and has won 20-straight games against the Eagles.
– The Lady Bulldogs have now won 49-straight non-conference home games, dating all the way back to the 2008-09 season. Georgia’s last loss at home vs. a non-conference opponent came against Xavier in a 56-44 loss on Dec. 30, 2008.
– Georgia downed Georgia Tech, 78-66, on Sunday, giving the Lady Bulldogs their fifth-straight victory against the Yellow Jackets and improving the Lady Bulldogs’ record to 15-0 all-time vs. Georgia Tech in Athens.
– Senior guard Tiaria Griffin leads the team in scoring with 16.0 ppg this season. She has scored 20 or more points in two of three games this year and is shooting 45 percent through three contests. Shacobia Barbee is averaging a double-double through three games with 10.7 points per game and 10.3 rebounds per contest. Barbee currently leads the SEC in steals (3.3 per game) and defensive rebounding (8.0 per game) and is fourth in the league in assists (4.7 per game).
– The Lady Bulldogs have held each of their first three opponents to under 40-percent shooting and have committed fewer turnovers than their opponents in each of their first three games. Georgia currently ranks second in the SEC in assist/turnover ratio (1.5) with 51 assists and 34 turnovers through three games.
[su_spacer size=”40″]
A Georgia Win Would …
– Be Georgia’s 21st-straight victory against Georgia Southern and improve the Lady Bulldogs’ record to 13-3 all-time against the Eagles in Athens.
– Improve Joni Taylor’s record to 3-1 as the Lady Bulldogs’ head coach.
– Move Georgia’s all-time record to 102-35 against NCAA Division I teams from the state of Georgia. The Lady Bulldogs’ last loss against an in-state DI team came in 2010 vs. Georgia Tech.
– Improve Georgia’s non-conference record to 16-3 over the last two seasons and would be the program’s 50th-straight home win vs. a non-conference opponent.
[su_spacer size=”40″]
Series Information
Overall: Georgia leads, 23-9
In Athens: Georgia leads, 12-3
In Statesboro: Georgia leads, 9-6
Neutral Sites: Georgia leads, 2-0
Current Streak: Georgia – 20 straight
Last Meeting: 11/25/14 – Georgia W, 93-52 (Athens)
[su_spacer size=”40″]
Scouting Georgia Southern
– Georgia Southern enters Tuesday’s game with an 0-2 record with losses to Lipscomb and Mercer. The Eagles are led in scoring by Angel McGowan, who scores 11.0 ppg. Head Coach Kip Drown, a veteran coach who is in his 28th season overall, is in his first season at Georgia Southern. The Eagles return 13 players, including four starters, off of last year’s team.
[su_spacer size=”40″]
Last Time Out
– Marjorie Butler scored a career-high 18 points and Merritt Hempe tied her career high with 22 as the Lady Bulldog basketball team gave Joni Taylor her first win against Georgia Tech as head coach. The 78-66 victory marked Georgia’s fifth-straight against its in-state rival and improved the Lady Bulldogs’ all-time record to 34-4, including a 15-0 mark at home, vs. Georgia Tech.
[su_spacer size=”40″]
Georgia Notebook
[su_spacer size=”40″]
Non-Conference Home Success
– Georgia will be going for its 50th-straight non-conference home win when the Lady Bulldogs take on Georgia Southern. The Lady Bulldogs’ last home loss against a non-SEC member came in 2008 vs. Xavier — a 56-44 defeat. Georgia has not last more than five non-conference games in a single season since 2008-09.
[su_spacer size=”40″]
Butler Sets Career Mark vs. Georgia Tech
– A huge reason for the Lady Bulldogs’ success against Georgia Tech on Sunday was the play of senior guard Marjorie Butler. The Knoxville, Tenn., native scored a career-high 18 points, including a 3-point basket as time expired in the first-half. It was Butler’s eighth game in double figures in her career and beat out her old career high of 13 points set vs. Kentucky last season.
[su_spacer size=”40″]
Barbee On The Boards
– Senior guard/forward Shacobia Barbee currently leads the team in rebounding, averaging 10.3 boards per game and has recorded 13 rebounds in each of Georgia’s two wins (vs. Stetson and vs. Georgia Tech). Barbee has carried a lot of the load for the short-handed Lady Bulldogs. She currently ranks second in the SEC in minutes played, averaging 36.7 minutes per game.
[su_spacer size=”40″]
Hempe Shines Against The Yellow Jackets
– After missing six of Georgia’s final seven games due to an illness last season, senior forward Merritt Hempe has had a strong start to the 2015-16 campaign. Hempe has scored in double figures in each of Georgia’s two wins, including her double-double performance of 22 points and 10 rebounds vs. Georgia Tech. That was the third double-double of her career, while the 22 points tied a career high.
[su_spacer size=”40″]
Griffin Leading The Lady Bulldogs
– Senior guard Tiara Griffin is leading Georgia in scoring this season, averaging 16.0 ppg. Griffin, who needs just 82 points to reach 1,000 in her career, scored 21 points in the season opener vs. Stetson, finishing just two points shy of her career high. She is also coming off a 21-point effort vs. Georgia Tech on Sunday and is currently in eighth-place for career 3-point field goals made at Georgia with 152 career treys.
[su_spacer size=”40″]
Books And Basketball For Butler
– Georgia senior point guard Marjorie Butler is making a name for herself both on and off the court. Butler, who entered college with over 50 hours of college credits, is currently going through medical school interviews and has already been accepted by several universities. The Knoxville, Tenn., native already has a degree in exercise science and will graduate in May with a second degree in biology.
[su_spacer size=”120″]