#21/22 Georgia Lady Bulldogs (13-2, 5-2 SEC) vs. LSU Tigers (6-7, 4-3 SEC)
Thursday, Jan. 28 | 7 p.m. ET | Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.
Watch: SEC Network + (Matt Stewart and Mark Slonaker)
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 Thursday’s game ARE still available. Visit www.georgiadogs.com/tickets to purchase a mobile ticket.
Opening Tip Storylines
• Georgia faces a quick turnaround with the LSU Tigers coming to town for a Thursday night meeting at 7 p.m. inside Stegeman Coliseum.
• The Lady Bulldogs are coming off a 75-73 win against No. 19 Arkansas on Monday. Senior guard Gabby Connally knocked in an 18-foot jumper with 0.9 seconds on the clock to seal the win.
• Georgia will honor its four seniors — Maya Caldwell, Gabby Connally, Que Morrison and Jenna Staiti — in a pregame ceremony on Thursday. Georgia’s top four scorers this season have combined for 259 starts, 422 games played and close to 60 wins in their careers.
• Each of Georgia’s four seniors have already earned their undergraduate degrees and all are pursuing master’s degrees at UGA.
• Georgia is ranked No. 21 in the Coaches Poll, No. 22 in the Associated Press top-25 and No. 14 in the NET rankings.
• Georgia boasts a 3-1 record against teams ranked in the NET top-25.
• The Lady Bulldogs are in the midst of a tough schedule that includes contests against three ranked teams in the span of 10 days. Even though LSU is not ranked, the Tigers have won two of their last three games, including a 65-61 victory against No. 7-ranked Texas A&M. LSU is coming off a close 69-65 loss to No. 3 South Carolina.
• Georgia has won four of the last five meetings against LSU, including last season’s 73-56 victory in Baton Rouge.
• Georgia is the only SEC team to rank in the top five of the league in every defensive category. The Lady Bulldogs pace the conference in scoring defense (58.1 ppg), are second in blocked shots (6.1 per game), fourth in field-goal percentage defense (.362), third in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.261) and fifth in steals (9.5 per game).
• The Lady Bulldogs are one of the most unselfish teams in the SEC. Georgia ranks second in the conference in assists, averaging 17.3 dimes per game.
• Senior guard Que Morrison is one of the top all-around players in the conference. She ranks eighth in steals (1.9 per game) and 13th in assists (3.7 per game) and assist/turnover ratio (1.6).
Series Breakdown
Overall: Georgia leads, 27-21
In Athens: Georgia leads, 16-6
In Baton Rouge: LSU leads, 11-7
Neutral Sites: Tied, 4-4
Current Streak: Georgia has won four of the last five meetings
Last Meeting: Georgia won, 73-56 (2/23/20) in Baton Rouge
Largest Margin of Victory: Georgia W, 88-53 (2/20/93)
Largest Defeat: LSU W, 84-53 (1/11/87)
Georgia Notables
Georgia Senior Guards Heat Up
Seniors Que Morrison and Gabby Connally combined to hit 12 three-pointers and totaled 67 points in Georgia’s 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 13th in the SEC in total steals with 27. 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 74.5 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 15 games. Last season, the Lady Bulldogs scored 80 or more points twice in 31 contests.
Block Party for the Bulldogs
The Lady Bulldogs are second in the SEC and fourth nationally with 92 total blocks. Senior center Jenna Staiti leads the SEC with 43 total blocks.