Georgia Lady Bulldogs (11-1, 3-1 SEC) vs. Ole Miss Rebels (7-3, 1-3 SEC)
Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021 | 3 p.m. ET | Athens, Ga. | Stegeman Coliseum (1,638)
TV: SEC Network (Paul Sunderland and Andraya Carter)
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Jeff Dantzler)
Storylines
• Georgia welcomes Ole Miss to Stegeman Coliseum this Sunday at 3 p.m. on the SEC Network.
• The Lady Bulldogs are 11-1 overall this season and 3-1 in SEC play. It’s the team’s best start since 2017-18, when Georgia finished the year 26-7 with a second-place finish in the league standings.
• Georgia overcame a 17-point deficit to defeat Tennessee Thursday night. It was Georgia’s largest comeback in a game since erasing a 17-point lead to beat Tennessee 66-62 on Jan. 13, 2019.
• The Lady Bulldogs pace the SEC in scoring defense, holding teams to 56.7 points per game. Ole Miss is right behind Georgia in that category as teams average just 57.1 points against the Rebels.
• Georgia has won four-straight meetings against Ole Miss and leads the all-time series 36-13. The Lady Bulldogs are 19-1 against the Rebels in Athens, with the only loss coming in a 66-65 defeat back in 2010.
• Former Lady Bulldog Donnetta Johnson, who played just one season at Georgia, averages 13.8 ppg for Ole Miss. She is one of two transfers who lead the Rebels. Former Maryland player Shakira Austin paces their team with 18.4 ppg.
• Georgia’s depth was once again on display Thursday night against Tennessee. Mikayla Coombs, Maori Davenport and Malury Bates came off the bench and helped lead Georgia to the win. Coombs played the full 20 minutes in the second half, Davenport scored six points in 19 minutes and Bates made several key defensive stops down the stretch to seal the victory.
• Senior guards Que Morrison and Gabby Connally caught fire in the second half against Tennessee. Each knocked in a trio of 3-pointers and combined for 27 points in the final 20 minutes.
Series Information
Overall: Georgia leads, 36-13
In Athens: Georgia leads, 19-1
In Oxford: Georgia leads, 11-9
Neutral Sites: Georgia leads, 6-3
Current Streak: Georgia has won four-straight meetings
Last Meeting: Georgia won 58-51 (1/2/20) in Oxford
Largest Margin of Victory: 42 points, Georgia won 96-54 (1/16/03) in Oxford
Largest Defeat: 29 points, Ole Miss won 88-59 (2/1/92) in Oxford
Georgia Season Notes
Georgia Guards Heat Up in Last Two Games
Seniors Que Morrison and Gabby Connally have combined to hit 10 pointers and have totaled 49 points in Georgia’s last two wins against Florida and Tennessee. Redshirt junior guard Mikayla Coombs has also played a pivotal role with her 9.5 ppg, 12 assists and five steals in two games this week.
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 a perfect 5-0 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.
Defense Travels
Georgia’s mantra for several years has been ‘Defense Travels.’ That has once again been the case this season. In addition to leading the SEC in scoring defense, Georgia has held six of 12 opponents at 30 percent or lower shooting from the field. The Lady Bulldogs rank in the top-5 of the SEC in steals (10.2 per game), field-goal percentage defense (35.8 percent), and turnovers forced (20.6 per game).
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 76.6 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 12 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 72 total blocks. Senior center Jenna Staiti leads all conference players and is fifth in the country with her 33 swats (2.8 per game).
Georgia League’s Best in Assists
The Lady Bulldogs have totaled 214 assists —a total that leads all SEC schools and ranks seventh in NCAA women’s college basketball. Georgia averages 17.8 dimes per game, which is second-best in the conference.
Moving Up in the Rankings
Georgia is currently ranked No. 16 in the latest NET rankings. Before defeating No. 23 Tennessee Thursday night, Georgia was receiving votes in both the Associated Press and Coaches Polls.