The Lady Bulldogs held off a furious fourth-quarter rally by the Razorbacks to get a 69-66 win on the road on Thursday, breaking a 5-game losing streak.
Sophomore forward Caliya Robinson’s 20-point effort spearheaded the Lady Bulldogs’ (11-11, 3-6) 69-66 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks Thursday night inside the Bud Walton Arena.
Georgia led by 13 points in the fourth quarter but the Razorbacks (13-9, 2-7) clawed back into the game in the last two minutes. Arkansas got as close as two points but the Lady Bulldogs held on to secure the win.
“She needed to see the ball go through the hole,” Georgia head coach Joni Taylor said on Robinson’s effort. “I’m happy for Caliya, she has struggled in the last couple games in SEC play but she really practiced well this week and we sat down to have a conversation about how to get her back going and I thought she did that tonight. She really carried us tonight. She put us on her back and made plays on both ends of the court.”
Robinson’s 20-point performance marked the sixth of her career, all this season. Redshirt senior Pachis Roberts notched her fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds while senior guard Shanea Armbrister chipped in 14 points and eight boards.
Georgia held the lead, 18-16, after the opening quarter and despite the Razorbacks going on an 8-0 run to start the second quarter, the Lady Bulldogs outscored Arkansas 18-6 the rest of the way to go into the half with a 34-32 advantage. The Lady Bulldogs shot 44-percent from the field in the first half compared to the Razorbacks’ 26-percent clip.
Georgia continued its hot shooting in the third quarter as the Lady Bulldogs extended their lead to 13 points at 55-42 by the end of the quarter. The Razorbacks were held to three points in the final five minutes of the third quarter.
Jailyn Mason of the Razorbacks hit a 3-pointer to cut their deficit to nine points with a little more than six minutes left in the final quarter; however, Georgia quickly pushed it back to 13 points with a pair of free throws by Roberts and a Robinson layup. Arkansas made its final push at the 1:39 mark as the Razorbacks went on a 10-2 run to make it a two-point game, 66-64 with 41 seconds remaining. The Lady Bulldogs staved off the Razorbacks’ rally with free throws by Armbrister and Roberts in addition to not giving Arkansas a good look at the basket in the final seconds.
Georgia finished the game shooting 42-percent from the floor while holding Arkansas to 28-percent shooting. Junior guard The Lady Bulldogs compiled 20 assists in the game, nine stemming from junior guard Haley Clark, a career high. The Razorbacks were led by Jessica Jackson who poured in 26 points.
The Lady Bulldogs return home to face the Tennessee Lady Vols Sunday at Stegeman Coliseum. The tip-off is slotted for 4 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN2.
CLICK HERE for the full stats from the Georgia women’s basketball game versus Arkansas.