#16/21 Georgia Lady Bulldogs (18-5, 10-5 SEC) vs. #17/19 Kentucky Wildcats (17-7, 9-6 SEC)
Friday, March, 5 | Approx. 1:25 p.m. | SEC Quarterfinals | Bon Secours Wellness Arena | Greenville, S.C.
TV: SEC Network (Eric Frede, Tamika Catchings and Steffi Sorensen)
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Jeff Dantzler)
WXKT 103.7 FM and 960 AM The REF (also available on the Georgia Bulldogs’ App)
Watch Link: Click Here
Game Day Storylines
• Georgia and Kentucky meet for the second time in eight days when the two squads tip off in the quarterfinal round of the 2021 SEC Tournament.
• The Wildcats won the last matchup 62-58 in Athens. SEC Player of the Year Rhyne Howard scored a game-high 27 points and hit 10-of-16 from the field in the win.
• Georgia is the No. 4 seed and Kentucky is the No. 5 seed in this year’s tournament. The Lady Bulldogs finished the regular season with an 18-5 overall record and 10-5 mark in SEC play. Georgia earned the double-bye following Kentucky’s loss to Ole Miss this past Sunday.
• The Lady Bulldogs are looking to snap a three-game losing skid to the Wildcats.
• A win on Friday would put Georgia into Saturday’s semifinals against either No. 1 seed Texas A&M or No. 8 seed LSU. The semifinal contest will tip off at 4 p.m.
• Georgia head coach Joni Taylor was named the 2021 SEC Coach of the Year and is a semifinalist for the Werner Ladder Naismith National Coach of the Year award.
• After being picked ninth in the SEC preseason coaches poll, Georgia finished fourth in the standings.
• A key reason for Georgia’s turnaround this season can be credited to four senior starters. Georgia’s top four scorers are all college graduates and are pursuing master’s degrees at UGA.
• Senior guard Que Morrison was tabbed the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, while senior center Jenna Staiti placed on the All-SEC second team. Morrison is Georgia’s first Defensive Player of the Year winner since Sherill Baker in 2006.
• Morrison is the defensive stopper on the top defensive team in the SEC. The Lady Bulldogs are the only conference team to rank in the top-5 of the league in scoring defense (60.1 ppg), field-goal percentage defense (.371), 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.276), blocked shots (6.3 per game) and steals (9.0 per game).
• Staiti enters postseason play as the SEC’s blocked shots leader with 72 swats (3.1 per game). She needs just 11 points to reach 1,000 for her career. The Cumming, Ga., native could become one of just eight Lady Bulldogs in program history to record 1,000 career points, 500 rebounds and 150 blocks.
• Steady Staiti has scored in double figures in 27 of the last 32 games dating back to last season. She has also totaled 11 double-doubles during that time.
• Lady Bulldog rookie guard Sarah Ashlee Barker was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. She has totaled four double-figure scoring games and has played a pivotal role in most of Georgia’s wins.
• Georgia enters the 2021 SEC Tournament with its highest seeding since earning a three seed in 2018. The Lady Bulldogs advanced to the semifinals that season.
• The Lady Bulldogs have one of the deepest rosters in the nation, routinely playing 11-12 players per game.
• Senior Maya Caldwell enters the tournament following the best game of her career. Caldwell scored a career-best 27 points off an 11-of-15 shooting effort against Florida. It marked just the second time she has scored over 20 points in her career.
Series Information vs. No. 5 Seed Kentucky
Overall: Georgia leads, 37-21
In Athens: Georgia leads, 17-8
In Lexington: Georgia leads, 14-11
Neutral Sites: Georgia leads, 6-2
Current Streak: Kentucky has won three-straight meetings
Last Meeting in SEC Tournament: 2013 — Kentucky won 60-38 in the semifinals
SEC Tournament History
• Since the tournament began in 1980, the Lady Bulldogs own a 49-37 overall record. Georgia has won the tournament title four times, with those coming in 1983, 1984, 1986 and 2001. Georgia’s last appearance in the SEC tournament finals came in 2004.