Georgia Lady Bulldogs (4-0) vs. Jacksonville State (2-0)
Wednesday, Dec. 9 | 7 p.m. ET | Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.
Watch: SEC Network + (Matt Stewart (play-by-play)/Christy Thomaskutty (analyst)
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 Sunday’s game ARE still available. Visit www.georgiadogs.com/tickets to purchase a mobile ticket.
Opening Tip Storylines
• The undefeated Georgia Lady Bulldogs host Jacksonville State at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday. The contest is available on SEC Network +, with Matt Stewart and Christy Thomaskutty on the call.
• Jeff Dantzler will offer play-by-play on the Georgia Bulldogs Sports Network, which is available in Athens on 960 AM The REF and WXKT 103.7 FM.
• Georgia is 4-0 for the first time since the 2017-18 season, when the Lady Bulldogs went 26-7 and finished second in the SEC standings.
• Georgia opened the year with three-straight road games for the first time since the 2002-03 season. With a perfect 3-0 record, it marks the first time in program history Georgia has won three-straight true road contests to begin a season.
• The Lady Bulldogs are a much improved team on the offensive end compared to last season. Georgia is averaging 79.3 points per game in 2020 after scoring just 63.2 points per game last year. The Lady Bulldogs are also shooting 47.5 percent from the field, compared to a 40.5 percent effort during the 2019-20 campaign.
• On Sunday, Georgia scored 93 points against Oklahoma, marking the team’s best single-game point total since scoring 93 against Arkansas in 2019. The Lady Bulldogs have scored over 80 points two times through the first four games. Last season, Georgia scored 80 or more points twice in 31 contests.
• Senior center Jenna Staiti leads a balanced Georgia attack with her 14.0 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per contest.
• Senior guard Gabby Connally is coming off one of the best offensive efforts of her career with 29 points against Oklahoma. It is the most points for a Lady Bulldog in a game since Caliya Robinson scored 30 against Mercer in the 2018 NCAA tournament.
• Nine different Lady Bulldogs are averaging 17 or more minutes per game this season, giving Georgia a deep rotation.
• Georgia’s top three scorers — Jenna Staiti, Gabby Connally and Que Morrison — have combined to go 29-for-29 at the free-throw line so far this year.
Series Information
First Meeting between these two programs
Game Notes
1,000 Wins for the Lady Bulldogs
During its victory at East Carolina last week, Georgia became one of just two SEC schools (joining Tennessee) and one of 16 programs nationwide to reach the 1,000-win mark. The Lady Bulldogs put out a video on social media that was narrated by Andy Landers and Joni Taylor to commemorate the win and look to the bright future of Georgia Basketball.
Taylor, Connally Hit Milestones
Head coach Joni Taylor recorded her 100th victory as a head coach during the win against Georgia Tech. She has averaged 20 wins per year going into her sixth season as head coach. Senior guard Gabby Connally became the 40th Lady Bulldog to reach 1,000 career points. She reached the milestone with a made basket in the first half against Tech. Connally is coming off a game-high 29-point effort against Oklahoma.
Georgia Seniors Earn Degrees
Each of Georgia’s four seniors — Gabby Connally, Maya Caldwell, Que Morrison and Jenna Staiti — will wear the SEC graduate patch this season after earning their degrees. The four Lady Bulldogs are all pursuing master’s degrees, with Connally focusing on public administration, Caldwell in non-profit management and leadership, and Morrison and Staiti in sport pedagogy.
Staiti Moves Into Top-10 for Blocks
With 130 blocks , Jenna Staiti has moved past Anne Marie Armstrong for 10th place on Georgia’s career blocked shots chart. Staiti tied a career high with seven swats against Georgia Tech on Nov. 29 and finished just three blocks shy of recording the fourth triple-double in Lady Bulldog history. Tawana McDonald (1998-2002) owns the Georgia record with 297 blocks in her career.
Coombs In Double Figures
Redshirt-junior guard Mikayla Coombs is one of the many bright spots for Georgia this season. The UConn transfer, who sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules, Had a career-best 10 point effort at Tech. It marks the first time in her career she has scored in double figures.
Barker Makes Big Plays
With 2:19 left in the overtime period against Georgia Tech, freshman Sarah Ashlee Barker broke open a tie game with a made jump shot to put her team up 65-63. The Lady Bulldogs did not give up the lead the rest of the way en route to a 75-69 win. Barker then hit a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter against Oklahoma, giving Georgia its largest lead of the game at 14.
Morrison Sets New Career High
Senior guard Que Morrison scored a career-high 20 points in the win against Georgia Tech . The effort bested her previous career high of 19 points versus Wofford in her first-ever game as a Lady Bulldog back in 2017.
Best Shooting Effort Since 2009
The Lady Bulldogs finished the Mercer contest hitting 32-of-53 shots (60.4 percent), marking the team’s best single-game shooting percentage since March 5, 2009 against Kentucky (63.4 percent) — a span of 11 seasons.
The Lady Bulldogs knocked in 8-of-10 (80 percent) field goals in the fourth quarter against the Bears. Eight of the 11 Lady Bulldogs who played hit 50 percent or better from the field.
Georgia Returns Experienced Team
The last time Georgia had this much experience on its roster was back during the 2017-18 season. In 2018-19, Georgia had the youngest team in the SEC, while last year it had to replace its top two scorers.
The Lady Bulldogs now return over 90 percent of their scoring and 88 percent of their rebounding, including four starters and 10 total letterwinners.
A Closer Look at Staiti’s Last Nine Games
Jenna Staiti had one of the best late season stretches of any player in the SEC last season, averaging 19.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. She also posted three double-doubles and five 20-plus point efforts. Staiti’s game-by-game breakdown of the last nine games of 2019-20 is available on page 5 of the game notes.
Staiti Steady at the Stripe
Jenna Staiti filled up the stat sheet with double-figure scoring efforts and double-doubles in her last nine games of the 2019-20 season. What might have gone unnoticed was Staiti’s performance at the free-throw line. Staiti finished the year hitting 89 percent from the stripe — good for the second-best single season average in Georgia history.