University of Georgia Athletics
Lady Dogs v. Tennessee Game Notes: February 5, 2007
February 03, 2007 | Women's Basketball
Georgia vs. Tennessee
Date: Feb. 5, 2007
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Thompson Boling Arena; Knoxville, Tenn.
Television: ESPN2 TV
Radio Magic 102.1 FM
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The Basics
Considering Georgia and Tennessee have long carried battle flags touting the SEC's stature as the premier women's basketball league in the land, it's somewhat fitting that the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Volunteers will clash in a "Rivalry Week" showdown on ESPN2 this evening at Thompson Boling Arena.
The Lady Bulldogs, who are ranked No. 14 in this week's Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls, arrive in Knoxville sporting a 19-4 overall record and a 6-2 mark in SEC play. Georgia topped No. 7 LSU, 53-51, last Thursday in Athens. After Sylvia Fowles tied the game on a short jumper with 6.9 seconds remaining, freshman Ashley Houts drove the length of the floor and hit a buzzer-beating 10-footer from the left baseline.
Tennessee is No. 3 in both polls this week and sports overall and SEC records of 20-2 and 7-0, respectively. The Lady Vols doubled-up South Carolina in their most recent outing, 72-36, last Thursday in Knoxville.
The series with Tennessee
The Lady Vols sport a 36-14 advantage in the series, including a 14-4 record in games contested in Knoxville.
Georgia and Tennessee met earlier this month in Athens with the Lady Volunteers emerging with a 52-41 victory before a sell-out crowd at Stegeman Coliseum. Nicky Anosike and Alexis Hornbuckle scored 14 points to lead Tennessee, while freshman Christy Marshall paced the Lady Dogs' offensive efforts with 12 points off the bench.
In the last meeting in Knoxville on Jan. 12, 2006, a 7-0 surge late in the game spurred Tennessee onto a 94-85 victory.
Quoting Andy Landers...
On the challenges of facing Tennessee..
"Going to Knoxville always is a lot of fun for us. We enjoy that challenge. We've always felt like that - more times than not - we're in position up there to get the 'W'. We'll go in Monday with that thought and that being our drive and motivation."
On his team's progression and improvement...
"I believe we're on our way up. Defensively, we've been very good lately, even going back a couple of weeks. Offensively, we're not clicking like I know that we can or like we will, but I think that we're moving in that direction. This week holds a lot of promise in that regard. I think we can get a lot better."
The Matchups
Georgia Lady Bulldogs Tennessee Lady Volunteers
Records: 19-4, 6-2 SEC Records: 20-2, 7-0 SEC
Rankings: No. 14 AP, Rankings: No. 3 AP,
No. 14 USA Today/ESPN No. 3 USA Today/ESPN
Coach: Andy Landers Coach: Pat Summitt
676-212 (.761) 28th at UGA 933-179 (.839) 33rd at UT
758-233 (.765) 32nd overall 933-179 (.839) 33rd overall
Probable Starters
No. Name PPG RPG No. Name PPG RPG
1 Ashley Houts 8.7 3.0 G 00 Shannon Bobbitt 8.0 1.3
(5-6; Fr.; Trenton, Ga.) (5-2; Jr.; Manhattan, N.Y.)
14 Janese Hardrick 9.1 4.0 G 14 Alexis Hornbuckle 9.9 4.8
(5-6; Sr.; Powder Springs, Ga.) (5-11; Jr.; Charleston, W.Va.)
21 Cori Chambers 13.7 3.6 G * F 1 Sidney Spencer 12.6 4.1
(5-9; Sr.; Elmsford, N.Y.) (6-3; Sr.; Hoover, Ala.)
24 Megan Darrah 8.3 5.1 F 3 Candace Parker 19.0 9.0
(6-3; Jr.; Moreland, Ga.) (6-4; Soph.; Naperville, Ill.)
34 Tasha Humphrey 15.7 7.7 F * C 55 Nicky Anosike 7.4 5.8
(6-3; Jr.; Gainesville, Ga.) (6-4; Jr.; Staten Island, N.Y.)
Off The Bench
33 Angel Robinson 8.2 4.9 F 44 Alex Fuller 7.0 4.6
(6-5; R-Fr.; Marietta, Ga.) (6-3; Soph.; Shelbyville, Tenn.)
22 Christy Marshall 7.6 3.1 G 33 Alberta Auguste 5.4 2.5
(6-1; Fr.; Savannah, Ga.) (5-11; Jr.; Marrero, La.)
50 Rebecca Rowsey 4.7 3.7 F * G 2 Cait McMahan 2.8 1.3
(6-3; Jr.; Henderson, Tenn.) (5-4; Fr.; Maryville, Tenn.)
12 Maria Taylor 1.2 2.3 F 13 Dominique Redding 4.1 1.7
(6-2; Soph.; Alpharetta, Ga.) (6-1; Sr.; Clearwater, Fla.)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Keeping an eye on...
Entering the Tennessee game:
Cori Chambers is...
* At Tennessee, will tie co-No. 10s Kedra Holland-Corn and Katrina McClain among UGA's career leaders in games played
* 1 3-point FGs from No. 8 Niesa Johnson of Alabama among the SEC's career leaders
* 3 3-point FGs from co-No. 6s India Lewis and Kimberly Wilson, both of Arkansas, among the SEC's career leaders
* 11 3-point FGs from her own UGA season record set in 2005-06
* 22 points from No. 17 Camille Lowe among UGA's career leaders
Janese Hardrick is...
* 29 points from No. 22 Alexis Kendrick among UGA's career leaders
* 2 3-point FGs from No. 6 Alexis Kendrick among UGA's career leaders
* 15 FTs from No. 10 Lisa O'Connor among UGA's career leaders
Tasha Humphrey is...
* 31 points from No. 12 Kedra Holland-Corn among UGA's career leaders
* 19 FTs from No. 6 Christi Thomas among UGA's career leaders
* 27 FTAs from No. 8 La'Keshia Frett among UGA's career leaders
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
One of the game's greatest rivalries
"Rivalry Week" it is says ESPN as many of the nation's premier matchups are contested this week in a made-for-TV showcase. We believe it would be hard to find two conference hoops rivals - if not in any sport - who have met for as many significant stakes as the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Volunteers.
Georgia and Tennessee have squared off with virtually everything imaginable - from bragging rights to the game's ultimate prize - on the line, including:
* The 1996 NCAA Championship;
* In the 1995 NCAA Final Four semifinals;
* In the "Elite Eight" round of the 1983 and 1984 NCAA Tournaments;
* In the "Sweet 16" bracket of the 1986 NCAAs;
* In the championship game of the 1992 and 1999 SEC Tournaments.
In addition, the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Vols produced the only tie for the SEC Championship in 2000 and also finished 1-2 in the SEC standings in 1984, 1995 and 1996.
Tube time once again
For the 14th consecutive time, Georgia and Tennessee will meet with the added attraction of television cameras focused upon them. In fact, the last Lady Bulldog vs. Lady Volunteer matchup not on TV was a millennium ago on Jan. 28, 1999.
Landers, Summitt among elite
Tonight's matchup features two of the game's premier coaches in Andy Landers and Pat Summitt. The rankings of Landers and Summitt in several major coaching milestone are outlined below.
Landers became the fourth coach to reach 750 career wins earlier this season. Summitt passed the 900-win plateau last season.
Landers, a native of nearby Maryville, Tenn., will return to Knoxville this summer when he is inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame on June 9. More info on Landers' election can be found on Page 8 of these Game Notes.
Career Victories
Rk. Coach No.
1. Pat Summitt 933
2. Jody Conradt 897
3. C. Vivian Stringer 763
4. Andy Landers 758
5. Sylvia Hatchell 741
FYI, the NCAA doesn't recognize Landers' 82 wins at Roane State.
Weeks in AP Polls
Rk. Coach No.
1. Pat Summitt 516
2. Andy Landers 408
3. Jody Conradt 395
4. C. Vivian Stringer 350
5. Rene Portland 336
Totals as of 1/29/07 poll
NCAA Tournaments
Rk. Coach No.
1. Pat Summitt 25
2. Andy Landers 23
3. Jody Conradt 21
Rene Portland 21
Debbie Ryan 21
Tara VanDerveer 21
UGA, UT among NCAA's top-five winners
The 2005-06 campaign represented the 25th season that women's intercollegiate basketball has fallen under the auspices of the NCAA. During that span, Georgia and Tennessee are among the winningest programs in the nation. Tennessee ranks No. 1 in wins and winning percentage, while Georgia is No. 4 in both categories. The complete top-10s in each stat can be found on Page 38 of the Lady Bulldogs' Media Guide.
Tennessee becomes Georgia's most frequent foe
If familiarity is a measuring stick, tonight's matchup between Georgia and Tennessee is a milestone contest. The Lady Bulldogs and Lady Vols will meet for the 51st time, moving Tennessee out of a tie with Florida as Georgia's most met opponent all-time.
Trio rewriting scoring ledger
Seniors Cori Chambers and Janese Hardrick and junior Tasha Humphrey all have been inching their way up Georgia's all-time scoring leaders list this season as outlined below.
Humphrey began the campaign at No. 17 with 1,252 points. She ascended into the top-15 during in Georgia's first date with Florida on Jan. 4. Most recently, she passed Lisa O'Connor during the Lady Bulldogs' Jan. 28 victory at Florida.
Chambers opened the year at No. 26 with 1,058 points. She reached the top-20 during the Middle Tennessee game on Dec. 7. Most recently, she passed Stacey Ford during Georgia's Dec. 21 victory at Richmond.
Hardrick became the Lady Bulldogs' 28th 1,000-point scorer at Georgia Tech on Dec. 3 and climbed into the No. 25 position during a Jan. 25 win over Ole Miss. Most recently, she passed Cynthia Collins during the Lady Bulldogs Jan. 28 win over Florida in Gainesville.
UGA Career Points
Player No. Years
1. Janet Harris 2,641 1982-85
5. Teresa Edwards 1,989 1983-86
10. Tammye Jenkins 1,598 1988-91
12. Kedra Holland-Corn 1,566 1994-97
13. Tasha Humphrey 1,535 2005-07
- Humphrey is 31 points from No. 12 -
16. Lady Hardmon 1,397 1989-92
17. Camille Lowe 1,396 1990-03
18. Cori Chambers 1,374 2004-07
- Chambers is 22 points from No. 17 -
20. Tawana McDonald 1,225 1999-02
22. Alexis Kendrick 1,157 2003-06
23. Janese Hardrick 1,128 2004-07
- Hardrick is 29 points from No. 22 -
Freshmen lead the way in upset of LSU
Freshmen Ashley Houts and Angel Robinson played key roles in Georgia's 53-51 victory over No. 7 LSU.
Most obviously, Houts hit the game-winning jumper with no time left on the clock. Also tremendously important, Houts played all 40 minutes and committed no turnovers. In fact, Houts has played all but 45 seconds of the Lady Bulldogs' last six games. She sat for a brief stint during the first half of Georgia's win over Ole Miss.
Robinson scored 12 second-half points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor. She made the first three-pointer of her career from the right corner with 10:11 left in the game and then scored the final six points of a 12-0 run which turned a five-point deficit into a seven-point lead with 2:55 remaining.
Humphrey wins second straight SEC Player of the Week honor
Tasha Humphrey was selected as SEC Player of the Week by the league office in Birmingham last Monday, the second consecutive week she earned the accolade.
Humphrey averaged 25.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in leading Georgia to a 69-60 win over No. 22 Ole Miss on Jan. 25 and a 77-54 victory at Florida on Jan. 28.
Humphrey posted season-high marks of 32 points and 14 rebounds against the Rebels. She scored 16 second-half points at Gainesville and in the process ascended into the No. 13 position among Georgia's career scoring leaders.
Humphrey has now been named SEC Player of the Week seven times in her career. She has been honored more than any other Lady Bulldog ever and is one of only six players to be win the honor on seven occasions. LSU's Seimone Augustus, Ole Miss' Armintie Price and Vanderbilt's Wendy Scholtens are eight-time honorees, while Mississippi State's LaToya Thomas and Tennessee's Chamique Holdsclaw also were tabbed seven times.
Humphrey and Ashley Houts swept SEC Player and Freshman of the Week honors, respectively, the previous week on Jan. 22 after helping the Lady Bulldogs top Vanderbilt and Florida State.
Humphrey averaged 21.5 points and connected on 51.7 percent of her field goals - including 57.1 percent from three-point range - against the Commodores and the Seminoles. She scored 25 versus Florida State, including nine in a 13-0 run which turned a 10-point deficit with 4:57 remaining into a three-point lead at the 2:02 mark.
Houts averaged 15.0 points, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals and played all 40 minutes of each of those outings. She poured in a career-high 21 points against Vanderbilt. Houts was 10-of-13 from the line versus the Commodores, including 8-of-10 in the final 4:10 of the game. Houts also made a key steal with 28 seconds remaining in the Florida State game and then converted at the line to make it a two-possession game.
Houts was named SEC Freshman of the Week for the third time this season. She is now one of only three players to earn the honor three times since the league began naming a recipient last season. Tennessee's Candace Parker was chosen five times last season, while Florida's Sha Brooks was selected three times.
Turnovers have been critical
In its 18 victories this season, Georgia has averaged 13.5 turnovers per game. In their four losses, the Lady Bulldogs have averaged 21.0 TOs per game.
So, you're saying those positive numbers have been padded against lesser teams. Well, in what most would consider Georgia's best wins - Rutgers, Stanford, TCU, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and LSU - the Lady Bulldogs have posted 13.7 turnovers per game.
Also telling is Georgia's assist-to-turnover ratio. The Lady Bulldogs sport a stellar 1.12 mark en route to victory but just 0.44 in their defeats. In those aforementioned "best wins," Georgia has produced a 0.87 effort.
Chambers breaks Georgia career three-point records
Cori Chambers knocked down her first three-point attempt at the 17:54 mark of the first half at Mississippi State to break the Lady Bulldogs' career record for successful shots from behind the arc.
Chambers entered the season 56 threes shy of Kedra Holland-Corn's record. Considering that she connected on a school-record 78 threes last season, there was a relatively solid chance Chambers would break the mark; however, no one expected her to get there early in UGA's SEC slate.
Chambers reached the milestone more efficiently than Holland-Corn. Kedra took 675 attempts, while fired up only 645 to reach the same mark. Chambers broke the Georgia record for three-point attempts during the Lady Dogs' Jan. 28 win at Florida.
Chambers joins SEC ledger
Cori Chambers joined the SEC's career top-10 leaders in three-pointers at LSU on Jan. 7. At her current pace of 2.90 per game, Chambers could ascend to No. 3 on the league's leaders ledger as outlined below.
SEC Career Threes
Player No. Years
1. Cornelia Gayden, LSU 337 1992-95
2. Wendi Willits, Ark. 316 1998-01
3. Betsy Harris, Bama 273 1991-94
4. Sara Potts, UK 271 2001-05
5. Beth Vice, Bama 270 2000-03
6. India Lewis, Ark. 267 2000-03
Kimberly Wilson, Ark. 267 1994-97
8. Niesa Johson, Bama 265 1992-95
9. Cori Chambers, UGA 264 2003-07
10. Kara Lawson, UT 256 2000-03
Probable. Schmabable. Lineup shuffle settles down?
There's a very exact science in determining who is listed as the "probable starters" for both teams on Page 1 of these Game Notes.
Look at the box scores from each squad's previous game and insert the same five starters as "probable" for the next outing. For the Lady Bulldogs, that method has proved to be an inexact science for much of the season.
After utilizing the same starting lineup for the first eight games of the season, Andy Landers mixed and matched eight Lady Bulldogs to provide different combinations at the opening tip in eight of its next 11 outings.
Cori Chambers is the lone constant in the Lady Bulldogs' starting five during every game this season. Things have settled down somewhat since SEC play began, however, as Chambers, Janese Hardrick, Ashley Houts and Tasha Humphrey have started every league date.
Not quite a permanent magic marker
The Lady Bulldogs are 6-0 this season when scoring 80 or more points, upping Georgia's astronomical winning percentage under Andy Landers when they put up that many points to 405-7. That equates to a success rate of .983009708 over the past 27-plus seasons.
Georgia last loss when scoring 80 points in a 94-85 shoot out at Tennessee on Jan. 12 last year.
Somewhat interestingly - at least we hope you think it's interesting since it took quite a while to dig the information up - is the fact that the Lady Dogs are just 27-8 (.771) when they score exactly 79 points, with half of those loses being by three points or less.
Living at the charity stripe
A passive glance at the box score from Georgia's 83-71 win over Vanderbilt on Jan. 18 reveals a glaring advantage for the Lady Bulldogs. Georgia connected on 32-of-42 free throw attempts, while the Commodores were just 12-of-18 at the line.
To get a more accurate picture, however, one would need to study the second half play-by-play. With Georgia leading by 11 points with five minutes remaining, Vanderbilt turned up the pressure on its full-court press and subsequently began fouling. The result? The Lady Bulldogs made 21-of-28 shots from the charity stripe in the final 4:56 alone.
By comparison, Georgia's previous season highs for FTs and FTAs were 22 versus Rutgers and 28 against Stanford. The 32 free throws moved into the No. 8 spot in the program's history, and the 42 trips equaled the No. 10 tally in UGA annals.
Landers fourth with 750 Ws
Andy Landers became only the fourth major college women's basketball coach to secure 750 career victories with the Lady Bulldogs' win over Richmond on Dec. 21.
Landers joined Tennessee's Pat Summitt, Texas' Jody Conradt and Rutgers' C. Vivian Stringer as the only coaches to reach the plateau.
Landers compiled an 82-21 record in four seasons at Roane State College in Harriman, Tenn., before coming to Athens in 1979. Landers had a 668-209 record in 28 seasons with the Lady Bulldogs when he hit 750.
FYI, the NCAA does not recognize Landers' wins at Roane State because they were not secured at a four-year institution.
Ironically, victory No. 750 came against Richmond's Michael Shafer, who helped Landers secure more than a third of his career wins during an 11-season span from 1994-05 on the Lady Bulldogs' staff. During Shafer's tenure, Georgia compiled a 273-84 record, finished as 1996 NCAA runner-up, also reached the 1995 and 1999 Final Fours, captured the 1996, 1997 and 2000 SEC Championships and won the 2001 SEC Tournament.
Chambers topping 20 much more often
Cori Chambers had just six 20-point games during her first 102 outings at Georgia. She's now done so in eight of the Lady Bulldogs' last 22 outings.
Chambers popped for 20 points in back-to-back games for the first time at UGA with 22 against North Carolina A&T and 25 versus Davidson. She also poured in 21 against No. 11 Stanford, 23 versus Middle Tennessee, 20 against both Richmond and Brown, 23 versus Florida and 28 at Mississippi State.
In fact, Chambers single-handedly outscored Richmond in the first half, 17-12.
Trio wins SEC FOW honors
Ashley Houts was named SEC Freshman of the Week on Jan. 22, upping the number of times Georgia's three first-year standouts have secured the honor to five.
Houts also was selected on both Nov. 13 and Dec. 4, while Christy Marshall was chosen on Nov. 20 and Angel Robinson was tabbed on Dec. 18.
Houts, Marshall and Robinson became the first-ever trio of teammates to be recognized as SEC Freshman of the Week during a season. Houts and Marshall also became the first teammates to receive the accolade in consecutive weeks since the league began the weekly recognition last year.
Houts averaged 15.0 points, including a career-high 21 against Vanderbilt, on her way to winning FOW recognition on Jan. 22.
Robinson averaged 13.0 points and 7.0 rebounds and hit 66.7 percent of her field goals against Savannah State and TCU to secure her honor. Against the Lady Frogs, Robinson equaled her career highs with 18 points, eight boards and two assists and swatted a career-best two shots.
Houts equaled the Lady Bulldogs' single-game record for steals with 10 thefts against Memphis and then scored 11 points and posted game-high tallies of five assists and two steals against Georgia Tech en route to her Dec. 4 recognition.
Marshall averaged 13.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals in Georgia's wins over North Carolina A&T and Davidson prior to her Nov. 20 accolade.
Houts was initially picked on Nov. 13, less than 24 hours after she led Georgia to victory over No. 11 Rutgers in the Lady Dogs' nationally televised season opener at the State Farm Tip-off Classic. Houts posted game-high tallies of 18 points, seven assists and five steals on ESPN2.
Freshman starters list grows
Ashley Houts, Christy Marshall and Angel Robinson have become 58th, 59th and 60th freshmen to start for Andy Landers during his 28 seasons as the head coach at Georgia.
Houts also became the 21st Lady Bulldog freshman to start their collegiate debut under Landers.
Marshall joined the sorority when she got the nod against TCU on Dec. 18 and Robinson followed in Georgia's next game at George Mason on Dec. 20.
A complete list of the freshman to get the nod can be found below, with the players who have started their debut in bold-faced type.
UGA's Freshman Starters
Season Player(s)
1979-80 Cynthia Collins
1980-81 Wanda Holloway, Rhonda Malone, Deborah Mitchell, Barbara Murray, Lou Sims
1981-82 Amanda Abrams, Janet Harris, Laura Greeson
1982-83 Teresa Edwards, Lisa O'Connor
1983-84 Katrina McClain
1984-85 Traci Waites
1985-86 Katie Abrahamson
1986-87 Sherrelle Warren
1987-88 Kim Berry, Stacey Ford, Tammye Jenkins, Jill Mitchell, Adrienne Shuler
1988-89 Lady Hardmon
1989-90 Camille Lowe, Miriam Lowe
1990-91 Deborah Carter
1991-92 Tara Cosby, Dorothy Sanders
1992-93 Kim Thompson, Tracy Walls
1993-94 Brandi Decker, La'Keshia Frett, Tracy Henderson, Kedra Holland, Rachel Powell, Tiffany Walker
1996-97 Angie Ball, Kiesha Brown, Diana Lott
1997-98 Coco Miller, Kelly Miller, Tawyna Nash, Elena Vishniakova
1998-99 Tawana McDonald, Camille Murphy
2000-01 Christi Thomas
2001-02 Kara Braxton, Nikki Eason, Ebony Felder, Whitney Law, Jessica Pierce
2002-03 Sherill Baker, Marquita Driskell, Alexis Kendrick
2003-04 Cori Chambers, Janese Hardrick, Rebecca Rowsey
2004-05 Megan Darrah, Tasha Humphrey
2006-07 Ashley Houts, Christy Marshall, Angel Robinson
Maria returns from volleyball
Maria Taylor received an "excused absence" from the Lady Bulldogs' games at Savannah State and versus TCU while she was in Omaha, Neb., competing for a spot on the U.S. National Team for volleyball.
Taylor was among 23 collegians taking part in the tryouts held in conjunction with the semifinals and championship of the NCAA Tournament. Taylor has experience at the national level as a member of the USA Select Team last summer.
Landers now Peach State's winningest college hoops coach
With the Lady Bulldogs' 79-69 victory over Georgia Tech on Dec. 3, Andy Landers passed Roger Kaiser as the state of Georgia's winningest college basketball head coach.
Kaiser amassed a combined 663-233 record and won four NAIA national titles in 29 seasons at West Georgia College and Life University. "He has four big W's that I don't have," Landers said. "He's the king. I'm just a friend of his."
Kaiser was a two-time All-American guard at Georgia Tech (1960-61) and is one of only six Yellow Jacket basketball players to have his jersey retired. He went on to average 22.9 points while playing for Washington, New York and Philadelphia in the ABA from 1961-63 before beginning his coaching career.
Kaiser compiled a 381-186 record at West Georgia between 1970-90, including winning the 1974 NAIA national title. He completed his collegiate coaching career at Life University in metro Atlanta from 1990-2000. He started the program there from scratch and was 282-47 and won NAIA national titles in 1997, 1998 and 2000.
In a Lady Bulldog side note, Kaiser was also AD at Life and hired former Georgia player and then-assistant Sharon Baldwin to start the women's basketball program at Life. Baldwin, now Sharon Baldwin-Tener, moved from there to be the head coach at Mercer and is now the head coach at East Carolina.
Lady Dogs' depth receives a boost
After playing the first five games of the season with only seven players, Maria Taylor and Tasha Humphrey saw their first action of the year on Nov. 29 against Memphis.
Taylor joined the squad for practice on Nov. 25 - about 12 hours after Georgia's volleyball team completed its season - and scored five points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots in her first appearance with the Lady Dogs.
Taylor was an all-state performer in both sports at Centennial High School. She led the Volley Dogs in games played (107) and kills (484). In fact, her kills per game average of 4.52 ranked No. 2 in the SEC and No. 36 nationally.
Taylor had hoped to join the Lady Dogs last season when injuries depleted Georgia's post depth but could not due to an SEC rule which prevented student-athletes who sign a scholarship in a sport other than football or basketball from playing football or basketball before their junior year...the old joke being that it prevented Bear Bryant from signing 300-pound divers who conveniently found their way from the pool to the offensive line.
That rule was amended at the 2006 SEC Spring Meetings, paving the way for Taylor to play basketball as well. For the record, Taylor has been placed on a basketball scholarship, a stipulation of the NCAA regarding student-athletes participating in multiple sports.
Humphrey also checked in for the first time during 2006-07 versus the Lady Tigers. She had been suspended for the first six games of the season for violation of team rules; however, Andy Landers chose to reduce that punishment by a half game.
Said Andy Landers: "She made a mistake, which is not good, but the way she handled the consequences was very good."
Humphrey reported to the scorers table with about 17:30 left and played the remainder of the contest. She scored 11 points and pulled down six rebounds during that span.
"M" is for Memphis..."M" is for Milestone
Georgia's win over Memphis included three significant milestones in Lady Dog history.
1. With the win, Georgia secured its 700th victory all-time, making the Lady Bulldogs the 15th NCAA Division I women's hoops program to reach that plateau.
2. Andy Landers recorded his 663rd victory at UGA, tying him with Roger Kaiser as the winningest college basketball coach in the state of Georgia's history.
3. Ashley Houts tied the Lady Bulldog single-game record with 10 thefts. Houts matched the mark originally established by Adrienne Shuler against Howard on Feb. 22, 1989, and then equaled by Kedra Holland-Corn vs. Virginia on Dec. 4, 1996 and Sherill Baker against Mississippi State on Jan. 19, 2006.
Lady Bulldogs join the 700 Club
Georgia became the 15th NCAA Division I school to post 700 victories in women's basketball with its Nov. 29 win over Memphis.
The Lady Bulldogs have been passing other institutions on the NCAA's all-time wins list on a relatively impressive clip. UGA was the 22nd institution to post its 500th victory, a 97-63 thumping of Manhattan on Dec. 1, 1998. Georgia was then the 17th school to reach 600 victories with a 73-62 decision over Alabama on Feb. 21, 2002.
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Landers gets WBB Hall nod
In a move overdue in the minds of most supporters of Lady Bulldog Basketball, it was announced at the State Farm Tip-off Classic that Andy Landers has been elected to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
The Class of 2007 was officially introduced at halftime of the Lady Dogs' thrilling victory over No. 11 Rutgers on Nov. 12. Landers delayed his trek to the Lady Bulldogs' locker room to be recognized and received a rousing cheer from the Oklahoma fans.
"I'm certainly excited and pleased for a lot of reasons," Landers said. "It really hasn't hit me and sunk in yet, and I really don't think it will until the ceremony in Knoxville early next year. I understand what it means. It means that I've been fortunate to be at a place where you can succeed at the highest level. I've been fortunate to be surrounded by a lot of people - coaches, staff and players - who could make that happen. That's where it comes from. I'm not of the impression that it's anything that any one person did."
Landers began his head coaching career at Roane State Community College in Harriman, Tenn., where he led Roane to an 82-21 record and a pair of top-10 national junior college finishes in four seasons.
Landers was only 26 years old when he was hired as the first - and still only - full-time women's basketball head coach at UGA. The Lady Bulldogs have had 27 consecutive winning seasons, including 22 20-win campaigns.
"Coach Landers has proven himself to be one of the most successful coaches of all time," Teresa Edwards said. "The game of women's basketball would not be the same without him. I don't think the game would have the same zeal or lust or competitiveness it has without Coach Landers. He brings such intensity to the game. The qualities and characteristics he instills in his players go far and beyond any other coach I've ever had. I'm so happy for him. I've always thought I'd be happiest for him when he won a national championship, but I think this may be even better. This speaks to his overall success instead of that of one team. It's not like he's dead and gone, which is what this sounds like I'm talking about. He's got a lot of fire left in him, and I hope he'll continue coaching for many more years so he can have the same influence on other players that he's had on me."
Georgia inks four early
Andy Landers signed four prospects - Brittany Carter, Jasmine Lee, Angela Puleo and Nicole Stroud - to letters of intent during the early signing period. That quartet has been ranked as a top-10 recruiting classes by several different services.
"We added four players that bring balance and versatility to our program," Landers said. "The balance being that we added two from the backcourt and two from the frontcout. The versatility is that I believe all four of them could play at least two positions for us, which doubles the chances of them being able to come in and fit in and contribute."
Carter, a 5-9, guard from Newton County High School in Covington, Ga., is listed as the No. 21 recruit by the All-Star Girls Report and at No. 27 by scout.com.
Lee, a 6-2, forward from Jess Lanier High School in Bessemer, Ala., has been ranked as the nation's No. 78 prospect by the All-Star Girls Report.
Puleo, a 5-9, guard from William Blount High School in Maryville, Tenn., is rated as the No. 40 prospect by Blue Star Recruiting and the No. 49 recruit by scout.com.
Stroud a 6-3, forward from Avondale High School in Avondale Estates, Ga., is ranked No. 37 by Blue Star and No. 65 by the All-Star Girls Report.
Record-setting tube time
Georgia will appear on TV 14 times during the regular season, the most ever in the program's history. To date, the Lady Dogs are 7-2 on television this season.
The Nov. 12 victory over Rutgers was the first of two appearances on ESPN2. Georgia's date with Tennessee on February 5 in Knoxville will air on "the deuce" as part of the network's traditional "Rivalry Week."
The Lady Bulldogs also had two national appearances on FOX SportsNet - their Nov. 26 victory over No. 11 Stanford and their Jan. 14 loss to Tennessee in Athens, while FOX SportsNet South televised wins over Florida State on Jan. 21 and LSU on Feb. 1 and will air upcoming matchups at Kentucky (Feb. 15) and at Auburn (Feb. 18).
CSS will show four games, wins over Florida on Jan. 4 and Mississippi State on Jan. 11, as well as dates at Alabama (Feb. 8) and vs. South Carolina (Feb. 11). Matchups at LSU (Jan. 7) and at Florida (Jan. 28) were televised by COX and SunSports, respectively.
