University of Georgia Athletics
No. 24 Lady Bulldogs Head To Alabama
January 19, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 19, 2011
Lady Bulldog Basketball Game Notes
Georgia at Alabama
Thursday, January 20 at 8 CENTRAL
Coleman Coliseum (15,316) in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
CSS TV
Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (AM 960 in Athens)
The basics
The No. 24-ranked Georgia Lady Bulldogs take their five-game winning streak on the road Thursday night when they travel to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama's Crimson Tide at Coleman Coliseum.
At 4-0 in Southeastern Conference action, the Lady Bulldogs are one of two remaining undefeated in league play, a half-game behind Tennessee in the standings.
Alabama, which opened the season with an impressive 11-2 non-conference run, is 0-5 in the SEC to date.
Don't try to sell Andy Landers that the difference in the two teams is that decisive.
"This is a very scary game," Andy Landers said. "Alabama is an extremely quick and athletic basketball team; in that regard, much like Kentucky, much like Arkansas. You're talking about a team that played Arkansas to, in essence, a final-possession game on Sunday. That's the same Arkansas team we played to a final-possession game last Thursday. While they haven't won, we understand how good they are. This would be a major win for us to get."
Indeed, Georgia did not have last week's 59-56 victory in Fayetteville secured until C'eira Ricketts' half-court attempt to force overtime bounded off the rim.
Three days later, the Tide had possession down two with 15 seconds left. Following a turnover, Ricketts' added a pair of academic free throws with one second remaining.
Series history vs. Alabama
The Lady Bulldogs are 31-9 all-time against Alabama, a tally that includes an 11-4 mark in Tuscaloosa.
Georgia has won 18 straight in the series, last losing in Tuscaloosa in 1998 when Coco and Kelly Miller were freshmen.
Last season, the Lady Bulldogs swept on a home-and-home series during the regular season and also defeated Alabama in the opening round of the SEC Tournament.
Georgia won 52-44 on Jan. 3 in Tuscaloosa in both teams' SEC opener and then topped the Tide 76-47 on Valentine's Day in Stegeman Coliseum.
The Lady Bulldogs earned a 73-66 decision in the SEC Tourney after Meredith Mitchell hit 8-of-8 free throws over the final 3:09 to help Georgia outscore Alabama 12-3 down the stretch.
Mitchell finished with of 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Ashley Houts scored a team-high 18.
Following a slow start, the Lady Bulldogs reeled off a 19-2 run to go up 21-11 at the 9:18 mark of the first half. Alabama reclaimed a 25-24 lead before Georgia finished the period on a 5-1 run.
The Lady Bulldogs methodically expanded that margin to 44-35 with 14:17 remaining, but Alabama again rallied.
The Tide claimed its first lead of the second stanza at 54-52 with 7:22 left. Following three ties in the next 80 seconds Georgia went back ahead 61-60 on a Porsha Phillips jumper. After an Ericka Russell three, Mitchell hit the first of her free throws to begin Georgia's decisive surge.
In last season's SEC opener, Houts scored 14 points and Porsha Phillips grabbed 17 rebounds - the most by a Lady Bulldog in SEC play since 1996 - to lead Georgia to an eight-point win.
After trailing by 10 at halftime, Georgia exploded on a 15-0 run to start the second stanza. The Lady Bulldogs gained their first lead on a short jumper from Angel Robinson at the 11:45 mark and held the Crimson Tide scoreless for the first 10:27 of the half.
In the rematch in Athens, Georgia sank a season-high 12 three-pointers - six of which came from Houts - on its way to a convincing win over Alabama.
The dozen threes came within one of the Lady Bulldogs' single-game record.
The win secured Georgia's 25th 20-win campaign under Andy Landers in his 31 seasons in Athens.
Houts led all scorers with 24, while Porsha Phillips and Jasmine James joined her in double figures with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Jasmine Hassell posted a career-high 12 rebounds and added nine points. Meredith Mitchell tallied 10 rebounds and eight points.
Last time out...
Georgia overcame a 16-point second-half deficit, propelled by a 13-0 run down the stretch, to come away with a 70-64 win over the Florida Gators Sunday afternoon in Stegeman Coliseum.
After going 0-for-2 from three-point range in the first half, the Lady Bulldogs went 6-of-12 from long range in the second, including three in the final four minutes.
"This was a good one today," Andy Landers said. "I'm not proud or pleased with the way we started the game. I thought we were slow and we seemed unmotivated. But as the second half started, I think we determined that we were going to fight to earn a win, and fight they did. I'm really proud of that, and I may be even a little more proud of our fans and the lift that they gave us in the second half."
Georgia shot just 29 percent from the floor in the first half as Florida established a 13-point advantage, 37-24, at the break.
The Gators led by 16 points on three occasions after intermission, lastly at 49-33 with 14:21 remaining.
Florida led 56-44 when Georgia kick-started its late run that began with a jumper from Meredith Mitchell with 8:04 left. A three from Jasmine James cut the UF lead to five, and Mitchell followed that with a steal and lay-up in transition.
Mitchell hit another lay-up to pull it to within 56-55, and another Florida turnover preceded a Tamika Willis lay-up that gave Georgia its first lead since 2-0.
Florida snapped a six-minute scoring drought and tied the game at 60-60 before back-to-back threes from Mitchell and James put the Lady Bulldogs up by six 1:39 later. Florida cut it back to three on a lay-up for Jaterra Bonds, but late free throws pushed it safely back to six.
All told, James led the Georgia charge with 18 points, including 3-of-5 shooting from three. She also chipped in four assists in a full 40 minutes of play. Mitchell (season-high 15 points) and Phillips (10) also found double figures. Florida's Deana Allen was the Gators' leading scorer with 14 points, which she added to 13 rebounds to finish with the double-double.
A Homecoming for Mitchell
Look for a large and vocal group supporting Meredith Mitchell in Tuscaloosa. The 6-1 junior is a native of Midfield, Ala., less than an hour from Coleman Coliseum.
Mitchell was a star for Midfield High from 2005-08 where she led the Lady Patriots to four-year record of 114-19 and state titles in 2007 and 2008. As a senior, Mitchell averaged a triple-double of 14.2 points, 11.0 rebound sand 10.0 assists to help the Lady Patriots to a 32-1 record and final national ranking of No. 12 by USA Today.
A Reunion for Hassell
Georgia sophomore Jasmine Hassell and Alabama senior Tierney Jenkins were teammates for two years at Wilson Central High School in Lebanon, Tenn.
Hassell and Jenkins played together during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. In 2005-06, the duo helped the Wildcats to the Tennessee AAA State Championship and a 32-7 finish. The following season, Wilson Central was 30-4 and won the Region 5AAA title.
Hassell also led the Wildcats to a state title as a junior in 2007-08 and was named Miss Tennessee Basketball for Class AAA as both a junior and a senior.
This represents the fourth time this season a Lady Bulldog has played against a former high school teammate.
Ronika Ransford was guarded by Kentucky's Bernisha Pinkett on Jan. 9. Ransford and Pinkett played together for three seasons at H.D. Woodson High in Washington, D.C., where they led the Warriors to back-to-back City Championships in 2008 and 2009.
Pinkett was the D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association (DCIAA) Player of the Year in 2008, and Ransford captured the same honor in 2009.
In addition, Tamika Willis faced a pair of former Westlake High teammates - Mercer's Sharnea Boykin and Georgia Southern's Danielle Spencer. Willis, Boykin and Spencer helped the Lady Lions compile a stellar 75-8 record from 2006-09, including trips to the state semifinals in 2008 and the quarterfinals in both 2007 and 2009.
A fifth matchup of prep teammates will occur on Sunday when Midfield's Meredith Mitchell and Brittany Young (Mississippi State) are on opposing benches.
Lady Bulldogs back in AP poll
The Lady Bulldogs returned to the Associated Press poll on Monday at No. 24, the program's 455th appearance in the weekly rankings.
Georgia won at No. 10 Kentucky on Jan. 9 and at No. 20 Arkansas on Jan. 13 to drive its ascent into the top 25. The Lady Bulldogs are the only team in this week's poll to win successive games on the road against AP-ranked opposition during the 2010-11 season.
"I really think we played our way back into the rankings, which is satisfying," Andy Landers said.
The Lady Bulldogs began the season at No. 19 and climbed as high as No. 17 after beginning the campaign with a trio of wins. Georgia was ranked in the first five polls before dropping out on Dec. 13.
Georgia's tally of 455 weeks in the Associated Press poll ranks No. 2 nationally.
UGA 10th program to 800 "Ws"
The Lady Bulldogs secured their 800th all-time victory with a 59-56 win at No. 20 Arkansas on Jan. 13.
Georgia became just the 10th NCAA Division I women's basketball program to reach the 800-win plateau.
UGA has been ascending the ledger of women's basketball's winningest programs at a steady rate.
The Lady Bulldogs were the 22nd team to post 500 wins on Dec. 1, 1998; the 17th school to 600 victories on Feb. 21 2002; the 15th program to post 700 "Ws" on Nov. 29, 2006; and the 10th to notch 750 wins on Dec. 1, 2008.
The nation's winningest programs through games played of Jan. 13 when Georgia notched No. 800 are listed below.
Winningest Intercollegiate WBB Programs
Rk. School All-time Wins
1. Tennessee 1146
2. Louisiana Tech 987
3. Old Dominion 919
4. Stephen F. Austin 896
5. James Madison 890
6. Texas 859
7. Ohio State 846
8. Tennessee Tech 825
9. Stanford 810
10. Georgia 800
Next milestone: 850 for "A.L."
Andy Landers' enters the Alabama game four victories shy of his 850th win as a collegiate head coach.
Landers is the only full-time women's basketball head coach in the University of Georgia's history and has compiled a 763-251 record in 32 seasons in Athens. Landers' streak of 31 consecutive winning seasons is the second-longest string of such success in NCAA Division I women's basketball history.
Prior to arriving at UGA in 1979, Landers compiled an 82-21 record in four seasons at Roane State College in Harriman, Tenn.
To date, only two coaches - Pat Summitt and Jody Conradt - have reached the 850-win mark, although North Carolina's Sylvia Hatchell entered Friday's game with N.C. State with 846 career wins.
And before you say "Huh?"
Anyone wishing to confirm the aforementioned numbers would probably consult the 2011 NCAA Records Book and say..."Hey. This has Landers with 750 wins entering 2009-10. What gives?"
Well in our mind, that total is not quite completely accurate.
Georgia politely disagrees with the NCAA on what constitutes Landers' complete career record.
The NCAA does not recognize Landers' 82 Roane State wins because they were not earned at a four-year institution.
Therefore, the NCAA says Landers' "career" includes only his efforts at Georgia.
UGA chooses - and has since in 1979 - to include Landers' Roane State College results as part of his collegiate career record.
In fact, more than a third of Landers' victories at Roane - 33 wins, or 40.2 percent to be exact - came against four-year schools. Roane compiled a 33-1 record versus four-year institutions during Landers' tenure.
Home streak snappers
The Kentucky victory marked the second top-10 home winning streak Georgia has ended this season.
Kentucky had won 25 straight at Memorial Coliseum dating back to a Lady Bulldog victory there two seasons ago. That was the sixth longest streak in the nation.
On Dec. 22, Georgia snapped a 27-game home string at TCU which at the time was then the third longest in the country.
Miller tabbed SEC FOW...again
Khaalidah Miller was named SEC Freshman of the Week on Jan. 10 for the second consecutive week.
Miller exploded for a career-high 24 points - the most by any Lady Bulldog this season - in Georgia's upset at No. 10 Kentucky the previous day. Miller connected on 10-of-14 shots from the field, including 4-of-5 from three-point range against the Wildcats.
Miller was named Freshman of the Week on Jan. 3 after averaging 13.0 points in three games the previous week, including a team-high 15 in the SEC opener against South Carolina.
Miller was the only Georgia player to reach double figures in each of the Lady Bulldogs' three games that week.
"Not only did Khaalidah play well last week, she's played a little bit better every week, which is what you want and hope for with a freshman," Andy Landers said on Jan. 4. "I think this honor validates the improvements and adjustments she's made since she got here."
All told, seven different Georgia freshman have combined to earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors 17 times since the award's inception in 2006.
Phillips a beast on the boards
Porsha Phillips hauled in a career-high 19 rebounds at Southern Cal on Nov. 23.
That equaled the ninth-best single-game effort in UGA history as outlined below and was the most by a Lady Bulldog in a game since Katrina McClain's 22 against Valdosta State in Dec. 4 1986.
Phillips has led Georgia in rebounds in 13 games, has notched seven double-doubles and is currently averaging 11.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
The last Lady Bulldog to average a double-double was McClain in 1986-87 when she posted 24.9 ppg and 12.2 rpg en route to National Player of the Year honors.
All told, four different Lady Bulldogs have averaged a double-double for a season on seven occasions - McClain in 1986-87 and in 1985-86 (21.3 ppg, 10.1 rpg); Janet Harris in 1984-85 (20.6 ppg, 10.3 rpg), 1982-83 (20.4 ppg, 11.7 rpg) and 1981-82 (22.1 ppg, 12.4 rpg); Wanda Holloway in 1980-81 (14.1 ppg, 10.6 rpg) and Cynthia Collins in 1979-80 (14.5 ppg, 10.1 rpg).
UGA Single-Game Rebound Leaders
No. Player, Opponent (Date)
24 Katrina McClain, W. Carolina (2/10/86)
23 Janet Harris, S. Carolina (1/30/82)
23 Wanda Holloway, Vanderbilt (2/16/81)
22 Katrina McClain, Valdosta St. (12/4/86)
22 Wanda Holloway, Mercer (2/11/81)
20 Janet Harris, Clemson (2/28/83)
20 Janet Harris, Clemson (12/15/82)
20 Wanda Holloway, Pittsburgh (3/26/81)
19 Porsha Phillips, Southern Cal (11/23/10)
Phillips joins top swatters
Porsha Phillips joined UGA's top-10 career leaders for blocked shots against Southern Miss on Dec. 1, just seven games into her third season in Athens.
Phillips blocked three shots against the Eagles to move past Kara Braxton (102) into the No. 10 spot on the career leaders ledger.
Phillips then inched past Wanda Holloway into the No. 9 position as outlined below with a pair of rejections against Mercer on Dec. 7.
UGA Career Blocked Shot Leaders
No. Player (Games Played) Years
297 Tawana McDonald (124) 1998-02
290 Katrina McClain (125) 1983-87
267 Tracy Henderson (122) 1993-97
213 Angel Robinson (128) 2006-10
194 Christi Thomas (124) 2000-04
179 Barbara Bootz (126) 1983-87
163 Tammye Jenkins (115) 1987-91
119 Tasha Humphrey (126) 2004-08
117 Porsha Phillips (83) 2008-pres.
104 Wanda Holloway (134) 1980-84
Miller, Ransford up fr. starters
Ronika Ransford and Khaalidah Miller have become the 66th and 67th freshmen to start for the Lady Bulldogs during Andy Landers' 32 seasons at Georgia.
Ransford got her first nod vs. Mercer on Dec. 7, and Miller started for the first time at TCU in Dec. 22.
The list of 67 freshman starters also includes four current Lady Bulldogs - Meredith Mitchell, Jasmine James, Jasmine Hassell and Anne Marie Armstrong.
Shooting percentages up
Georgia has hit 50 percent or better of its shots six times in 17 games.
That's a relatively stark contrast to a year ago when the Lady Bulldogs struggled to put the ball into the basket and posted a 50 percent or better field goal percentage only two times in 34 games.
