University of Georgia Athletics
Lady Bulldog Game Notes: UGA vs. Mississippi State
January 13, 2012 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 13, 2012
The Basics
Date: Sunday, January 15
Tipoff: 2:00 p.m. CENTRAL
Location: Starkville, Miss.
Arena: Humphrey Coliseum (10,500)
Video: None
Radio:
* Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (AM 960 The Ref in Athens and 103.7 FM from Gainesville) Jeff Dantzler - play-by-play
Series:
* UGA leads 24-12, including a 78-58 victory in the most recent mathcup on Jan. 23, 2011
* UGA leads 9-7 in Starkville; however, MSU won the most recent meeting, 74-66, on Jan. 28, 2010
Lady Bulldogs face Lady Bulldogs
No. 19 Georgia travels to Starkville on Sunday for a 3 p.m. ET date with Mississippi State at Humphrey Coliseum. The trip is the second of three consecutive Sunday road dates for UGA.
The Lady Bulldogs improved to 14-3 overall and 3-1 in SEC play with a 61-55 win over Florida on Thursday.
Jasmine Hassell leads a balanced Georgia attack by averaging 13.4 points. Khaalidah Miller (13.1), Anne Marie Armstrong (10.9) and Jasmine James (10.8) also contribute double-digit averages. Meredith Mitchell, the lone starter not averaging double figures overall (8.2 ppg), is chipping in 10.3 ppg in conference contest.
Mississippi State upped its records to 11-5 overall and 1-2 in the SEC with Thursday's 66-61 victory at Alabama.
Diamber Johnson paces the Lady Bulldogs on the offensive end with a 17.6 ppg scoring average that also leads the SEC. Mill Creek High graduate Porsha Porter also averages double-figures in the scoring column at 14.5 ppg.
Series history with State
Georgia owns a 24-12 lead in its all-time series with Mississippi State's Lady Bulldogs; however, UGA's advantage is just 9-7 in Starkville.
Last season in Athens, Georgia used a 13-0 first-half run to build a 27-13 lead en route to a 78-58 victory. MSU never got closer than 18 points in the second half as UGA's lead topped out at 30 points with 9:35 left.
Anne Marie Armstrong scored what was then a career-high 17 points the day before her 20th birthday to lead Georgia, while Porsha Phillips added 16 points and 11 boards.
In the most recent contest in Starkville on Jan. 28, 2010, Mississippi State upset No. 9 Georgia, 74-66.
A 9-0 run late in the first half gave MSU a 35-25 lead at the intermission. State led by 16 with 4:42 remaining before a furious rally pulled Georgia within four with 54 seconds left.
MSU then connected on 6-of-6 free throws to preserve the upset.
Alexis Rack poured in 34 points - largely due to 7-of-10 shooting from three-point range - to lead State. Meredith Mitchell's 16 points led UGA.
Last Time Out...
Led by 19-point scoring efforts by both Anne Marie Armstrong and Khaalidah Miller, No. 19 Georgia beat Florida, 61-55, Thursday night.
Armstrong and Miller tied the most Georgia points against an SEC opponent this season. Jasmine Hassell also put up 19 against Arkansas.
"Everyone hit shots," Andy Landers said. "Meredith Mitchell hit a big shot when they pressed us. Khaalidah Miller hit a big shot with the shot clock running down. Jasmine James hit some free throws down the stretch. Everybody did what they needed to do when we needed them to do it."
After a slow start, a three-pointer by Miller with 11:00 left in the first half sparked a 10-2 run to put Georgia up 19-10; eight of those points were scored by Miller.
A last-second steal and layup by Armstrong gave the Lady Bulldogs a 13-point lead, 29-16, heading into the locker room.
Georgia maintained its dominant lead well into the second half, including a 40-28 edge with 11:50 left before a 9-0 run by the Gators saw Florida pull within three, 40-37.
A trey by Miller and a jumper by Donald put Georgia back up by eight, 45-37, with 7:20 left in the game.
The Lady Bulldogs expanded that advantage to 53-44 before Florida quickly pulled within four, 53-49, with a trey and a pair of free throws. A James free throw to start the final two minutes helped seal the Gators' fate.
Quoting Coach Landers
On the victory over Florida...
"If you're going to play for a championship, you have to win one game at a time. You expect them to be hard-fought, physical and challenging. That's what this game was. It just prepares you for the next one."
On the crowd against Florida...
"Our crowd was terrific. I can't say enough about those guys. Our team feeds off of the crowd's energy. Go on the road with us and you will see what it is like not to have them. It's tough on the road, but boy it's nice to be at home."
On facing Mississippi State in Starkville...
"It's always a battle when we go to Starkville. This one will be no different. They have excellent guard play and terrific height inside. They always play lights out at home."
Big numbers on the sidelines
This afternoon's contest represents Andy Landers' 1050th game as the University of Georgia's first - and still only - full-time women's basketball head coach.
It also will serve as Mississippi State head coach Sharon Fanning-Otis' 500th outing in 17 seasons in Starkville.
Landers was a relatively obscure 26-year-old with four seasons of junior college experience when he was hired in April 1979. Interestingly, Landers was the first head coach hired by football coach Vince Dooley after he added the role of Director of Athletics to his title.
Landers quickly turned Georgia into a national power and has been the driving force behind maintaining that stature for more than three decades. UGA ranks No. 2 nationally in both NCAA Tournament appearances (28) and weeks ranked by the AP (468).
Magnolia State product back home
Georgia freshman Krista Donald is a native of Lake, Miss., about two hours South of Starkville.
Donald was named Miss Basketball by the Jackson Clarion-Ledger and the Gatorade Player of the Year in 2011. She was a four-year starter at Lake High School, where she scored 2,456 points and grabbed 1,470 rebounds during her prep career.
Donald has made solid contributions in her initial collegiate campaign, averaging 4.8 ppg and 3.0 rpg. She also has a pair of double-doubles against the College of Charleston and Appalachian State. Donald's 13 rebounds against App State are the most by any Lady Bulldog in a single game this season.
Peach State products on display
Mississippi State's roster features a pair of players who played high school basketball in Georgia.
Danielle Rector is a native of Ringgold. Porsha Porter, who lists Chicago as her hometown, played at Mill Creek High just outside Atlanta.
Facing Peach State prepsters is something the Lady Bulldogs do regularly in SEC play. All told, 10 teams - everyone but Kentucky and Ole Miss - feature a combined 22 players from Georgia high schools.
The Lady Bulldogs' roster sports five home state standouts.
Former teammates face off
The Mississippi State game marks the fourth time a Lady Bulldog faced a former high school teammate during the 2011-12 season.
Georgia senior Meredith Mitchell and Mississippi State sophomore Brittany Young played together at powerhouse Midfield (Ala.) High School near Birmingham.
Mitchell was a starat Midfield from 2005-08 where she helped lead 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.
Young then helped lead Midfield to two more state championships during her junior and senior seasons.
Sophomore Khaalidah Miller and Auburn senior Morgan Jennings played together for two seasons at Frederick Douglass High in Atlanta.
The other class reunions occurred when the Lady Bulldogs played at Georgia Southern and at Mercer.
A half-dozen former teammates played against each other in Statesboro. Tamika Willis and Danielle Spencer played together at Westlake High. Erika Ford and Kayla Upchurch were classmates at Chattahooche High. Brittney Crews and Southern's MiMi DuBose played together at Jefferson High.
Willis also faced Westlake alum Sharnea Boykin in Macon.
Taking advantage of the charity
Following a fairly rugged start to the season, Georgia has improved dramatically at the free throw line.
Through the first six games of the season, the Lady Bulldogs were a relatively woeful 59-of-101 from the free throw line, just 58.4 percent.
In its last 11 outings, Georgia has converted on 149-of-206 trips to the charity stripe, a solid 72.3 percent conversion rate.
UGA shot a season-best 18-of-22 (.818) on FTs against Florida and is now shooting 67.8 percent for the year.
A balanced attack
Four Georgia starters are averaging double figures in the scoring column this season.
Jasmine Hassell is putting up a team-best 13.4 ppg, followed by Khaalidah Miller (13.1), Anne Marie Armstrong (10.9) and Jasmine James (10.5).
Meredith Mitchell, the lone starter not contributing double figures overall, was the only Lady Bulldog to score 10 or more in the first three SEC games. She is averaging 10.3 ppg in league action.
"We're a balanced basketball team," Andy Landers said. "I thought we would be going in, and I think we will be all year. I think on any given night, any one of about seven or eight players could step up and be very, very big for us."
A balanced attack: Take II
Six different players led Georgia offensively in the first six games of the 2011-12 campaign.
Jasmine Hassell has paced the Lady Bulldogs a team-best eight times. Anne Marie Armstrong, Erika Ford, Jasmine James, Khaalidah Miller and Meredith Mitchell also have led Georgia offensively.
Seven Lady Bulldogs - add Krista Donald to the aforementioned ledger - have a combined 53 double-digit scoring performances of the year.
Georgia hitting its "magic number"
The Lady Bulldogs have furthered one of the greatest statistical indicators in any sport six times this season.
The Lady Bulldogs have scored 80 or more points on six occasions and in the process improved to 431-7 when scoring 80 or more during Andy Landers' 33 seasons at the University of Georgia.
That converts to an almost unfathomable 98.401826484018 winning percentage.
The six 80-plus outings in the first 13 games represented one more than the Lady Bulldogs produced in the past two seasons combined.
