University of Georgia
TCU
Lady Bulldogs Rally To Defeat TCU 62-53
November 16, 2014 | Women's Basketball
Following the win, we talked with Erika Ford, Krista Donald and Coach Landers.
Nov. 16, 2014
ATHENS, Ga. --- The Lady Bulldogs recorded their second win of the season on Sunday afternoon in Stegeman Coliseum, a 62-53 victory over TCU, thanks to a strong second-half effort and four double-digit scorers.
Krista Donald and Shacobia Barbee both recorded double-doubles. Donald posted a team-high 13 points and grabbed 10 boards, while Barbee tallied 12 points and led the team in rebounds with 14 and steals with five. Tiaria Griffin and Erika Ford both scored 11 points for the Lady Bulldogs.
After a slow start for both teams, the Lady Bulldogs used a Griffin 3-pointer to take a 7-5 lead. But TCU rallied and hit consecutive jumpers to tie the score at 11-11 halfway through the period.
"I thought we opened the game reasonably well and we faltered midway through the half," head coach Andy Landers said. "We just made too many turnovers and misconnected on passes and catches that would have led to lay ups. And as we did that, as it often does, the offense affects the defense. They got done what they wanted to get done."
In the following three minutes, the teams tied three times before TCU used an 11-2 run to take a nine-point lead, its largest of the game. The Lady Bulldogs took advantage of foul opportunities to narrow the score, including a perfect three-for-three at the line from Donald. She and Barbee, who also made shots at the line, sunk layups to take Georgia into the locker room at halftime trailing by only five, 30-35.
The second half opened with back-and-forth scores from both teams, but a tip-in by Merritt Hempe at the 18:08 mark sparked a 12-0 run for the Lady Bulldogs. Mackenzie Engram hit three field goals, while Hempe and Ford each added another.
The Horned Frogs battled to pull within two with less than 11 minutes to play, but Georgia was able to hold off their effort with another scoring run. Donald made a layup, Ford added a point from the line and then Barbee took control of the court. She grabbed an offensive rebound, sunk a layup, turned around to record a steal and made another shot from inside the paint in a 30-second period.
"They had played very well but the message at halftime was we need to dominate the second half," Landers said. "We need to go out and play the way that we know we are capable of playing - not try to do that, but do it....go out and take care of the big ones and I really thought that's exactly what they did."
Though TCU fought back to draw within three points, the Lady Bulldogs outscored the Horned Frogs 7-3 in the final seven minutes of the game to seal the 62-53 Georgia win.
The Lady Bulldogs will hit the road this week for a matchup against Ohio State at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio. They will then travel to Georgia Tech for a 2 p.m. game in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday.
