University of Georgia Athletics
Dog Notes: Butler Delivers Big Performance
November 22, 2015 | Women's Basketball
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
Coming into Sunday's game against Georgia Tech, Georgia women's basketball senior guard Marjorie Butler was well aware that she hadn't scored yet this season.
She had started the Lady Bulldogs' first two games and played a combined 54 minutes. But the 5-foot-8 Butler was 0-for-8 from the field to start the season, which was disappointing but not alarming, she said after the Lady Bulldogs' 78-66 win over Tech.
It was Sunday against the Yellow Jackets that Butler's offensive game came together beyond her ball-handling and passing abilities. Butler had 12 points at halftime and finished with a career-high 18, going 7-for-12 from the field. She also had five rebounds and four assists, helping Georgia (2-1) improve to 34-4 all-time against Tech and 15-0 in Athens.
"My teammates continued to pass the me the ball and have confidence in me, and the coaching staff has continued to make time in their schedules to work out with me and work on my shot with me, at unreasonable times of the day" said Butler, who started 28 games last season and averaged 4.6 points, 3.0 assists and 2.3 rebounds a game.
"It really goes to them for continuing to have confidence in me. I knew that all the work was going to eventually pay off."
She hit a jumper from the right baseline on her first attempt, scoring the Lady Dogs' first points of the game — after Tech (3-1) had opened with five straight. Those were her only points of the opening quarter.
"Right off the bat with that first possession, it became very clear that they were going to make me shoot the ball," she said. "So I knew right then that I was going to have to make shots tonight. From the start of the game I knew that I was going to be taking shots and have the mentality to knock them down."
Butler missed a 3-pointer to late in the first and missed another to start the second. At the 5:50 mark of the second, she hit a 14-foot baseline jumper, followed soon after by a steal that led to a Tiaria Griffin 3 and a 31-19 Georgia lead.
She added two free throws with 3:23 left in the half before finishing in a big, big way. In the final 1:25, Butler hit a pair of 3-pointers, including one at the buzzer from the left wing, giving Georgia a 48-30 lead at the half. The 3 finished a 26-13 second-quarter surge but the Lady Dogs, with Butler scoring 10 of the 26 points.
"It felt great," Butler said. "Going into halftime with a big shot like that, it just capped our quarter."
Butler's best stretch of the second half came late in the third quarter. Alone on defense as Tech went at her on a fast break, Butler disrupted the layup attempt of Aaliyah Whiteside, forcing a miss. Butler grabbed the rebound and took off the other way, pulling up and drilling a 13-foot jumper for a 61-45 lead.
"For her to come out and contribute the way she did, not only were they open looks, they were shots we needed," Georgia coach Joni Taylor said. "They were really, really big shots, so I couldn't be more happy for her."
Closing The Deal
Georgia senior forward Merritt Hempe had 8 points and four rebounds at halftime, when the Lady Dogs were 18 at and rolling. But Tech, which outscored UGA 18-17 in the fourth, didn't go away. It was Hempe that kept the Yellow Jackets at bay with a huge period.
Hempe scored 8 of her game-high 22 points (tying her career high) in the final period, while also getting three of her 10 rebounds in the fourth. Georgia led 61-48 entering the period and margin was 12 or higher the rest of the way. Several times it was Hempe that made Tech pay when Georgia broke its press.
"It's really all (my teammates) finding me, breaking that press and they did a great job," Hempe said.
Second-Chance Trouble
Georgia never trailed after the 1:42 mark of the opening quarter and never led by less than 12 in the second half. But the Lady Dogs could never fully pull away from the Yellow Jackets. One reason why is Tech's huge advantage in offensive rebounding and second-chance points, which kept it close enough to possibly rally.
While Georgia outrebounded Tech 40-35, the Yellow Jackets had 15 offensive rebounds (to UGA's 11) and they had a significant 20-8 advantage in second-chance points.
"It's something we've been focusing on in practice and we've got to get better at," Hempe said. "It's a process and it's not going to happen in one night, but we're very aware of it. We're not so happy about it, but we're working on it."
Odds And Ends
Pushing the ball is one of Georgia's biggest offensive priorities this season and the Lady Dogs did so Sunday, outscoring Tech 19-2 in fast-break points. ... Georgia finished 29-for-57 from the field and 7-for-18 from 3-point range, while Tech was 26-for-66 and just 6-for-25 on 3s. ... Georgia is back in action Tuesday night against another in-state opponent when Georgia Southern visits Stegeman.
John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
