University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Opens Junkanoo Jam Against Minnesota
November 23, 2016 | Women's Basketball
Georgia Basketball Game Notes
Lady Bulldog Info
Game & Broadcast Info
- Opponent: Minnesota Golden Gophers
- Records: Georgia 3-1, Minnesota 4-0
- Rankings: Georgia NR, Minnesota NR
- Tipoff: Thursday, November 24 - 3:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Gateway Christian Academy // Bimini, Bahamas
- TV: None
- Video Streaming: FloHoops.com (subscription required)
- Radio: Georgia Bulldog Network by IMG // Jeff Dantzler (PBP) In Athens: WRFC-AM 960 | Affiliates
- Audio Stream: Georgiadogs.com | Mobile
- Live Stats:
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Complete Game Notes
BIMINI, Bahamas -- The Georgia Lady Bulldog basketball team will open the 2016 Junkanoo Jam on Thanksgiving Day against Big Ten foe Minnesota at 3 p.m. ET.
The winner of the Georgia vs. Minnesota contest will take on the winner of the North Carolina vs. USF matchup on Saturday at 6:45 p.m. ET. The loser of those two games will meet on Friday at 7:45 p.m. ET.
Opening Tip
- Georgia makes its second appearance in the Junkanoo Jam, with the last coming in 2007. That was also the Lady Bulldogs' last international trip during Thanksgiving week.
- The Lady Bulldogs will play Minnesota for only the second time in school history. Georgia won the first meeting between the two schools, 65-61, in 1982 at the Dial Soap Classic in Miami, Florida. Wanda Holloway paced a loaded Lady Bulldog lineup that day, scoring 20 points. Teresa Edwards scored 12 and Lisa O'Connor added 13 points.
- Georgia has three players averaging in double figures, led by Caliya Robinson's 16.3 ppg. Senior Pachis Roberts, who has scored in double figures in each of the first four games of the year, averages 14.5 ppg, while Mackenzie Engram adds 12.3 ppg.
- Associate head coach Karen Lange will serve as the team's acting head coach this week. Joni Taylor, who just gave birth to her first baby girl Jacie Elise, did not make the trip to the Bahamas.
- Georgia has used the same starting lineup of Haley Clark, Shanea Armbrister, Pachis Roberts, Mackenzie Engram and Halle Washington in each of the first four games this season.
- The Lady Bulldogs are looking for their second-straight Holiday Tournament Championship. Georgia won the 2015 Radisson Chatsworth Thanksgiving Classic last season thanks to strong showings from Tiaria Griffin and Shacobia Barbee.
Series Information vs. Minnesota
Overall: Georgia leads, 1-0In Athens: Never Met
In Minneapolis: Never Met
Neutral Sites: Georgia leads, 1-0
Current Streak: Georgia, 1-0
Last Meeting: Georgia won, 65-61 (12/30/82)
Scouting Minnesota
The Gophers are off to their third consecutive 4-0 start under head coach Marlene Stollings. Minnesota's first three wins of the season came against 2016 WNIT teams, with their fourth coming against 2016 NCAA Tournament qualifier Seton Hall on Sunday. Carlie Wagner earned Big Ten Player of the Week Honor Rell recognition after averaging 22.3 points and 5.3 rebounds during three wins against teams who qualified for the 2016 postseason. Wagner is second in the Big Ten in scoring at 23.5 points per game (14th in the nation). She has 38 consecutive games in double fi gures and ranks 17th on Minnesota's career scoring list with 1,098 points.
Georgia's 2017 Signing Class Ranks Top-10 Nationally
The Lady Bulldogs' 2017 signing class currently ranks among the top-10 in the nation according to ESPN.com's Hoopgurlz. Head coach Joni Taylor and her staff have signed some of the top players in the country, with all four of this year's signees ranking in the ESPN top-100. This year's class includes five-star guards Que Morrison and Gabby Connally, four-star guard Maya Caldwell and four-star post prospect Malury Bates.
Each player is ranked in the top-15 at her position nationally, with Morrison coming in as the No. 7 ranked overall guard, Connally the No. 8 point guard, Bates the No. 8-ranked post player and Caldwell the 15th-ranked wing prospect nationally.
Georgia Downs Pair Of Conference Champs
The Lady Bulldogs have taken down two teams that won their respective conference championships last season. Mercer, the 2016 Southern Conference Co-Champion returned all five starters, while BYU returned three starters off its 2016 West Coast Conference championship team. The Cougars set several school records last season, including a 16-game win streak late in the year, on their way to the NCAA Tournament. BYU was receiving votes in last week's USA Today Coaches Poll.
Engram Looks Strong In Return
Junior forward Mackenzie Engram has looked sharp in her return after missing the final 15 games last season due to an illness called Pericarditis. She had a career-high effort of 21 points, 16 in the first half, against BYU last Wednesday. She scored a team-best 15 points vs. South Carolina State, recording the 18th, now 19th, double-figure scoring game of her career and followed that with a solid eight-point, eight rebound effort against Mercer.
Pachis Steps Up Production
Georgia senior Pachis Roberts has stepped up to lead the Lady Bulldogs through the first four games of the 2016-17 season. The Powder Springs, Georgia, native, who transferred to Georgia from Syracuse in 2013, has scored in double figures in each of the first four games. She tallied her first career double-double with 14 points and 11 boards against South Carolina State in the opening game of the year. She then fell just one rebound shy of her second career double-double with 19 points and nine boards vs. Mercer. Roberts played all but three minutes combined in the first two games of the year.
Robinson Picks Up Where She Left Off
Georgia sophomore forward Caliya Robinson has now scored in double figures in seven consecutive games dating back to last season. The Marietta, Georgia, native set a new career high in her 2016-17 debut against Mercer with 24 points off a 10-for-13 shooting performance.
Robinson came alive when her team needed her the most against the Bears, scoring 19 of her points in the second half, including the go-ahead shot that put the Lady Bulldogs up for good with just under three minutes remaining.
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