University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Opens SEC Play On New Year's Day
December 31, 2016 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 31, 2016
Georgia Basketball Game Notes
Lady Bulldog Info
Game & Broadcast Info
- Opponent: Missouri
- Records: Georgia 8-5, Missouri 10-4
- Rankings: Georgia NR, Missouri NR
- Tipoff: Sunday, January 1 - 1:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Mizzou Arena // Columbia, Mo.
- TV: SEC Network (Courtney Lyle - play-by-play; LaChina Robinson - analyst)
- Video Stream: SECN+
- Radio:Georgia Bulldog Network by IMG // Jeff Dantzler (PBP) // In Athens: WRFC-AM 960 | Affiliates
- Audio Stream: Georgiadogs.com | Mobile
- Live Stats:
Related Links
Buy TicketsFollow @UGAAthletics
Follow @UGA_WBB
SEC Network
Georgia Lady Bulldogs
RosterSchedule
Stats
Missouri Tigers
RosterSchedule
Stats
Complete Game Notes
Opening Tip - Five Things To Know
- Georgia heads to Missouri to tip off its 38th season of Southeastern Conference action. The Lady Bulldogs enter the 2016-17 slate with 282 all-time SEC wins and seven regular season league titles -- both totals rank second behind Tennessee.
- This will be the fourth-straight year Georgia opens league play on the road. The Lady Bulldogs boast an impressive 28-9 record in SEC openers, but have lost their last three dating back to the 2012-13 season. Ironically, Georgia's last SEC-opening victory came against Missouri, 77-46, in what was the Tigers' first-ever league game as a member of the conference on Jan. 3, 2013 in Athens.
- Georgia has won three of the last four meetings between these two programs. The 65-50 win in Columbia last year was the Lady Bulldogs' first victory at Missouri since 1984.
- Head coach Joni Taylor, who won the coveted Spalding Maggie Dixon National Rookie Coach of the Year honor last season, leads the Lady Bulldogs into SEC play in her second year as head coach. Taylor guided Georgia to a 9-7 SEC finish in 2015-16 as the team won seven of its final nine regular season games.
- Georgia will be facing a 2016 NCAA Tournament team for the fourth time this season and a squad that made postseason play for the eighth time. The Lady Bulldogs are looking to improve their road league record to 5-4 under Joni Taylor.
Series Information
Overall: Georgia leads, 6-3
In Athens: Georgia leads, 3-2
In Columbia: Georgia leads, 2-1
Neutral Sites: Georgia leads, 1-0
Current Streak: Georgia - 3 out of the last 4
Last Meeting: Georgia 65, Missouri 50 - 2/4/16 in Columbia, Mo.
Scouting Missouri
Missouri returned nine players off of last year's team that put together an impressive 22-10 record on its way to an NCAA Tournament appearance. Among those returners is preseason First-Team All-SEC selection Sophie Cunningham. The Columbia, Mo., native currently paces the Tigers with her 16.1 points per game. Led by head coach Robin Pingeton, Missouri is currently 10-4 this season and has won four of its last five games. The Tigers are currently 8-0 at home and hold a +7.0 rebounding margin against their opponents.
Career Days Against Western Carolina
Three players set career highs in scoring in the win against Western Carolina. Shanea Armbrister recorded her first career double-figure scoring game with 13 points, while Simone Costa scored 14 and Pachis Roberts scored 29. Roberts' total put her above the 20-point mark for just the second time in her career.
Robinson Riding Streak; Puts Her Name Among Georgia Greats
With her 24-point, 11-rebound effort against Samford, Caliya Robinson became just the fourth Lady Bulldog since 2000 to record three or more 20-point, 10 rebound games in their careers, joining an elite group of former Lady Dogs -- Tasha Humphrey, Christi Thomas and Kara Braxton.
Robinson currently ranks fourth in the league in scoring with 17.6 points per game. She already has 11 double-figure scoring efforts (surpassing last year's total) and four double-doubles (tying last year's total). Robinson has scored in double figures in 15-straight games dating back to last season.
The First 30 Since 2008
Caliya Robinson became the first Lady Bulldog since Tasha Humphrey in 2008 to score 30 points in a single game. Robinson had a career day against Minnesota on Nov. 24, scoring 30 points off a 14-for-27 shooting performance. Humphrey scored 32 points against Florida on Feb. 24, 2008.
Pachis Ups Production In Final Season
Pachis Roberts has recorded three double-doubles in her career -- all of them coming this season. The senior from Powder Springs, Georgia currently ranks fourth in the SEC in minutes played (33.9 per game) and has played 40-plus minutes three times this season.
Short Bench, Starting Five Shift for The Lady Bulldogs
Georgia's roster features just eight scholarship players and one walk-on this season. The Lady Bulldogs lost four senior starters off last year's team and lost incoming freshman Kortney Eisenman due to a heart condition before the start of the season.
Georgia has used six different starting lineup combinations this season with the most prevalant being Haley Clark, Shanea Armbrister, Pachis Roberts, Mackenzie Engram and Halle Washington as well as the combination of Clark, Simone Costa, Roberts, Caliya Robinson and Washington. Georgia has used each of those combinations four times this year.
Georgia Gets First Road Win At Cincinnati
Georgia used a strong second half to pick up its first road win of the year at Cincinnati's Fifth Third Arena. With the scored tied 26-26 at the half, the Lady Bulldogs used an 8-0 run to begin the second half to hold off the Bearcats. Simone Costa finished with a career-high 11 points, while Caliya Robinson and Pachis Roberts each scored in double figures.
Engram Scores Career High On 21st Birthday
Junior forward Mackenzie Engram celebrated her 21st Birthday on Nov. 29 by scoring a career-high 23-points against Kennesaw State. Engram, who sat out the final 15 games last season due to an illness known as Pericarditis, has scored in double figures seven times this season, including two 20-plus point efforts.
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.
Joni Taylor Gives Birth To First Baby Girl
Head coach Joni Taylor and her husband Darius welcomed their first child, Jacie Elise Taylor, into the world Nov. 3. She weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces and is 20 inches long. Associate head coach Karen Lange took over head coaching duties in the interim through the first six games. Taylor was on the bench for each of those games, except when the team played in the Bahamas on Nov. 24 and 26.
Lady Bulldogs Go International
Georgia's roster has an international feel to it this season with the addition of Romania native and Washington State transfer Bianca Blanaru as well as Portugal native Simone Costa. Shanea Armbrister, who is in her second season with the Lady Bulldogs, grew up in the Bahamas and will make a return trip home when Georgia travels to the Junkanoo Jam on Nov. 24-26.
Georgia Replacing Production
Entering 2016-17, the Lady Bulldogs had to replace four senior starters off of last year's team. Shacobia Barbee, Tiaria Griffin, Merritt Hempe and Marjorie Butler accounted for 65 percent of Georgia's scoring and over 50 percent of the team's rebounding a season ago. Barbee and Griffin were two All-SEC performers, while Butler played in all 31 games at the point guard spot. The group combined for 479 games played and made three NCAA Tournaments (Elite Eight in 2013).
Georgia's 2017 Signing Class Ranked Top-10 Nationally
The Lady Bulldogs' 2017 signing class currently ranks among the top-10 in the nation according to ESPN.com's Hoopgurlz. Georgia signed four highly-touted recruits, including five-star guards Que Morrison and Gabby Connally, four-star guard Maya Caldwell and four-star forward 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 forward and Caldwell the 15th-ranked wing prospect nationally.
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS
For more information on the Georgia Lady Bulldogs, follow the team on Twitter (@UGA_WBB), Instagram (@uga_wbb), Facebook (Facebook.com/UGAWomensBasketball) and Snapchat (@uga_wbb).
