University of Georgia Athletics
Dog Notes: Rising To the Occasion
December 05, 2016 | Women's Basketball
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
When Georgia needed to rise to the occasion Monday night at Stegeman Coliseum and make the plays at both ends of the floor to get the win, it did so. Led by Caliya Robinson's 20 points and 10 rebounds, the Lady Bulldogs overcame a nine-point deficit early in the second half and edged Furman, 67-62.
There's a lot to fix, like getting outrebounded 39-32 by a smaller Paladins squad, but coach Joni Taylor liked the way her team responded down the stretch.
"I really feel good. I'm happy that our team came back and got a win," Taylor said. "This is a young team that really hasn't been down at home late in a game, and so for us to stay the course, not get frustrated and hang our heads, and come back and get a win, I'm proud of their effort."
Georgia had scored the first seven points of the game and seemed headed for a cruiser, but little over the next 15 minutes of action went right after that. The Paladins outscored Georgia 38-24 in the rest of the first half, in part by hitting half their shots and dominating the bigger Lady Dogs on the glass.
Furman had a 38-31 advantage at halftime and it wasn't immediately all better for Georgia after the break. Furman scored first in the third and led 40-31, its largest lead of the game.
Georgia got going a bit after that and went on a 9-0 run (the final six points coming from Robinson) to tie the game at 40 with 5:06 left in the third. But Furman wasn't done, going on an 8-1 run of its own to lead 48-41.
Things weren't totally bleak for Georgia at that point, with 1:12 to play in the third, but it wasn't like a birthday party, either.
Late in the end of the third quarter, Mackenzie Engram hit a 3-pointer from the left wing to cut the Paladin lead to 48-44 entering the fourth.
In the first minute of the final period, Haley Clark hit a free throw and a pull-up jumper to make it a one-point game. Furman then pushed it back to a four-point lead, 51-47. Georgia outscored the Paladins 20-11 the rest of the way.
"We came back out and picked it up on 'D' and turned it up on 'D,' and that carried over to our offense," said Clark, who turned 21 Monday and finished with 8 points, a career-high six assists and four rebounds.
Robinson stepped out for a jumper from 15 feet, then a Pachis Roberts steal led to long pass to Engram and a dish to Robinson for a layup, tying the game at 51-all. After a Furman miss, Roberts threw another long pass to Engram, who took care of the layup herself.
Furman regained the lead one last time with a three-point play with 5:42 remaining, but Robinson put Georgia back in front 17 seconds later with a 17-foot jumper. The Lady Dogs never trailed again.
Robinson led the way with her seventh career double-double, playing all 40 minutes, but Georgia's rally for the win was a group effort. Six different Lady Dogs scored in the fourth quarter and five players grabbed fourth-quarter rebounds.
"I think we do play a lot better when we all contribute," Clark said.
Drawing A Crowd
Georgia came in shooting just 24.0 percent from 3-point range, which allowed Furman to pack in its defense around Robinson, who was often double- and triple-teamed in the post. For good reason: the 6-foot-3 forward started the night averaging 19.0 points per game, second in the SEC.
"People are going to try to take her away and more than anything I think Caliya has to prepare herself for that," Taylor said of the packed-in defense.
The Lady Dogs hit five first-half 3s and were 7-for-16 for the game, but Georgia also forced some outside shots. Georgia's offense got going in the second half, outscoring Furman 36-24, with good passing and drives inside and by getting out in transition after defensive stops.
Until Georgia shoots consistently better from the outside, Robinson can expect to have multiple defenders around her in the paint. Of course she can step out as well: she hit two 3s Monday and several more jumpers from beyond 15 feet. Robinson also had three assists.
"When I know I'm being double-teamed or triple-team, I know somebody's open, so I'm looking for the open man," she said.
Up Next
The Lady Dogs get a bit of a break before their next game, which is at Cincinnati on Dec. 15. Georgia won't be able to go all in on practice time because of exams, which start this week, but the Lady Dogs should have some time to rest and regroup after a difficult stretch.
Monday night's game was Georgia's sixth since its trip to Georgia Tech on Nov. 20. That's six games in 16 days, with the trip to and from the Bahamas and the trip out to Oklahoma State and back mixed in.
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.
