University of Georgia
4-0
Western Carolina
1-3
Georgia Uses Balanced Attack to Ease by Catamounts, 76-50
November 21, 2017 | Women's Basketball
ATHENS, Ga. – The Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball team returned home from a two-game road trip to defeat Western Carolina 76-50 Tuesday night at Stegeman Coliseum.
Georgia improves to 4-0, while West Carolina drops to 1-3. Georgia surpassed previous season highs in steals (15) and blocks (9) in a gritty defensive effort. The Catamounts' 50 points was their lowest this season, and the lowest Georgia has held its opponent.
The win also featured a balanced Georgia offense, with a season-high 11 Lady Bulldogs contributing to the final 76 points. Senior forward Mackenzie Engram led the attack with the sixth double-double of her career, recording 18 points and 10 rebounds. Her season-high scoring output marks her seventh double-digit performance in the last eight games.
"We have some depth," Georgia head coach Joni Taylor said. "That makes things a lot better. It makes for better competition. The players can go out there and play really hard knowing that they are going to get a break and not have to play for extended minutes."
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Georgia surged to a 14-0 second-quarter run over a span of 5:16, highlighted by a Que Morrison four-point play. Engram poured in seven more points to lead all scorers with 14 at halftime. All in all, nine Georgia players chipped in first half points.
The Lady Bulldogs forced 12 steals in the first half, surpassing the previous season-high 11 steals against Virginia, on the way to a 43-23 advantage heading into the third quarter.
"We took advantage of those [turnovers] by getting out and running. When we saw someone secure the ball, we took off and were able to run our lanes and get easy layups," senior Haley Clark said.
Georgia extended its lead to as many as 35 points in the second half, with the Lady Bulldogs outscoring Western Carolina 24-9 in the third frame. Freshman guard Maya Caldwell joined Engram in double-digit scoring with 11, providing seven points in the third quarter on the way to the first double-digit scoring output of her early career.
By the 76-50 final, the Lady Bulldogs scored 29 points off of 22 Western Carolina turnovers. Junior Caliya Robinson posted four blocks for the 13th time in her career, and the second this season.
Georgia turns around to travel to Provo, Utah, when it takes on BYU Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on BYUtv.
