Lady Bulldogs Host Wright State Thursday

December 20, 2017 | Women's Basketball

Georgia Basketball Game Notes
Georgia Lady Bulldogs (10-1) vs. Wright State Raiders (9-2)
Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017 // 1 p.m. ET
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) in Athens, Ga.
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Network by IMG // Jeff Dantzler (play-by-play) In Athens: 960 AM and 103.7 FM
Video: SEC Network + (Matt Stewart — play-by-play, Christy Thomaskutty — analyst)

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Probable Starters

Pos	No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Joni Taylor
47-26 (3rd year) at UGA
47-26 (3rd year) overall
G	0	Taja Cole	8.3	2.4
5-7; RS-So.; TR; Richmond, Va./Louisville
G	12	Haley Clark	4.2	2.1
5-9; Sr.; 3L; Orlando, Fla./Edgewater HS
G	23	Que Morrison	9.6	4.5
5-7; Fr.; HS; Riverdale, Ga./McEachern HS
F	33	Mackenzie Engram	12.1	6.9
6-2; Sr.; 3L; Powder Springs, Ga./Hillgrove HS
F	4	Caliya Robinson	11.8	6.8
6-3; Jr.; 2L; Marietta, Ga./McEachern HS

Pos	No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Wright State Raiders
Coach: Katrina Merriweather
34-11 (2nd year at Wright State)
34-11 (2nd year) overall
G	22	Chelsea Welch	20.9	4.4
5-9; Sr./ Kettering, Ohio
G	3	Emily Vogelpohl	11.3	5.5
5-8; Jr.; Cincinnati, Ohio.
G	23	Symone Simmons	9.8	8.2
5-10; Jr.; Columbus, Ohio
G	12	Mackenzie Taylor	11.8	1.5
5-6; Jr.; Richmond, Ind.
F	25	Lexi Smith	10.1	7.3
5-11; Sr.; Sycamore, Ill.

TEAM COMPARISON

GEORGIA		WRIGHT STATE
72.7	Scoring	83.0
44.4%	FG%	45.4%
34.5%	3FG%	37.8%
41.4	Rebounds	43.4
17.8	Assists	16.5
5.9	Blocks	3.7
8.7	Steals	8.6
56.4	Scoring Def.	59.7
34.1%	FG% Def.	37.5%
33.8%	3FG% Def.	31.7%
+5.0	Reb. Margin	+12.0
+3.5	T/O Margin	+6.7
1.2	Ast-T/O Ratio	1.5

Opening Tip - Notes To Know Heading Into The Game

The 10-1 Georgia Lady Bulldogs return to Stegeman Coliseum to host Wright State at 1 p.m. ET Thursday. The Raiders come in with a 9-2 record and their only losses were by two points at No. 16 Missouri and by five points to Providence.
Wright State returns all five starters from a squad that went 25-9 and won the Horizon League regular season championship in head coach Katrina Merriweather's first year.
Georgia has won three in a row since picking up its only loss of the season to then second-ranked Texas on Dec. 3. The Lady Bulldogs have four wins against teams that won 20 or more game last season (Virginia, Mercer, BYU and Georgia Tech) and are ranked 37th in the latest RPI rankings.
Four Lady Bulldog freshmen accounted for 47 points in Georgia's win against Howard on Tuesday. That total is the most by a freshman class in a single game since 2009. That year, Anne-Marie Armstrong, Jasmine James, Jasmine Hassell and Ebony Jones combined to score 49 against Southern Miss.
Senior forward Mackenzie Engram is Georgia's leading scorer and rebounder with 12.1 points per game and 6.9 boards per contest. Engram has scored in double figures in all but two games (Tennessee Tech and Howard) this season.
Engram, who was named to the SEC all-freshman team in 2014, has been a leader for this young Georgia team. On Tuesday, teammate Maya Caldwell became the first Georgia freshman to score 20 points in a game since Engram scored 20 against Coppin State in 2014.

Game Promotions

Tacky Sweater Day — there will be a live vote and prizes for tackiest sweater
Hairy Claus pictures — Hairy Dawg dressed as Santa Claus will be on the concourse to take pictures with kids
$1 Hot Dogs

Series Information vs. Georgia Tech

Overall: Georgia leads, 1-0
In Athens: Never Met
In Dayton: Georgia leads, 1-0
Neutral Sites: Never Met
Current Streak: Georgia has won only meeting
Last Meeting: Georgia 63, Wright State 57 (12/20/15)
Largest Margin of Victory: Same as above
Largest Defeat: NA

Last Time Out

Eleven different Lady Bulldogs scored, including four freshmen who totaled 47 points, to lift the Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball team to a commanding 87-47 victory against the Howard Bison at Stegeman Coliseum on Tuesday.

In front of an electric crowd of 6,942 elementary school children and Lady Bulldog fans, the balanced spectacle featured a career-high 20 points from freshman guard Maya Caldwell.

Freshman Malury Bates complemented Caldwell, notching her first double-digit scoring output of her career with 11, adding a career-high seven rebounds. Capping the freshmen foursome were guards Que Morrison and Gabby Connally, who scored nine and seven points, respectively.

The 40-point difference marked the largest margin-of-victory for Georgia (10-1) this year, as nine Lady Bulldogs scored six or more points for the first time this season.

"We pride ourselves on being a good defensive team," Georgia head coach Joni Taylor said. "We try to set defensive goals each quarter so once we saw the score the first quarter, allowing a lot of points, we said no more. Everything starts from the defensive end for us. To be who we want to be that's where we have to start. We are so athletic, we have the ability to defend, and to deny the basketball."

Balanced Bulldogs Making a Difference

Georgia's balanced scoring has helped the team to a fast start this season. Through 11 games, eight or more players have scored in nine contests so far. The Lady Bulldogs, which played with just eight scholarship players last season, have been aided by newcomers who make up four of Georgia's top six scorers. Que Morrison leads the 2017 freshman class with 9.6 ppg.

Lady Bulldogs' Bench Shines, Same Starting Five In Each Game

Georgia's bench play has been impressive this season. The Lady Bulldogs' bench players have outscored their opponents, 288-172, in the first 11 games, an average of 10.5 points per contest. During Georgia's outing against Howard on Dec. 19, the Lady Bulldogs outscored the Bison 54-14 in bench points. Coach Taylor's team has also found consistency in its starting five this season. Georgia has used the same lineup of Cole, Clark, Morrison, Engram and Robinson through the first 11 games.

Freshmen Combine for Points Barrage

During Georgia's outing against Howard earlier this week, Lady Bulldog freshmen combined for 47 total points, led by a new career-high of 20 points from Maya Caldwell and 11 from Malury Bates. You have to go back to 2009 to find the last time a Georgia freshman class combined for that many points in a single game. That year it was Jasmine James (24), Anne-Marie Armstrong (14), Ebony Jones (6) and Jasmine Hassell (5) who combined to score 49 points in a December matchup against Southern Miss.

Georgia Beats Tech for 35th Time

The Lady Bulldogs won their sixth game in the last seven contests against Georgia Tech with a 60-53 win on Sunday. The victory, which improved Georgia's record to 16-0 against Tech in Athens and 35-5 overall, also gave the Lady Bulldogs a crucial win against a team with a top-40 RPI. Georgia now has four victories -- Virginia, Mercer, BYU and Georgia Tech -- against teams that won 20 or more games last season.

It Starts With Defense Under Taylor

Georgia prides itself on defense, and that has paid off this season. The Lady Bulldogs have held two opponents (BYU and Furman) to their season lows in scoring and four to their season lows in field goal percentage (BYU, Furman, Georgia Tech and Howard). BYU shot a season-low 35.1 percent from the field, while Furman hit just 27.3 percent and Georgia Tech shot at a 29.7 percent clip. In all, the Lady Bulldogs are 18-0 under Coach Taylor when holding an opponent to 50 points or less and are 9-0 when an opponent shoots less than 40 percent this season.

Robinson Named to Naismith, Katrina McClain Award Watch Lists

Lady Bulldog junior forward Caliya Robinson has received national attention for her efforts on the court. Among the SEC's returning leaders in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots, Robinson was named to the Citizen Naismith Trophy National Player of the Year Watch List, joining 50 of the top players from around the country. Before the season started, she was tabbed a Katrina McClain Award Watch List candidate, placing Robinson's name among the top 20 power forwards from across the country.

A Top-10 Shot Blocker

Robinson has moved into the top-10 of the Lady Bulldogs' career blocked shots leaders. In just 68 games, Robinson has 149 blocks (2.2 per game), which ranks eighth-best in Lady Bulldog history. Perhaps even more impressive is that Robinson has done this in just 68 career games. It took Tasha Humphrey (who is currently in10th place with 119) 126 games, while Anne-Marie Armstrong (in ninth place) recorded 122 blocks in 133 contests.

Georgia's Clark Already A College Graduate

A three-time selection to the SEC Academic Honor Roll, Haley Clark graduated in just three years and received her diploma from UGA during graduation ceremonies this past May. Clark received her bachelor's degree in business and finance and is pursuing a master's in financial planning. One of her career goals is to work in corporate finance and help other athletes with financial planning.

Clark, Engram Earn Leadership Awards

Haley Clark and Mackenzie Engram enter their senior seasons as the leaders for the Lady Bulldogs. That leadership ability did not go unnoticed by the UGA Athletic Association this past spring, as both Clark and Engram received awards recognizing their efforts in leadership and sportsmanship. The announcement was made at the annual student-athlete awards banquet in April.

Clark received the UGA Athletics Sportsmanship-Ethics Award, which is given annually to one female and male student-athlete who are selected based upon their displays of trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, friendship, caring and citizenship. Engram was chosen for the Clifford Lewis Leadership Award — an honor presented to one female student-athlete who demonstrates a commitment to a group of individuals above personal gain.

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