University of Georgia Athletics
University of Georgia
14-2, 2-1SEC
Kentucky
8-9, 0-3SEC
Georgia Stays Unbeaten on the Road, Downs Kentucky 56-42
January 07, 2018 | Women's Basketball
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Now 6-0 on the road to start the season for the first time since 1999, the Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball team used a strong defensive effort to take down Kentucky, 56-42, Sunday afternoon at Memorial Coliseum.
Georgia is now 14-2 overall and 2-1 in the Southeastern Conference, marking the team's best start since 2014-15. Kentucky falls to 8-9 and 0-3 in SEC play.
The veteran frontcourt duo of Mackenzie Engram and Caliya Robinson each recorded double-doubles and both scored 12 points to go along with 11 rebounds. Robinson blocked six shots and Engram blocked five as Georgia finished with a season-high 13 blocks as a team.
Georgia held Kentucky to a season-low 42 points, including just a 20-percent clip from the field in the final 20 minutes.
"This is a good win for our team today," head coach Joni Taylor said. "We felt like the non-conference schedule really prepared us well to go on the road in league play, and it is no easy task to win back-to-back conference games on the road. Give Kentucky credit — they were really prepared, they got after us and I am pleased to get out of here with a win."
Robinson hit the first shot of the game to give Georgia an early advantage, before Kentucky built a 9-8 lead at the first media timeout with 4:01 remaining in the first quarter.
The Lady Bulldogs overcame five turnovers in the first eight minutes of the game thanks to defensive pressure of their own. Que Morrison, who scored five points in the first 10 minutes, forced two-straight turnovers to help her team stake claim to a 15-10 advantage at the end of the opening period.
Georgia got into foul trouble in the early minutes of the second quarter, committing six team fouls in the first six minutes. Robinson, Maya Caldwell and Haley Clark each picked up two fouls a piece and Kentucky hung tight — 20-19 — with 4:07 on the clock before halftime.
A sloppy first half by both teams came to a close with the Lady Bulldogs owning a slim 26-24 lead. Georgia had the advantage despite 14 turnovers and a near four-minute stretch without a basket in the second quarter.
Neither team could hit a basket the first three minutes of the third frame — that was until Kentucky's KeKe McKinney hit a 3-pointer from the top of the arc and Georgia's Engram spotted up from the left side of the court to give the Lady Bulldogs a slight 29-27 edge.
Kentucky missed its last seven shots of the third quarter and scored just five points, allowing the Lady Bulldogs to build a six-point lead going into the fourth.
Georgia would not relinquish the lead the rest of the way as Morrison nailed 7-of-9 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to seal the game.
The Lady Bulldogs now host Arkansas Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
