Lady Bulldogs Return for Trio of Home Games

November 27, 2018 | Women's Basketball

Game Notes

Georgia Lady Bulldog Basketball Game Notes
Georgia (3-3) vs. Mercer (3-3)
Wednesday, Nov. 28 | 7 p.m. ET
Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.
Radio: Georgia Bulldogs Sports Network - 960 AM in Athens (Jeff Dantzler)
TV: None
Video: SECN+ (Matt Stewart and Christy Thomaskutty)
Live Stats

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Probable Starters

Pos	No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Joni Taylor
66-35 (4th year) at UGA
66-35 (4th year) overall
G	0	Taja Cole	12.7	5.7
5-8; RS-Jr.; Richmond, Va./Louisville
G	2	Gabby Connally	11.5	2.2
5-6; So.; San Antonio, Texas/Brandeis HS
G	10	Caitlin Hose	3.3	2.8
5-9; Fr.; Hazel Green, Ala.
F	3	Stephanie Paul	4.7	5.2
6-1; Jr.; Naples, Fla./Community School of Naples
F	4	Caliya Robinson	11.3	7.5
6-3; Sr.; Marietta, Ga./McEachern HS

TEAM COMPARISON

GEORGIA LADY BULLDOGS		MERCER BEARS
64.2	Scoring	66.0
41.4%	FG%	39.7%
27.5%	3FG%	35.1%
44.5	Rebounds	33.2
17.2	Assists	15.0
7.0	Blocks	3.5
7.2	Steals	9.0
52.2	Scoring Def.	70.2
31.0%	FG% Def.	43.9%
19.3%	3FG% Def.	37.3%
+7.5	Reb. Margin	-5.0
-0.7	T/O Margin	+5.0
1.1	Ast-T/O Ratio	1.3

Lady Bulldogs Return for Trio of Home Games

Georgia returns home from a Thanksgiving trip to Puerto Rico to battle in-state foe Mercer on Wednesday. This is the first of three-straight games inside Stegeman Coliseum as the Lady Bulldogs host Charleston Southern on Dec. 2 and Furman on Dec. 4, before taking a 10-day exam break. Wednesday's game will be live on SEC Network + with Matt Stewart and Christy Thomaskutty on the call.

Georgia, Mercer Square Off in NCAA Tournament Rematch

It's been just 255 days since these two teams last met in the first round of the 2018 NCAA tournament, with Georgia taking a 68-63 win. Caliya Robinson and Mackenzie Engram combined for 44 points and 26 rebounds to help the Lady Bulldogs win their first NCAA tournament game under head coach Joni Taylor.

Series History: Georgia versus Mercer Goes All The Way Back to 1974

Georgia and Mercer have faced off with each other since 1974, with the Lady Bulldogs leading the all-time series 24-12. Georgia has won 22-straight games against the Bears. Mercer dominated the series when the teams first started playing in 1974 as the Bears won 11 of the first 12 meetings. Georgia's dominance in the series started when Hall of Fame Coach Andy Landers took over as head coach in the early 80's.

Scouting Mercer

The Bears, who are coached by former Lady Bulldog Susie Gardner, are coming off perhaps their best season in school history. Mercer landed in the NCAA tournament after their third-straight Southern Conference Championship. The Bears finished the year 30-3 overall with two of those losses coming to Georgia. Coming into this year, Mercer lost All-Conference player Kahlia Lawrence, who was drafted by the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA draft. KeKe Calloway leads the Bears in scoring with her 19.2 points per game.

Filling the Void Left By Que Morrison's Injury

On Nov. 1, SEC All-Freshman Team selection Que Morrison had surgery to repair a lateral meniscus in her left knee. That has forced Gabby Connally to start at the two guard spot and the combination of Maya Caldwell and freshman Caitlin Hose at the three guard, wth all three of those players -- Connally, Caldwell and Hose -- starting for the first times in their careers. Morrison is out for an unspecified amount of time with her recovery set to take around a month.

Georgia Has Led in All Three Losses

In each of Georgia's three losses this season, the Lady Bulldogs have led in the game. Against UCLA, Georgia built a 12-point advantage and led for over 30 minutes. Against Tech, the Lady Bulldogs led by five points, while they erased a 15-point deficit against Maryland to build a two-point lead in the second half. Georgia is being outscored in the fourth quarter, 62-41, in those losses.

Lady Bulldogs Add Top Prospects to 2019 Signing Class

The initial signing period was a good one for the Lady Bulldogs. Mitchellville, Maryland native and five-star guard Chloe Chapman inked with Georgia on Thursday. Chapman is widely regarded as one of the top prospects in the nation as the No. 28 overall recruit and No. 7 point guard according to ESPNW. Later in the week, Georgia announced the signing of five-star forward Javyn Nicholson from Lawrenceville, Georgia and Jordan Isaacs from Alpharetta, Georgia.

Cole the SEC Assists Leader

Redshirt-junior guard Taja Cole is off to a strong start this season as Georgia's leading scorer with 12.7 points per game. Cole also leads the SEC in assists with 36 total, an average of 6.0 per contest. The Richmond, Virginia native has scored in double figures in five of six games and has played 40 minutes in two of the last three contests.

Robinson Inching Closer to Blocked Shots Record; Staiti Among SEC Leaders

Georgia's lone senior Caliya Robinson needs just 69 more blocks to break the school record of 297 set by Tawana McDonald during her four-year career from 1998-2002. Robinson is not the only Lady Bulldog shot blocker. Jenna Staiti actually ranks third in the SEC in blocks with 14 total this season.

Exceeding Expectations Under Taylor

Georgia continued its upward trend under head coach Joni Taylor last season. The Lady Bulldogs finished tied with South Carolina for second place in the final SEC standings after being picked eighth in the preseason poll. It's a trend that goes all the way back to Taylor's first year, when her squad was picked ninth and finished sixth. Then, in 2016-17, Georgia was picked 12th and finished eighth.

Defense Travels Year In and Year Out

Georgia's mantra over the last few years has been Defense Travels. The Lady Bulldogs put up impressive defensive numbers last year, finishing first in the SEC in field-goal percentage defense (35.1 percent), second in blocked shots (196), second in turnovers forced (18.6 per game) and second in scoring defense (57.6 ppg). Those defensive numbers are reflective of Coach Taylor's first three seasons as head coach. In her tenure, Georgia is 25-0 when holding opponents to 50 points or less and has been one of the leading defensive teams in the league.

Most Wins Since 2013

The team's 26-7 overall record last year marked Georgia's most wins in a single season since 2012-13. The Lady Bulldogs stormed out to a 12-1 start at the conclusion of non-conference play and then defeated three ranked SEC opponents to finish with a 12-4 league record.

Among the Lady Bulldogs' most impressive wins was a 92-84 overtime win at Texas A&M and two victories against Missouri. The 12 wins in league play marked the most for Georgia since the team made the Elite Eight in 2012-13.

Georgia Set for Primetime

Eleven of Georgia's 16 SEC games are set to air nationally on either ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNU or the SEC Network.

Among the games selected for television, ESPN will carry the Lady Bulldogs' home contest against Tennessee on Jan. 13 at 3 p.m. Georgia will also host Alabama (Jan. 27, 2 p.m.) and Florida (Feb. 10, noon) on ESPNU and Texas A&M (Jan. 20, 4 p.m.) on ESPN2.

Georgia's SEC Network schedule includes road matchups at Mississippi State (Jan. 10, 9 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. CT), Missouri (Jan. 17, 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT), Auburn (Feb. 3, 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT), South Carolina (Feb. 14, 7 p.m.) and Alabama (Feb. 24, 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT).

The SEC Network will also broadcast home games against Ole Miss on Monday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. and Kentucky on Sunday, March 3 at 1 p.m.

Taylors Expecting Second Child

Jacie Taylor will be gaining a new brother or sister this spring as Coach Taylor and her husband Darius are expecting their second child. The baby is due to come sometime in the month of February. Taylor will still coach this season, but any head coaching duties during her absence will be handled by associate head coach Karen Lange. During Taylor's last pregnancy, Lange coached the first six games of the 2016-17 season, going 4-2 during that span.

FOLLOW THE LADY BULLDOGS

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