Lady Bulldogs Welcome Arkansas To Town

February 20, 2019 | Women's Basketball

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Georgia Lady Bulldog Basketball Game Notes
Georgia (15-10, 6-6 SEC) vs. Arkansas (16-10, 5-7 SEC)
Thursday, Feb. 21 | 7:00 p.m. ET
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) | Athens, Ga.
Radio: Georgia Bulldogs Sports Network - 960 AM and 103.7 FM in Athens (Jeff Dantzler)
TV: None
Video: SEC Network + (Matt Stewart, Christy Thomaskutty and Mackenzie Engram)

Complete Game Notes (PDF)

Probable Starters

Pos	No.	Name	PPG	RPG

Georgia Bulldogs
Coach: Joni Taylor
78-42 (4th year) at UGA
78-42 (4th year) overall
G	0	Taja Cole	10.7	5.2
5-8; RS-Jr.; Richmond, Va./Louisville
G	2	Gabby Connally	12.4	2.4
5-6; So.; San Antonio, Texas/Brandeis HS
G	23	Que Morrison	3.5	2.7
5-7; So; Riverdale, Fla./McEachern HS
G	11	Maya Caldwell	4.8	2.9
5-10; So.; Charlotte, N.C./Davidson Day
F	4	Caliya Robinson	14.1	8.0
6-3; Sr.; Marietta, Ga./McEachern HS

TEAM COMPARISON

GEORGIA LADY BULLDOGS		ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS
67.4	Scoring	72.5
43.4%	FG%	38.7%
30.9%	3FG%	30.2%
39.7	Rebounds	38.31
6.2	Assists	11.4
6.1	Blocks	4.2
8.2	Steals	9.1
58.0	Scoring Def.	67.4
36.1%	FG% Def.	40.4%
30.0%	3FG% Def.	29.7%
+4.8	Reb. Margin	-5.9+
0.6	T/O Margin	+5.9
1.0	Ast-T/O Ratio	1.0

Game Promotions

Student Night - the first 300 students receive a free tank top and free pizza
Halftime Show - Tyler's Balancing Act (as seen on the TV show America's Got Talent)

Opening Tip

Georgia makes a quick turnaround to host Arkansas at 7 p.m. ET this Thursday at Stegeman Coliseum. The game is available on SEC Network +, with Matt Stewart, Christy Thomaskutty and Mackenzie Engram on the call.
Associate head coach Karen Lange will assume head coaching duties on Thursday. Less than 12 hours after Georgia defeated Ole Miss, head coach Joni Taylor gave birth to a healthy girl -- Drew Simone -- at 7:29 a.m. on Tuesday.
The Lady Bulldogs are looking for their second win against the Razorbacks this season. Georgia defeated Arkansas 80-72 on Jan. 31 in Fayetteville.
Georgia owns a 33-5 lead in the all-time series against Arkansas and has not lost to the Razorbacks in Athens since 2009 -- a string of seven-straight games.
Senior forward Caliya Robinson leads the Lady Bulldogs in both scoring and rebounding this season with 14.1 ppg and 8.0 rpg. Her 58 total blocks are the second-most in the league, and she needs just 22 swats to break the Georgia career record (Tawana McDonald - 297 - 1998-02).
Redshirt-junior point guard Taja Cole is coming off another double-digit assist performance on Monday, when she totaled 10 dimes against Ole Miss. Cole has had 10 or more assists four times this season. Among Georgia players, only Ashley Houts, Shacobia Barbee and Jasmine James (each once) had double-digit assists in a game in the previous 10 seasons.

Series History

Overall: Georgia leads, 33-5
In Athens: Georgia leads, 16-2
In Fayetteville: Georgia leads, 14-3
Neutral Sites: Georgia leads, 3-0
Current Streak: Georgia has won 12 of the last 13
Last Meeting: Georgia won 80-72 (1/31/19)
Largest Margin of Victory: Georgia won 87-54 (2/24/96)
Largest Defeat: Arkansas won 66-45 (2/24/02)

Taylors Welcome Drew Simone to Lady Bulldog Family

It was a remarkable back-to-back feat for Georgia head coach Joni Taylor early Tuesday morning. Just hours after her team defeated Ole Miss, Taylor, along with her husband Darius and two-year old Jacie, welcomed Drew Simone Taylor at 7:29 a.m. Tuesday in Athens. Drew is 20 inches long and weighs 6 pounds, 8 ounces.

"Darius and I feel so blessed to be the parents of such a sweet little girl, and I know Jacie is thrilled to be a big sister," Taylor said. "I can't express how much joy Drew has already brought to our family. We want to thank everyone in the Georgia community for your prayers and encouragement during this happy season of our lives. I am thrilled that Drew will be surrounded by so many special people, and that she will be a part of the Bulldog family."

There is no timetable for Joni Taylor's return to the bench.

Georgia Hangs Close With Three Top Teams

Georgia has played three teams that are currently in the top-15 of this week's Associated Press poll. In all three games -- each on the road -- the Lady Bulldogs were either tied or led late in the second half.

Against then-No. 7 Maryland, Georgia led 40-38 in the third and was within two points -- 53-51 -- with 51 seconds remaining. On the road at then-No. 6 Mississippi State, Georgia built a 68-65 advantage with 6:12 remaining, but missed its last 10 shots in the loss. Then, at No. 11 South Carolina, Georgia tied the game at 53-53 with 6:49 to go, but was outscored 12-4 the rest of the way.

A Closer Look at Taja Cole's Assist Numbers

With three regular season games remaining and postseason play to follow, Taja Cole is just two assists away from breaking into the top-10 at Georgia for assists in a single season (Kelly Miller and Ashley Houts tied for 10th with 161 each).

Cole leads the Southeastern Conference and is sixth nationally with an impressive 6.7 helpers per game. She has totaled five or more dimes in 20 of 24 contests and has gone over 10 assists on four occasions this season. Her 161 total assists are 33 more than the next closest SEC player (Evina Westbrook, UT, 128 total).

Robinson Approaching Top Spot in Record Books

Caliya Robinson needs just 22 blocks to pass Tawana McDonald's record of 297 blocks in a career. With 276 total swats over the last three and a half seasons, Robinson currently stands in third place in the Georgia career record book behind McDonald and Hall of Famer Katrina McClain (290).

Morrison Heating up for Lady Bulldogs

Sophomore guard Que Morrison, who started 32 of Georgia's 33 games during her freshman campaign, has drawn starts in the last six contests. Morrison was expected to play a large role for the Lady Bulldogs this season but has been limited due to her knee injury.

After scoring a season-best 11 points against Florida, Morrison played a season-high 35 minutes at South Carolina and then 31 minutes against Ole Miss this past Monday night.

Caldwell Catching On Late in the Season

In addition to Morrison, another bright spot as of late has been the play of sophomore Maya Caldwell, who has started at the 4 spot in each of the last five games. She has scored in double figures in four of the last six contests, including a season-high 15 points against Ole Miss.

Connally's Feat a First Since Coco

Georgia sophomore guard Gabby Connally scored 21 points and totaled eight assists in the win at Arkansas on Jan 31. She is the first Lady Bulldog since Coco Miller against South Carolina in 2001 to score at least 20 points and total eight assists or more in an SEC road game. Last season, Connally set the Georgia freshman single-game record by scoring 37 points against Texas A&M. That total was just eight shy of Coco's overall school record of 45 points in a single game.

Free-Throw Numbers Up for Lady Bulldogs

As a team, Georgia's free-throw numbers are up by nearly 15 percentage points in SEC play compared to non-conference action. Against league opponents, the Lady Bulldogs have shot 75.5 percent from the free-throw line compared to just 61.3 percent against non-conference foes.

Redshirt-junior guard Taja Cole had the biggest jump from 45.2 percent to 83.3 percent, while Jenna Staiti jumped from just 52.8 percent to 76.2 percent. Gabby Connally is 25-for-26 at the FT line in SEC play.

Young Pups - Georgia is SEC's Youngest Team

With eight underclassmen and just four upperclassmen, the Lady Bulldogs are the youngest team in the Southeastern Conference. All seven of Georgia's available freshmen and sophomores (not counting Malury Bates who is out for the year after tearing her ACL) have averaged over 10 minutes played per game.

Robinson Named to Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Midseason List

Lady Bulldog forward Caliya Robinson is one of 15 players nationwide to be named to the prestigious Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Midseason Watch List. Robinson entered her senior season as the only SEC player to rank in the top-20 in points, rebounds, blocks and steals a season ago.

Lady Bulldogs Add Top Prospects in 2019 Signing Class

The initial signing period was a good one for the Lady Bulldogs as Georgia signed three players who are among some of the best in the nation. Currently, the Lady Bulldogs' 2019 class ranks 14th overall by ESPNW.

Mitchellville, Maryland native and five-star guard Chloe Chapman was the first to ink with Georgia. Chapman, a five-star prospect, is 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. Nicholson is ranked No. 6 among the country's top power forwards. Another Georgia native, Jordan Isaacs from Alpharetta, rounds out Georgia's class. She is a five-star player according to Prospects Nation and No. 14 overall forward according to ESPNW.

Earlier this winter, Georgia inked Virginia Tech transfer Shaniya Jones, who was a four-star guard in the 2018 class. She is on campus and will be an eligible sophomore at the conclusion of the 2019 fall term.

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