WBB Game Notes: Georgia Hosts Gators in Sunday Matchup

Sunday, January 10

Athens, Ga.

Noon

University of Georgia

Florida

WBB Game Notes: Georgia Hosts Gators in Sunday Matchup

January 08, 2021 | Women's Basketball

Georgia Lady Bulldogs (9-1, 1-1 SEC) vs. Florida Gators (7-4, 0-3 SEC)
Sunday, Jan. 10 | noon ET
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523 - capacity around 20% this season) | Athens, Ga.
Radio: Bulldog Sports Network (Jeff Dantzler) 960 AM The REF, WXKT 103.7 FM in Athens
TV: SEC Network (Paul Sunderland (play-by-play)/Andraya Carter (analyst)
Video Stream: SEC Network +
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com

JONI TAYLOR - HEAD COACH

SIXTH SEASON // RECORD: 107-59 (.645)

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

2018 Werner Ladder Naismith National Coach of the Year Semifinalist
Two-time Atlanta Tip-Off Club Georgia College Coach of the Year
2016 Spalding Maggie Dixon National Rookie Coach of the Year
Three WNBA Draft picks
Led Georgia to a 26-7 record in 2017-18, marking the team's most wins in a single season since 2006-07
Georgia hosted the NCAA first and second rounds in Athens for first time since 2003 during the 2017-18 campaign
Five All-SEC honorees and two SEC Scholar-Athletes of the Year
Created the award-winning Beyond Basketball group

No.	Name	PPG	RPG
Georgia Lady Bulldogs Most Recent Starters
2	Gabby Connally	10.3	2.3
G; 5-6; Sr.; San Antonio, Texas
23	Que Morrison	9.8	4.7
G; 5-7; Sr.; Riverdale, Ga.
11	Maya Caldwell	8.7	2.8
G; 5-11; Sr.; Charlotte, N.C.
20	Jordan Isaacs	4.5	3.2
F; 6-0; So.; Alpharetta, Ga.
14	Jenna Staiti	15.0	7.8
C; 6-4; R-Sr.; Cumming, Ga.

Women's Basketball Fan Attendance Policy

Due to social distancing protocols, Stegeman Coliseum will be operating at a reduced capacity of approximately 20% with ticket opportunities in blocks of two or four seats only.
Fans will be required to wear face masks at all times while in Stegeman Coliseum.
No fans are allowed on the court level of Stegeman.
All seating is reserved for the 2020-2021 women's basketball season.
Tickets are mobile for the 2020-21 season. Tickets for this game are still available. Visit www.georgiadogs.com/tickets to purchase a mobile ticket.

Opening Tip Storylines

Georgia is set to face the Florida Gators this Sunday at noon ET on the SEC Network.
The Lady Bulldogs have won six-straight games against Florida and own a 59-17 lead in the all-time series.
The Lady Bulldogs, who are 9-1 this season, are ranked No. 16 in the first NET rankings and are receiving votes in both the Associated Press and Coaches polls.
Georgia began the year 8-0 in non-conference action, marking its best start in seven seasons.
Georgia is going for its 500th all-time win at Stegeman Coliseum. The Lady Bulldogs have won 499 games at The Steg in the last 45 years.
Georgia has won 14 of its last 18 games dating back to last year, with the only losses coming to top-15 teams South Carolina, Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Kentucky.
Head coach Joni Taylor's team ranks second in the Southeastern Conference in scoring defense, holding teams to just 55.6 points per game. Georgia has held six of 10 opponents at or below 30 percent shooting from the field.
Georgia's mantra has been 'Defense Travels' over the last few years. The Lady Bulldogs could make that case on the offensive end this season as the team has scored 80 points or more points four times in 10 games, compared to just twice in 31 contests last season.
The Lady Bulldogs are averaging 78.4 points per game, up 13 points per contest compared to the first 10 games in the 2019-20 season.
Two years after having the youngest team in the SEC, Georgia is a veteran squad with four seniors who have all graduated and are pursuing master's degrees.
Senior Jenna Staiti leads Georgia in scoring and rebounding with 15.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Staiti paces the SEC and ranks third nationally with 30 total blocks.
Balance and depth has been key for the Lady Bulldogs through the first part of the season. Eleven or more players have scored a basket in four of the last five games, with all 13 players routinely seeing action.

Scouting Florida

Florida enters Sunday's game having just played three-straight top-15 teams. Lavender Briggs leads the 7-3 Gators with 17.5 points per game. Florida head coach Cam Newbauer was an assistant coach on the Lady Bulldogs' staff from 2007-12 after serving as director of operations for the Georgia men's team from 2005-07.

Series Breakdown

Overall: Georgia leads, 59-17
In Athens: Georgia leads, 31-5
In Gainesville: Georgia leads, 26-11
Neutral Sites: Georgia leads, 2-1
Current Streak: Georgia has won six-straight meetings
Last Meeting: Georgia won 65-59 (3/1/20) in Athens
Largest Margin of Victory: Georgia won, 105-62 (1/12/03)
Largest Defeat: Florida won, 94- 61 (1/7/98)
Full Series History

Georgia Leads Nation in Blocks

The Lady Bulldogs lead all NCAA teams with 66 total blocks this season. Georgia is averaging 6.6 swats per game, which is the seventh-best average in the country and second in the SEC.

Going for 100

Georgia scored 107 points against Appalachian State on Dec. 22. That total marked the most points by a Georgia team since the 2000-01 campaign and was the first time the Lady Bulldogs have reached the 100-point mark since 2007.

Dishing Dimes

Georgia finished with 32 assists on 46 made baskets against Appalachian State. The 32 dimes are the fourth-most in a single game in Georgia history and the Lady Bulldogs' best effort since 2003.

Offensive Improvement

The Lady Bulldogs are a much improved team on the offensive end compared to last season. Georgia is averaging 78.4 points per game in 2020 after scoring just 63.2 points per game last year. The team has scored over 80 points four times through the first 10 games. Last season, the Lady Bulldogs scored 80 or more points twice in 31 contests.

Barker Named SEC Freshman of the Week

Sarah Ashlee Barker was named the league's Freshman of the Week following performances against East Carolina and Oklahoma. Barker continues to play valuable minutes and has made several key plays for the Lady Bulldogs this season.

With 2:19 left in the overtime period against Georgia Tech, Barker broke open a tie game with a made jump shot to put her team up 65-63. The Lady Bulldogs did not give up the lead the rest of the way en route to a 75-69 win. Barker then hit a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter against Oklahoma, giving Georgia its largest lead of the game at 14.

Barker recorded her first career double-double with 10 pts. and 12 rebs. against Georgia State.

Taylor, Connally Reach Important Marks Against Tech

Georgia defeated Georgia Tech this year to improve the Lady Bulldogs' record to 36-7 against the Yellow Jackets. The win also marked the 100th of Coach Taylor's career. Senior guard Gabby Connally reached the 1,000-point mark with a first-half basket against Tech.

Georgia Reaches 1,000-Win Milestone

With its win against East Carolina on Dec. 3, Georgia became one of just two SEC programs (Tennessee) and one of 16 nationwide to reach the 1,000-win mark. The team commemorated the milestone with a special social media video narrated by Andy Landers and Joni Taylor.

Staiti Among Georgia's All-time Best Shot blockers

With 148 blocks , Jenna Staiti stands in ninth place on Georgia's all-time blocked shots chart. Tawana McDonald owns the UGA career record with 297 in her career.

Staiti Steady at the Stripe

Jenna Staiti filled up the stat sheet with double-figure scoring efforts and double-doubles in her last nine games of the 2019-20 season. What might have gone unnoticed was Staiti's performance at the free-throw line. Staiti finished the year hitting 89 percent from the stripe -- good for the second-best single season average in Georgia history.

Connally Lands in Top-10

Georgia senior Gabby Connally has moved into ninth place on UGA's career 3-pt field goals made chart. Connally has totaled 151 during her time at Georgia.

Building Off Strong Finish

Georgia finished the 2019-20 season on a high note, winning four of its final six regular season games and five of eight overall. Among the big wins during the final stretch was a 73-56 road victory at LSU -- a game in which the Lady Bulldogs led the entire way. Georgia also knocked off Alabama and Florida twice during the stretch-run of the season.

Focus On Community

Georgia's Joni Taylor has put a focus on community service during her six seasons as head coach. This past fall, Taylor and her team took action once again by hosting a Water Bottle Drive for the local Boys and Girls Club of Athens. The community stepped up in a big way, donating close to 150 water bottles.

"We were absolutely blown away by the turnout," Taylor said. "COVID-19 has affected all of our lives in so many ways. For the Boys and Girls Club, COVID protocols eliminated the use of water fountains, so the organization needed new, re-fillable water bottles. When our ladies found out about this, they immediately wanted to help. I could not be more proud of their efforts and the efforts of all those who came by today. It's another step forward in making a meaningful impact in our community."

Chapman Best in the State

Two-sport star Chloe Chapman was named the Atlanta Sports Awards State of Georgia College Athlete of the Year this past summer. Chapman, who also plays soccer at UGA, is just the 11th Bulldog student-athlete to earn the honor. She received over 50,000 votes during the seven-day voting period back in July.

Chapman placed on the 2019 SEC All-Freshman Team in soccer before earning a spot in the lineup on the basketball floor.

Two-Sport Star in Rare Company

Chapman is one of only six Lady Bulldogs to play two sports while at UGA. Below is a list of these elite athletes.

All-Time Lady Bulldog Two-Sport Athletes
Tina Price -- 1975-78 -- Women's basketball/Tennis
Donna Noonan – 1975-77 – Women's basketball/Golf
Beth Timmons – 2000 – Women's basketball/Swimming
Maria Taylor – 2007 -- Women's basketball/Volleyball
Stephanie Paul – 2019-20 – Women's basketball/Track (discus)
Chloe Chapman – present – Women's basketball/Soccer

Georgia Seniors Earn Degrees

Each of Georgia's four seniors -- Gabby Connally, Maya Caldwell, Que Morrison and Jenna Staiti -- will wear the SEC graduate patch this season after earning their degrees. The four Lady Bulldogs are all pursuing master's degrees, with Connally focusing on public administration, Cadwell in non-profit management and leadership, and Morrison and Staiti in sport pedagogy.

Georgia Led League in Honor Roll Selections

The Georgia Lady Bulldogs led all Southeastern Conference basketball teams (women or men) with nine players on the league's Academic Honor Roll this past winter.

Each winter, student-athletes from across the conference are recognized for having a 3.0 GPA or above for either the preceding academic year or a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

The following Lady Bulldogs reached the above criteria. Malury Bates (Human Development, Roanake, Va.), Maya Caldwell (Communication Studies, Charlotte, N.C.), Gabby Connally (Criminal Justice, San Antonio, Texas), Ari Henderson (Civil Engineering, Stone Mountain, Ga.), Caitlin Hose (Financial Planning, Hazel Green, Ala.), Kaila Hubbard (Psychology, Jonesboro, Ga.), Que Morrison (Communication Studies, Riverdale, Ga.), Stephanie Paul (Sport Management, Naples, Fla.) , Jenna Staiti (Human Development, Cumming, Ga.).

One of Peach State's Best Joins 2021 Signing Class

Jillian Hollingshead, a 6-foot-5 forward from Powder Springs, Ga., added to an already impressive 2021 signing class for the Lady Bulldogs. She was the fourth signee of Georgia's class, joining fellow top-40 prospect Reigan Richardson (Huntersville, N.C.) as well as Alina Sendar (Amsterdam, Netherlands) and Kimora 'Kimmie' Jenkins (Long Island, N.Y.).

Hollingshead was ranked as the No. 5 forward in the nation according to espnW and was also ranked No. 22 in the ESPN HoopGurlz Terrific 25 for the 2021 class.