WBB Game Notes: Undefeated Georgia Welcomes Alabama State

Sunday, November 21

Athens, Ga.

2:00 p.m.

University of Georgia

Alabama State

WBB Game Notes: Undefeated Georgia Welcomes Alabama State

November 20, 2021 | Women's Basketball

Complete Game Notes

Georgia Basketball Game Notes

#19 Georgia Lady Bulldogs (3-0) vs. Alabama State (0-3)
Sunday, November 21, at 2:00 p.m. ET
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) in Athens, Ga.
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Jeff Dantzler) WXKT 103.7 FM and 960 AM The Ref | Affiliates
TV: SEC Network + (Matt Stewart and Christy Thomaskutty)
Video Stream: SECN+
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
History: UGA leads, 2-0 (Full History)
Last Meeting: W, 75-48 (11/25/2009)

Opening Tip

Georgia finishes its four-game homestand to open the season with a matchup against Alabama State on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. Matt Stewart and Christy Thomaskutty will call the action on SEC Network +, while Jeff Dantzler offers play-by-play on the Georgia Bulldog Radio Network.
The Lady Bulldogs are looking to go 4-0 to start a season for the second-straight year. Georgia has won 11 of its last 14 games dating back to last season.
Sunday's game is Georgia's final tuneup before the Thanksgiving trip to Daytona Beach, Fla. In Daytona, the Lady Bulldogs will play Notre Dame and Marquette – two teams with a combined 7-0 record.
Georgia leads the Southeastern Conference in scoring defense through the first three games, allowing just 46.0 ppg. Last season, the Lady Bulldogs finished second in the league in scoring defense, holding teams to just 60. 5 ppg.
None of Georgia's first three opponents have hit the 30 percent mark in field-goal percentage. Lady Bulldog opponents are just 6-of-30 from behind the arc this year.
Graduate guard Que Morrison scored in double figures for the 15th time in the last 16 games with her 13-point effort against Mercer. Morrison also totaled three steals in the win.
Redshirt-senior guard Mikayla Coombs has scored in double figures in two of the first three games and is shooting over 60 percent from the field. Coombs had just four double-figure scoring games coming into the season.
Graduate center Jenna Staiti posted another double-double during Thursday's win against Mercer. Staiti has scored in double figures in 35 of the last 40 games with 14 double-doubles.
Freshman forward Jillian Hollingshead came alive late against the Bears. She scored all seven of her points and brought down five rebounds in the final 10 minutes of Thursday's game.

Series History

Georgia and Alabama State are meeting for just the third time in program history. The Lady Bulldogs own a 2-0 record all-time against the Hornets, with the last matchup coming in 2009 -- a 75-48 Georgia win in Athens.

Scouting the Opponent: Alabama State

Alabama State is 0-3 this season with losses to South Florida, Mississippi State and Auburn. The Hornets were picked second behind Jackson State in the SWAC preseason poll. Longtime head coach Freda Freeman-Jackson leads the Hornets in her 24th year at the helm of the program. Ayana Emmanuel paces Alabama State with 13.3 ppg.

Georgia Inks Elite Signing Class

Following last Thursday's win against Gardner-Webb, the Lady Bulldogs received more good news with the signing of three premier prospects. Janiah Barker and Sydney Bowles, two of the highest rated players in the nation, will join talented point guard product Tineya Hylton in Georgia's 2022 class.

Barker – who is considered the No.1-ranked forward nationally and among the top-3 players overall -- is a native of Marietta, Ga. She currently preps at Montverde Academy in Florida. Bowles – a consensus top-10 guard prospect -- is from Lithonia, Ga., and plays at Woodward Academy. They will begin their collegiate careers during the 2022-23 campaign.

Hylton prepped at Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, Tenn., before going back to Canada to play at Royal Crown Academic School in Toronto, Ontario. She will join the Lady Bulldogs this season.

ESPN ranks Georgia's class No. 7 nationally in its latest release.

Under 50

Georgia held its first two opponents below 50 points and Mercer to just 52 points on Thursday. Head coach Joni Taylor's teams have held opponents below 50 points 41 times over the last seven years.

Spreading the Wealth

Every available player touched the floor in each of the first two contests, with 10 players playing against Mercer. Twelve of the available 13 players scored at least a point against Gardner-Webb, while 10 of 12 scored against Gardner-Webb.

Nicholson Posts Double-Double in Opener

Junior forward Javyn Nicholson scored 13 points and brought down a career-best 12 rebounds in the season-opener against Gardner-Webb. It marked her first double-double since 2019.

Offensive Improvement

Head Coach Joni Taylor and her staff implemented a new offensive philosophy prior to the 2020-21 season with the goal of playing a more up-tempo style with defensive pressure.

That move has paid dividends. Since last season, Georgia has scored over 90 points four times. The Lady Bulldogs scored over 90 points just four times combined in the five seasons prior.

Georgia Picked Fourth in SEC, No. 19 in National Poll

SEC coaches voted the Lady Bulldogs fourth in the annual preseason poll, just behind South Carolina, Texas A&M and Tennessee. Georgia came in at No. 19 in the national preseason coaches poll. Last season, the Lady Bulldogs finished ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press top-25 -- its highest ranking going into the NCAA tournament since 2001.

Exceeding Expectations

Coach Taylor's teams have lived by the mantra 'It's not where you start but where you finish.' In five of her first six seasons, the Lady Bulldogs have finished well ahead of their preseason ranking. The largest jumps came in 2017-18 -- when Georgia was picked eighth and finished second -- and last season -- when the team was picked ninth and finished fourth.

Georgia's SEC Standings Under Joni Taylor

Georgia's SEC Standings Under Joni Taylor
Season	Preseason Rank	SEC Finish
2015-16	9th	6th
2016-17	12th	8th
2017-18	8th	2nd (tied)
2018-19	4th	7th
2019-20	10th	9th
2020-21	9th	4th

Staiti's Streak Continues

Jenna Staiti has become known as 'Steady Staiti' over the last two seasons -- and for good reason.

The Cumming, Ga., native has scored in double figures in 35 of her last 40 games with 14 double-doubles and nine 20-plus point efforts. It is a remarkable stat line for the All-SEC center, especially when you look back to her first two years of college basketball.

During her freshman and sophomore campaigns, Staiti averaged 4.4 ppg and 1.7 rpg in 65 total games played. Staiti has now more than tripled her points per game average to 13.2 ppg and upped her rebounds to 7.3 per contest over the past three years.

Defense Travels

Georgia has become one of the top defensive teams in the SEC during Coach Taylor's tenure. In her six seasons leading the program, the Lady Bulldogs have finished either first or second in the conference in scoring defense on three occasions, including a league-best and school record 54.1 ppg in 2015-16. Last year, Georgia ranked second in the SEC, holding opponents to 60.5 ppg. The team also finished top-5 in most defensive categories, including field-goal percentage defense, 3-point field-goal percentage defense and turnovers forced.

Not Just Defense For Morrison

Que Morrison is known as one of the top defenders in the nation as she routinely guards the opponent's top player night-in and night-out. Last year, Morrison led all players in conference play with 33 steals (2.2 per game).

The Riverdale, Ga., native has also stepped it up offensively. She has now scored in double figures in 15 of her last 16 games dating back to last season.

A Healthy Dose of Que

After suffering a string of injuries in her career, Morrison finally experienced a full healthy season for the Lady Bulldogs.

Here is a look back at some of the adversity Morrison has overcome.

The defensive stopper placed on the SEC All-Freshman Team after drawing 32 starts on Georgia's NCAA tournament team. Then, in her sophomore campaign, Morrison missed the first eight games due to a torn meniscus in her left knee. In 2019-20, she had an injury to her foot before the year began. She then suffered a torn labrum in her right shoulder to end her junior campaign midway through SEC play.

Coombs Takes on Leadership Roles

Mikayla Coombs — a native of Buford, Ga. — was selected by her peers to serve as the vice chair of the SEC Women's Basketball Leadership Council. As one of four elected officers, she will participate in various meetings throughout the year to provide feedback to Athletics Directors, Senior Woman Administrators and Faculty Athletics Representatives.

This news came after she was chosen as the only student-athlete representative on the NCAA competition committee. Coombs graduated with a degree in sport management from the University of Georgia and is currently pursuing a master's in the same program. She was named a UGA Presidential Scholar in 2020, has placed on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll three times and made the Dean's List in 2021.

Dogs Have Options Again

Georgia had one of the deepest rosters in the SEC last season. The Lady Bulldogs played 10 or more players in 23 of 28 games and used 11 or more players on 14 occasions.That trend looks to continue this year with 10 returners who could all see big minutes.

Consistency is Key

Georgia has one of the longest tenured staffs in the SEC. With the return of Karen Lange, Chelsea Newton and Robert Mosley, Georgia is the only team in the conference to not have a single coaching change at any level -- head coach or assistant coach -- over the past six years.

Chapman Sticks with Basketball

Junior guard Chloe Chapman played two seasons with the Georgia soccer team, but after spending two years as a dual-sport athlete, she will now focus on just basketball. The Mitchellville, Md., native was a consensus top-40 prospect and was rated as the No. 8 overall point guard in the nation coming out of high school.

Georgia Freshmen Already Making History

Lady Bulldog freshmen Reigan Richardson and Jillian Hollingshead were both named McDonald's All-Americans, marking the first time in Georgia history the program has signed two McDonald's All-Americans in one class. Hollingshead and Richardson are the 11th and 12th McDonald's All-Americans to sign with the Lady Bulldogs and are the first to commit right out high school since Ronika Ransford in 2010. Current Lady Bulldog Mikayla Coombs was a McDonald's All-American in 2017.

Isaacs Brings Experience

Georgia junior forward Jordan Isaacs was the only non-senior to start every game for the Lady Bulldogs last season. Isaacs made big play after big play and stepped up defensively to lead her team. She made perhaps two of the most important plays of the year for the Lady Bulldogs. One was her block on Rennia Davis' shot attempt that sealed the win against Tennessee, while the other came against Arkansas when she brought down an offensive board to set up Gabby Connally's buzzer-beater.

A Storied History

Georgia is one of just two SEC programs (Tennessee) and one of just 16 teams nationwide to reach the 1,000 win total. The Lady Bulldogs accomplished the feat last season on the road at East Carolina. It was the latest impressive accomplishment for the storied program.

The Lady Bulldogs are one of only three teams, joining Wisconsin-Green Bay and Tennessee, to have a winning record every year since 1980 and have been to 34 of 39 NCAA tournaments.