Georgia to Host Alabama State on Thursday

Georgia Basketball Game Notes

Georgia (1-0) vs. Alabama State (0-1) )
Thursday, November 10, 2022 | 7 p.m. ET
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) in Athens, Ga.
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Jeff Dantzler) 960 AM The Ref, WXKT 103.7 FM and the Georgia Bulldog App | Affiliates
TV: None
Video Stream: SECN+ (Matt Stewart and Anne Marie Armstrong)
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
History: UGA 3-0 (Full History)
Last Meeting: - 11/21/2021 - W 73-43

OPENING TIP

Georgia hosts Alabama State Thursday 7 p.m. The game will air live on SEC Network + and the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.

Thursday's contest marks the fourth meeting between Georgia and Alabama State. The Lady Bulldogs lead the series, 3-0, against the Lady Hornets. The Lady Hornets are led by Head Coach Freda Freeman-Johnson in her 25th season at Alabama State.

Georgia opened the season Monday against Coastal Carolina. The game was the first-ever matchup between the Lady Bulldogs and the Chanticleers. Georgia tallied its first win of the season, 78-61.

Three Lady Bulldogs scored in the double-digits in the season-opener. Senior forward Javyn Nicholson led Georgia in scoring with 14 points, going 6-of-10 from the field, nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Fifth-year guard Diamond Battles followed with 13, and fifth-year forward Brittney Smith had 12.

This marks the 50th season of Georgia Lady Bulldog basketball. This historic program ranks 15th all time in win percentage (.694) and 16th in total wins (1,039). Georgia ranks second nationally in NCAA tournament appearances with 35 and is still one of only three programs to boast a winning record every season since 1981.

This is the Lady Bulldogs' second game under the leadership of new head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson. Coach ABE was named just the third head coach in Georgia history on March 26, 2022.

An SEC-leading 10 newcomers will wear the red and black. The Lady Bulldogs' roster features five returners, five graduate transfers, four freshman and a sophomore transfer.

Georgia is 41-9 in season-opening games and has won 16-straight lid-lifters dating back to the 2005-06 season (L, 84-72 to No. 6 Baylor).

The Lady Bulldogs own a 28-2 overall record in season-opening home games.

2022 American Athletic Conference Player and Defensive Player of the Year Diamond Battles was named preseason All-SEC and placed on Naismith National Player of the Year Watch List.

Battles, one of the top graduate transfers in the nation, helped lead UCF to an unprecedented run in 2022. The Knights won the AAC regular season and tournament crowns and earned the highest NCAA tournament seeding (No. 7) in school history.

Coach ABE Returns to Lead Georgia

Katie Abrahamson-Henderson was named just the third full-time head coach in Georgia history on March 26, 2022. Coach ABE returns to Georgia, where she played for the Lady Bulldogs from 1986-87 and was a member of the 1986 squad that captured the SEC Championship. Teammates Katrina McClain, Teresa Edwards, Lisa O'Connor and Carla Green, among others, helped lead Georgia to its third SEC. Coach ABE played in all 32 games as a freshman during that championship season.

Success at Every Stop

Coach ABE has built successful programs in coaching stops at Albany, Missouri State and UCF. Her teams have won an unprecedented 70 percent of their games, an average of 22 victories per year, while capturing 16 conference titles in 17 seasons. At UCF, the 2021-22 squad won a school-record 26 games en route to the American Athletic Conference Championship, the AAC Tournament crown and a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament – the highest seeding in program history.

It's A Family

A big reason for the success of Coach ABE's programs lies with her coaching staff – a group that has been with her nearly every step of the way. Associate head coach Tahnee Balerio played for Coach ABE at Missouri State and is entering her 13th season on Coach ABE's staff. Assistant coach Isoken Uzamere is in her 11th year with Coach ABE, while legendary former UConn All-American Nykesha Sales is in her seventh season. Former Albany standout Ebone Henry-Harris enters her seventh year.

League-Leading 10 Newcomers

With five letterwinners back from last year's team, the Lady Bulldogs had 10 roster spots to fill this past offseason. Georgia welcomed three players from UCF, including American Athletic Conference Player and Defensive Player of the Year Diamond Battles, Sixth Player of the Year Brittney Smith and Alisha Lewis, while also adding Texas transfer Audrey Warren, West Virginia transfer Kari Niblack and Vanderbilt transfer De'Mauri Flournoy. Four freshmen also joined the team, including Savannah Henderson, Stefanie Ingram, Fatima Diakhate and Amiya Evans.

The 10 newcomers on this year's roster ties Kentucky for the most in the SEC.

Five Returners

A group of five players will return for another season at Georgia. Seniors Chloe Chapman, Jordan Isaacs and Javyn Nicholson join junior Zoesha Smith and sixth-year senior Malury Bates. Those five players accounted for 18.5 points and 16.1 rebounds per game last season for the Lady Bulldogs.

Georgia Players Have Postseason Success

Georgia's five returners and six transfers have a combined 23 NCAA tournament appearances between them. Diamond Battles, Brittney Smith and Alisha Lewis earned three NCAA bids at UCF. Texas transfer Audrey Warren helped her team advance to back-to-back NCAA Elite Eights, while Kari Niblack guided West Virginia to the second round of the 2020-21 NCAA Tournament.

Dominant Defense

Under Coach ABE's leadership, UCF led the nation in scoring defense in each of the last two seasons. The Knights held teams to just 47.8 points per game last year and just 50.5 ppg during the 2020-21 campaign. UCF held 18 opponents to 50 points or fewer with seven failing to reach 40 points during the 2021-22 season.

Success Against SEC

During Coach ABE's six seasons in Orlando, UCF boasted a 3-2 record against teams from the SEC. The Knights downed Arkansas (52-51) and Florida (69-52) and narrowly lost to Tennessee (41-49) during last season's remarkable run to the American Athletic Conference Championship. The win against Florida marked the first NCAA tournament win in program history.

Diamond Shines Bright

Fifth-year guard Diamond Battles developed into one of the top players in the nation during her time at UCF. She was the program's first-ever AAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year and was a consensus first-team All-Conference selection. The Winter Haven, Fla., native led UCF in scoring 16 times with 23 double-figure scoring efforts last year.

Bates Back for Year Six

Malury Bates returns for her sixth year of eligibility with the Lady Bulldogs. Following a strong start to her sophomore season, Bates suffered a torn ACL in the seventh game of the year against Mercer, earning a redshirt during the 2018-19 campaign. She then gained an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bates scored in double figures five times a year ago and promises to play a big part in Georgia's post rotation this season. The Roanoke, Va., native has already earned her bachelor's degree in sociology and is pursuing a master's degree in food and nutrition.

Smith on Impressive Streak

UCF transfer and fifth year senior Brittney Smith enters her lone season in Athens after playing some of the best basketball of her career. The Orlando, Fla., native has scored in double figures in 10 of the last 14 games, including a career-high 26 point effort against Florida in the NCAA tournament. Smith knocked in 11-of 15 field goals against the Gators in the win. The 2022 American Athletic Conference Sixth Player of the Year averaged 10.8 ppg and 6.0 rpg a season ago.

Family Business

A big part of Georgia's impressive recruiting class this past offseason was a familiar name for Coach ABE. Savannah Henderson is the daughter of head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson and her husband Michael. The Orlando, Fla., native was a consensus top-50 prospect nationally as ESPN's No. 41 overall player and No. 10 wing recruit. She prepped at Timbercreek (Orlando) and played for Central Florida Elite.

A Tradition of Success

Georgia enters the 2022-23 season one of just three program nationwide, joining Tennessee and Wisconsin-Green Bay, to have a winning season every year since 1981. The Lady Bulldogs have made appearances in 35 of 40 NCAA tournaments (second-most all time) with 20 Sweet 16s and 11 Elite Eights.

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