WBB Notes: Georgia Hosts Belmont at Stegeman

Georgia Lady Bulldogs Game Notes

Georgia (9-2) vs. Belmont (3-6)
Saturday, Dec. 16 | 2 p.m.
Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) in Athens, Ga.
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Jeff Dantzle) 960 AM The Ref, WXKT 103.7 FM and the Georgia Bulldog App | Affiliates
TV: None
Video Stream: SEC Network + (Matt Stewart and Anne Marie Armstrong)
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
History: UGA 4-0 (Full History)
Last Meeting: - 12/22/2014 - W 62-43

TEAM COMPARISON

GEORGIA LADY BULLDOGS
Ranking: NR
Head Coach: Coach ABE
Career Record: 381-159 (18th year)
Record at Georgia: 9-2 (1st year)

BELMONT BRUINS
Ranking: NR
Head Coach: Bart Brooks
Career Record: 123-34 (6th year)
Record at Belmont: Same

GEORGIA (Natl. Rank)	2022-23 STATISTICS	BELMONT (Natl. Rank)
72.2 (100)	POINTS PER GAME	65.8 (179)
56.2 (40)	SCORING DEFENSE	68.7 (258)
.443 (73)	FG PERCENTAGE	.398 (199)
.370 (83)	FG PERCENTAGE DEFENSE	.401 (196)
.322 (140)	3-PT. FG PERCENTAGE	.323 (136)
.341 (297)	3-PT. FG PERCENTAGE DEFENSE	.296 (148)
.670 (236)	FREE-THROW PERCENTAGE	.717 (123)
42.09 (48)	REBOUND AVERAGE	34.67 (262)
+11.9 (13)	REBOUND MARGIN	-4.4 (285)
16.5 (43)	ASSISTS PER GAME	11.8 (238)
+4.45 (58)	TURNOVER MARGIN	-1.78 (260)
10.2 (70)	STEALS PER GAME	4.3 (347)
2.9 (185)	BLOCKS PER GAME	3.4 (120)

No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Cl.	PPG	RPG
RECENT STARTERS
1	Chloe Chapman	G	5-7	Sr.	2.4	1.5
3	Diamond Battles	G	5-8	5th	14.5	3.6
20	Jordan Isaacs	F	6-0	Sr.	3.6	3.7
24	Brittney Smith	F	6-3	5th	12.1	6.7
31	Audrey Warren	G/F	5-9	5th	8.9	3.5

Storylines

» Georgia is back home to host Belmont at 2 p.m. ET Saturday in Stegeman Coliseum.

» The Lady Bulldogs are looking to improve their record to 10-2 overall this season. It would mark the earliest the team has picked up its 10th win since 2014-15.

» This will be the fifth all-time meeting between Georgia and Belmont, with the Lady Bulldogs owning a 4-0 record. The two teams last met in 2014.

» Belmont is 3-6 this season, but three of the six losses have come against ranked teams. The Bruins went 23-8 last season en route to the NCAA tournament, where they defeated No. 5 seed Oregon and narrowly lost to No. 4 seed Tennessee, 70-67, in Knoxville.

» Coach ABE and UCF defeated Belmont last season, 57-45. Diamond Battles led the Knights with 16 points, while Alisha Lewis added 14.

» Georgia seniors Diamond Battles and Brittney Smith each recently hit the 1,000-point mark in their careers. They are the 43rd and 44th players in Georgia history to accomplish that feat.

» The Lady Bulldogs have outrebounded their opponent in every game this season. Georgia ranks second in the SEC in defensive rebounding with 30.2 per game.

» Georgia held NC State to a season-low 65 points last Monday night. The Lady Bulldogs are holding teams to just 56 points per game this season.

» Kari Niblack made her Georgia debut against Mercer last week. Niblack finished with nine points and five rebounds after hitting 5-of-6 from the free-throw line.

Georgia's Toy Drive A Success

Georgia fans donated 100-plus toys during this year's Toy Drive. This yearly tradition was started in 2015 by Aliyah Gregory, Georgia's current director of video and scouting analytics and former UCF player. Gregory created the drive with the purpose of collecting new, unwrapped toys to donate to domestic violence shelters.

A Historic Comeback

Earlier this year, the Lady Bulldogs posted the largest comeback in program history. Down 20 to Wisconsin, Georgia used a 26-0 run and outscored the Badgers 33-5 late in the second half for the 68-60 win. Georgia played particularly well in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Badgers 25-5 in the final frame.

Zoesha's Career Day

Junior forward Zoesha Smith has made the most of her first career starts this season. Against Georgia Tech , Smith scored a career-high 21 points, brought down a career-best 10 rebounds and totaled the most steals of her career with four. The Brunswick, Ga., native also posted a double-double for the first time in her career.

Battles Named MVP, Georgia Wins Paradise Jam

Senior Diamond Battles was named MVP of the 2022 Paradise Jam. She scored 24 points, knocking in a career-best five 3-pointers against Wisconsin, before scoring 22 against Seton Hall. Georgia earned the Paradise Jam title after knocking off Wisconsin and VCU.

Brittney's Streak

UCF transfer and fifth year senior Brittney Smith is on impressive streak. The Orlando, Fla., native has scored in double figures in 18 of the last 25 games, including a career-high 26 point effort against Florida in the NCAA tournament. She has also totaled four double-doubles during this current 25-game stretch. The 2022 American Athletic Conference Sixth Player of the Year averaged 10.8 ppg and 6.0 rpg a season ago.

Roundtree Named Finalist for Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

Georgia legend Saudia Roundtree was named one of 12 finalists for the 2023 induction of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.

Roundtree led Georgia to the 1995 and 1996 Final Fours as well as the '96 SEC Championship. She was the 1996 National Player of the Year as well as the SEC Player of the Year. In 2013, she was inducted into Georgia's Circle of Honor. Georgia has four legends in the WBB Hall of Fame, including Katrina McClain (2006), Andy Landers (2007), Teresa Edwards (2010) and Janet Harris (2015).

50th Season of Georgia Basketball

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 (1,048). 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.

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 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 title with Coach ABE playing in all 32 games as a freshman.

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, 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.

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.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Diamond Battles

Chloe Chapman

Jordan Cole

Fatima Diakhate

Amiya Evans

De'Mauri Flournoy

Savannah Henderson

Stefanie Ingram

Alisha Lewis

Kari Niblack

Brittney Smith

Zoesha Smith

Audrey Warren