WBB Notes: Lady Bulldogs Opens SEC Play at Alabama

Georgia Lady Bulldogs Game Notes

GEORGIA (11-3) VS. ALABAMA (11-2)
Wednesday, Dec. 29 | 7:00 p.m.
Coleman Coliseum | Tuscaloosa, Ala.
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+ (Gray Robertson and Richard Hendrix)
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
History: UGA 44-13 (Full History)
Last Meeting: - UA 74-62 (3/3/2022)

TEAM COMPARISON

GEORGIA LADY BULLDOGS
Ranking: NR
Head Coach: Coach ABE
Career Record: 383-160 (18th year)
Record at Georgia: 11-3 (1st year)

CRIMSON TIDE
Ranking: NR
Head Coach: Kristy Curry
Career Record: 473-283 (24th year)
Record at Ala: 164-134 (10th year)

No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Cl.	PPG	RPG
RECENT STARTERS
1	Chloe Chapman	G	5-7	Sr.	2.8	1.5
3	Diamond Battles	G	5-8	5th	15.0	3.6
20	Jordan Isaacs	F	6-0	Sr.	2.9	3.5
24	Brittney Smith	F	6-3	5th	10.9	6.6
31	Audrey Warren	G/F	5-9	5th	7.7	3.2

Storylines

» Georgia will face Alabama in the 2022-23 SEC lidlifter this Thursday at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The game will be available on SEC Network +.

» Five of the last nine meetings between the Lady Bulldogs and Crimson Tide have gone into overtime, with Georgia winning each of those overtime contests. Georgia leads the overall series, 44-13, including a 17-6 mark in Tuscaloosa.

» Georgia has held double-digit leads in each of its three losses this season. The Lady Bulldogs were up 10 against Seton Hall, 14 versus NC State and 16 against West Virginia.

» Georgia picked up its 10th win on Dec. 17. It marked the program's quickest 10th win in a season since the 2014-15 campaign.

» Georgia has outrebounded its opponent in 13 of 14 games, with Belmont barely edging the Lady Bulldogs 32-31. Georgia ranks fourth in the SEC in rebounding margin at +10.43.

» Georgia has held four teams (Jacksonville State, NC State, Mercer and San Diego State) to their season lows in scoring. Under Coach ABE's leadership, her teams at UCF led the nation in scoring defense in each of the last two years.

» This season, Georgia has allowed just three players to score 20-plus points in a game.

» The Lady Bulldogs are coming off a 63-44 victory against San Diego State. Georgia improved its freethrow percentage dramatically in that contest, hitting 17-of-19 from the stripe against the Aztecs.

» Fifth-year senior guard Diamond Battles leads Georgia with 11 double-figure scoring games in 14 contests so far this year.

Bates Playing Well in Post

Georgia's most experienced player and sixth-year senior Malury Bates has scored in double figures in three of her last four games. Bates entered this season with just five double-figure scoring efforts over her previous five seasons.

Niblack Returns

West Virginia transfer Kari Niblack missed the first 11 games this season due to an injury. She made the most of her Georgia debut, scoring nine points, including a 5-for-6 effort at the freethrow line, against Mercer on Dec. 7. She also brought down five boards against the Bears.

We'll Take That

Georgia's defensive pressure has forced double-digit turnovers in every game this season, while the team has recorded 10 or more steals in seven of 14 matchups so far. Georgia has held opponents to single-digit quarters on 10 occasions.

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 doubledouble 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.

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 (1,050). 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

Malury Bates

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