Georgia Hosts Top Ranked South Carolina

Monday, January 2

Athens, Ga.

7:00 p.m.

University of Georgia

South Carolina

January 02, 2023 | Women's Basketball

Game Notes

Georgia Lady Bulldogs Game Notes

Georgia (11-4, 0-1 SEC) vs. South Carolina (13-0, 1-0 SEC)
Monday, Jan. 2 | 7 p.m.
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: SEC Network (Brenda VanLengen and Steffi Sorensen)
Video Stream: SECN+
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
History: UGA 33-22 (Full History)
Last Meeting: - USC 72-54 (2/13/2022)

TEAM COMPARISON

GEORGIA LADY BULLDOGS
Ranking: NR
Head Coach: Coach ABE
Career Record: 383-161 (18th year)
Record at Georgia: 11-4 (1st year)

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS
Ranking: #1
Head Coach: Dawn Staley
Career Record: 551-185 (23rd year)
Record at SC: 379-105 (15th year)

No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Cl.	PPG	RPG
RECENT STARTERS
1	Chloe Chapman	G	5-7	Sr.	2.7	1.4
3	Diamond Battles	G	5-8	5th	14.1	3.5
20	Jordan Isaacs	F	6-0	Sr.	2.7	3.4
24	Brittney Smith	F	6-3	5th	11.3	6.5
31	Audrey Warren	G/F	5-9	5th	7.5	3.2

Storylines

» Georgia hosts No. 1 South Carolina in the SEC home opener this Monday at 7 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on the SEC Network.

» The Lady Bulldogs are coming off a hard-fought 56-53 loss to Alabama on Thursday. Georgia came back from a 15-point deficit to have a chance in the final seconds.

» Fifth-year senior Brittney Smith led Georgia against the Crimson Tide. She recorded her 10th double figure game of the season with 17 points off a 70 percent shooting performance.

» Georgia has forced 20 or more turnovers in 10 of 15 games this season. The Lady Bulldogs have allowed just three players to score 20-plus points in a game.

» Georgia has outrebounded its opponent in 13 of 15 games, with Belmont barely edging the Lady Bulldogs 32-31 and Alabama holding a 37-27 advantage on the glass.

» 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.

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

» Fifth-year senior guard Diamond Battles leads Georgia with 11 double-figure scoring games in 15 contests so far this year.

» 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 is looking for its first top-5 victory since defeating No. 2 Texas A&M in the 2021 SEC Tournament semifinals. The Lady Bulldogs' last win against an AP No. 1-ranked team came against Louisiana Tech in the 1996 NCAA Tournament.

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 eight of 15 matchups so far. Georgia has held opponents to single-digit quarters on 10 occasions.

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 five games. Bates entered this season with just five double-figure scoring efforts over her previous five seasons.

Flournoy Flourishes

Georgia sophomore De'Mauri Flournoy gave her team some much needed minutes against San Diego State last week. She played a season-high 24 minutes, scoring 10 points off a 4-for-9 shooting effort. She knocked in a par if 3-pointers and also played well defensively with four steals against the Aztecs.

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 free-throw line, against Mercer on Dec. 7. She also brought down five boards against the Bears.

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 one of the largest comebacks 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.

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.