University of Georgia Athletics
Guards Provide Spark In Lady Bulldogs' Opener
November 07, 2023 | Women's Basketball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
They are, Asia Avinger and De'Mauri Flournoy, both 5-foot-7 difference-makers that can score in bunches. Avinger is the newcomer, a speedy sharpshooting guard that was an all-conference player at San Diego State last season. Flournoy, in her second season on the Georgia women's basketball team, plays a lot like Avinger, going inside and out with confidence and aggression.
"Us two, we're really close. It's like second-nature," Flournoy said after the Lady Bulldogs' season opener Monday night at Stegeman Coliseum. "I love playing with Asia, Asia loves playing with me, so the communication is like (snap, snap, snap with her fingers). She makes it so easy to play with (her), just her decision-making, how fast she goes — she makes everything easy."
Georgia needed big games from both in the Lady Bulldogs' 71-59 win over North Carolina A&T. Flournoy and Avinger finished with 15 points each, two of four Lady Bulldogs that ended up in double-figures.
"We definitely try to have balance all across the board," Avinger said. "If we can have at least four in double-digits, that would be great. And it can be anybody's day."
Early on, it didn't look like anyone's day other than Avinger's. While her teammates were ice-cold from the floor, Avinger was keeping Georgia close. Early in the second quarter, she hit her third 3-pointer of the first half to cut the Aggies' lead to 18-17 — Avinger had 11 of the Lady Bulldogs' 17 points.
When Avinger picked up her second foul with 4:23 left in the half, she went to the bench. The Aggies extended their lead to 33-25 at the half. The Lady Bulldogs were 10 off 38 from the floor in the first 20 minutes.
"I think we definitely started out the game a little rough, just because it was the first time we were playing together," said Avinger, who was voted a team captian by her teammates despite only joining the team in June.
Asked what coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson told her at halftime, Flournoy said Coach ABE told her: "Just keep shooting. I consider myself a shooter, so go shoot. It don't matter if you miss 10 straight, shoot the next one."
After scoring four points on 1-for-7 shooting in the first half, Flournoy finished 5-for-13. During the third quarter, when Georgia outscored A&T 23-6, Flournoy had a stretch of scoring seven points in a row. She hit a jumper, was fouled and made the free throw. She grabbed a defensive rebound, went the other way and hit a pull-up 15-footer. Moments later, she hit another jumper from the same spot, cutting A&T's lead to 35-32 with 8:36 left.
"The biggest difference was, we're not losing," said Flournoy, who also led Georgia with five assists.
Last season, Flournoy's first at Georgia after playing at Vanderbilt as a freshman, she averaged 2.4 points per game off the bench. She scored in double figures three times and had a total of 17 assists. After one start this season, she's already in double-figures once and is about a third of the way to last season's assist total.
As an All-Mountain West player at San Diego State last season, Avinger averaged 11.6 points, 4.2 assists and 2.0 steals a game. In her Lady Bulldog debut, she had 15 points, three assists and two steals.
"I think I definitely enjoyed it," she said of her first game with Georgia. "I love playing with this group of girls. We really count on each other when it counts, especially (Flournoy) coming out in the second half of the game, she got us going."
Avinger plays with uncommon speed and quickness on the court. She can get from one end to the other in no time, to the point that "I definitely catch myself" from going too fast sometimes, she said.
"I can get sped up just because of how fast I go. But I do have a good balance of just calming down and making sure my team is very poised," she said. "I can play fast, which is an advantage and can be a disadvantage for myself, but it's just all about learning who I am and using it to my best ability."
Coach ABE wants her to go fast, to use that speed and blow by defenders.
"I'm not harnessing her. I'm going to let her go and push," she said, later describing Avinger as ""a downhill point guard."
Georgia's coaches first saw Avinger last season when the Lady Bulldogs played San Diego State in the West Palm Beach Invitational. Avinger had nine points, two assists and two steals in the game, which Georgia won 63-44.
"Playing against her and scouting her, I was like, 'Whoo, this kid is good. We've got to take care of her,'" Coach ABE said. "When she went into the portal, we were all over that. A lot of people were all over her. We got really lucky that when we played against her, she liked the way we played.'"
Monday's opener was a good start for Avinger, Flournoy and the Lady Bulldogs, who also got a double-double (14 points, 12 rebounds) from Javyn Nicholson and 13 from Zoesha Smith. And better days are ahead.
"This isn't the best version of ourselves," Avinger said. "This is the first game, and we have a whole season to go through."
Staff Writer
They are, Asia Avinger and De'Mauri Flournoy, both 5-foot-7 difference-makers that can score in bunches. Avinger is the newcomer, a speedy sharpshooting guard that was an all-conference player at San Diego State last season. Flournoy, in her second season on the Georgia women's basketball team, plays a lot like Avinger, going inside and out with confidence and aggression.
"Us two, we're really close. It's like second-nature," Flournoy said after the Lady Bulldogs' season opener Monday night at Stegeman Coliseum. "I love playing with Asia, Asia loves playing with me, so the communication is like (snap, snap, snap with her fingers). She makes it so easy to play with (her), just her decision-making, how fast she goes — she makes everything easy."
Georgia needed big games from both in the Lady Bulldogs' 71-59 win over North Carolina A&T. Flournoy and Avinger finished with 15 points each, two of four Lady Bulldogs that ended up in double-figures.
"We definitely try to have balance all across the board," Avinger said. "If we can have at least four in double-digits, that would be great. And it can be anybody's day."
Early on, it didn't look like anyone's day other than Avinger's. While her teammates were ice-cold from the floor, Avinger was keeping Georgia close. Early in the second quarter, she hit her third 3-pointer of the first half to cut the Aggies' lead to 18-17 — Avinger had 11 of the Lady Bulldogs' 17 points.
When Avinger picked up her second foul with 4:23 left in the half, she went to the bench. The Aggies extended their lead to 33-25 at the half. The Lady Bulldogs were 10 off 38 from the floor in the first 20 minutes.
"I think we definitely started out the game a little rough, just because it was the first time we were playing together," said Avinger, who was voted a team captian by her teammates despite only joining the team in June.
Asked what coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson told her at halftime, Flournoy said Coach ABE told her: "Just keep shooting. I consider myself a shooter, so go shoot. It don't matter if you miss 10 straight, shoot the next one."
After scoring four points on 1-for-7 shooting in the first half, Flournoy finished 5-for-13. During the third quarter, when Georgia outscored A&T 23-6, Flournoy had a stretch of scoring seven points in a row. She hit a jumper, was fouled and made the free throw. She grabbed a defensive rebound, went the other way and hit a pull-up 15-footer. Moments later, she hit another jumper from the same spot, cutting A&T's lead to 35-32 with 8:36 left.
"The biggest difference was, we're not losing," said Flournoy, who also led Georgia with five assists.
Last season, Flournoy's first at Georgia after playing at Vanderbilt as a freshman, she averaged 2.4 points per game off the bench. She scored in double figures three times and had a total of 17 assists. After one start this season, she's already in double-figures once and is about a third of the way to last season's assist total.
As an All-Mountain West player at San Diego State last season, Avinger averaged 11.6 points, 4.2 assists and 2.0 steals a game. In her Lady Bulldog debut, she had 15 points, three assists and two steals.
"I think I definitely enjoyed it," she said of her first game with Georgia. "I love playing with this group of girls. We really count on each other when it counts, especially (Flournoy) coming out in the second half of the game, she got us going."
Avinger plays with uncommon speed and quickness on the court. She can get from one end to the other in no time, to the point that "I definitely catch myself" from going too fast sometimes, she said.
"I can get sped up just because of how fast I go. But I do have a good balance of just calming down and making sure my team is very poised," she said. "I can play fast, which is an advantage and can be a disadvantage for myself, but it's just all about learning who I am and using it to my best ability."
Coach ABE wants her to go fast, to use that speed and blow by defenders.
"I'm not harnessing her. I'm going to let her go and push," she said, later describing Avinger as ""a downhill point guard."
Georgia's coaches first saw Avinger last season when the Lady Bulldogs played San Diego State in the West Palm Beach Invitational. Avinger had nine points, two assists and two steals in the game, which Georgia won 63-44.
"Playing against her and scouting her, I was like, 'Whoo, this kid is good. We've got to take care of her,'" Coach ABE said. "When she went into the portal, we were all over that. A lot of people were all over her. We got really lucky that when we played against her, she liked the way we played.'"
Monday's opener was a good start for Avinger, Flournoy and the Lady Bulldogs, who also got a double-double (14 points, 12 rebounds) from Javyn Nicholson and 13 from Zoesha Smith. And better days are ahead.
"This isn't the best version of ourselves," Avinger said. "This is the first game, and we have a whole season to go through."
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballWednesday, April 08
Tuesday, April 07
Tuesday, March 17
Monday, March 16