Georgia Hosts Florida On Alumni Weekend

Sunday, February 12

Athens, Ga.

1:00 p.m.

University of Georgia

Florida

February 10, 2023 | Women's Basketball

Georgia Lady Bulldogs Game Notes

Georgia (16-9, 5-6 SEC) vs. Florida (14-10, 3-8 SEC)
Sunday, Feb. 12 | 1 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: SEC Network (Sam Gore and Tamika Catchings)
Video Stream: SECN+
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
Social: @UGA_WBB
History: UGA 63-18 (Full History)
Last Meeting: - UGA, 82-77 (1/8/22)

TEAM COMPARISON

GEORGIA LADY BULLDOGS
Ranking: NR
Head Coach: Coach ABE
Career Record: 388-166 (18th year)
Record at Georgia: 16-9 (1st year)

FLORIDA GATORS
Ranking: NR
Head Coach: Kelly Rae Finley
Career Record: 35-21 (2nd year)
Record at Florida: Same

No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Cl.	PPG	RPG
RECENT STARTERS
0	Zoesha Smith	G/F	5-9	5th	6.2	3.7
1	Chloe Chapman	G	5-7	Sr.	3.3	1.9
3	Diamond Battles	G	5-8	5th	14.2	3.3
20	Jordan Isaacs	F	6-0	Sr.	2.1	3.1
24	Brittney Smith	F	6-3	5th	12.4	5.6

Storylines

» Georgia hosts Florida on Alumni Day at Stegeman Coliseum this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

» Around 80 former players and staff return to Athens this weekend and will be in attendance during Georgia's game against Florida. As part of the festivities, members of the 1983 NCAA Final Four team will be honored at halftime.

» Georgia made history in 1983 as the first school to have both its men's and women's basketball programs reach the NCAA Final Four in the same season — a distinction the school held until 1999. Hall of Famer Andy Landers guided the youthful Lady Bulldogs, led by Janet Harris, Teresa Edwards, Wanda Holloway and Lisa O'Connor, to the program's first-ever SEC title and Final Four.

» The Lady Bulldogs have won 10 of the last 11 meetings and own a 63-18 lead in the all-time series against the Gators.

» Georgia defeated Florida, 82-77, earlier this year in Gainesville. The Lady Bulldogs outscored Florida 34-20 in the fourth quarter to erase a 13-point deficit. Brittney Smith led Georgia with 22 points.

» Overall, Georgia has won three of its last four games this season, defeating Missouri, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. The only loss in the month of February has come at the hands of No. 3 ranked LSU -- an overtime game that Georgia led for over 25 minutes.

» Georgia's nine losses this year have come by an average of eight points per game. Six of the nine defeats have come by single digits.

» Georgia leads the SEC in steals (10.68) and is second in turnover margin (+3.76).

» Fifth-year senior Brittney Smith hit her first eight shots and finished 9-of-10 from the field with 24 points in last Sunday's win against Vanderbilt. She has hit 79 percent of her shots and is 7-of-8 from the free-throw line over the last two games. As a team, Georgia shot 67 percent from the field and nailed its first 11 baskets against the Commodores. That percentage was the team's best in a game since 1988.

» Coach ABE's teams boast an 18-3 record in the month of February over the last three seasons (two at UCF and this year at Georgia).

» 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.

A Rare Diamond

Diamond Battles is one of just two players in the SEC this season (joining Ciaja Harbison from Vanderbilt) to rank in the top-15 in scoring (14.2 ppg), top-15 in assists (3.08 per game) and top-8 in steals (1.84 per game). Battles has scored in double figures in nine-straight games.

Lewis Leads League, Among Nation's Best

Alisha Lewis leads the SEC and ranks fifth nationally with a +2.79 assist-to-turnover ratio. Lewis has totaled 81 assists and just 29 turnovers this season. She has dished out five or more assists in nine games and has never totaled more than three turnovers in a game.

Smith Shines in SEC Play

Brittney Smith paces the Lady Bulldogs during SEC action with her 14.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per contest. Smith has scored in double figures in nine of Georgia's 11 conference matchups, while in league games only, she ranks third in field-goal percentage (.578) and fourth in free-throw percentage (.865).

Historic Offensive Effort

Georgia started the game against Vanderbilt (Feb. 5) a perfect 11-of-11 from the field. The Lady Bulldogs shot 67 percent overall as a team, marking their best shooting percentage in a game since 1988, the most efficient shooting effort of any team in the SEC this season, the sixth-highest mark in program history and the second-best percentage against a conference team in school history.

Georgia became the first SEC team to shoot above 65 percent from the floor and higher than 85 percent from the free-throw line in the same game since the year 2000 (Vanderbilt vs. Portland State).

A 10-year Low

Georgia defeated Mississippi State, 62-34, on Jan. 29. The 34 points were the lowest in a game for MSU in 10 seasons. The Lady Bulldogs forced 27 State turnovers, marking their highest single-game turnover mark since 2015.

Tigers on the Brink

Georgia was the first team this season to lead LSU going into the fourth quarter (55-50). Georgia led for 25 minutes, including a nine-point advantage with seven minutes remaining, before falling in an 82-77 overtime thriller.

Dawgs Are Downright Defensive

In each of her last two seasons at UCF, Coach ABE's team led the nation in scoring defense. The success of her 'matchup' defense is now taking shape at Georgia. The Lady Bulldogs have held five teams (Jacksonville State, NC State, Mercer, San Diego State and Mississippi State) to their season lows in scoring. Georgia held Missouri to its second-lowest scoring output of the year. Georgia has forced 20 or more opponent turnovers in 15 games and has forced double-digit miscues in every contest.

The team has recorded 10 or more steals in 14 matchups and has held opponents to single-digit quarters on 12 occasions.

Miyah Verse Named McDonald's All-America Nominee

Georgia signee Miyah Verse was recently named a nominee for the McDonald's All-America Team. A native of Peoria, Arizona, Verse is a four-star recruit who landed in ESPN's Super 60 Poll as one of the top players in the nation. She plays high school basketball at Arizona Elite Prep, which has become a national powerhouse.

Building on the Excitement

Earlier this year against South Carolina, the community showed up in a big way. The attendance was listed at 6,225, marking the largest crowd for a SEC home game at UGA since 2013-14 -- a span of nine seasons.

Historic Comeback

Against Wisconsin, the Lady Bulldogs posted one of the largest comebacks in program history. Down 20, 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.

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.

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 (1,054). 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.

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.

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.