Georgia Topples Florida, 81-55

Sunday, February 12

Athens, Ga.

1:00 p.m.

University of Georgia

17-9,6-6SEC

Florida

14-11,3-9SEC

Florida

Georgia

February 12, 2023 | Women's Basketball

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ATHENS – The University of Georgia women's basketball team topped the Florida Gators in a commanding 81-55 fashion on Sunday afternoon in Stegeman Coliseum in front of 3,348 spectators.

Two Lady Bulldogs recorded double-doubles against the Gators. Junior Zoesha Smith had 15 points and 13 rebounds. Senior Javyn Nicholson tallied a team-leading 17 points and chipped in 10 boards. 6^th-year Malury Bates followed with a career-high 15 points. 5^th-year Diamond Battles also chipped in 14.

"We got back to our press a little bit, so that was awesome to see," Georgia head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson said. "That's kind of our swag a little bit. It gets us going, and everybody wants to be a part of it. At this time of the year, a lot of teams are getting tired. It's a long season. We're getting tired too, but we took a good break. We took two days off and then we got back to our press. I think Zoesha (Smith) did a great job on top of the press. She's so long, tall and athletic. She got some tips, and we got some traps this time, which is good. We got people in traps, and I thought Diamond (Battles) did a good job of getting some jump balls and just closing the traps. Which we really worked on this week as a team."

A slow-start scoring drought was interrupted by a jumper from Battles to spur a three-basket run in the paint by the Georgia (17-9, 6-6 SEC) offense. A triple from the Florida (14-11, 3-9 SEC) offense closed the gap to one point, 6-5. The Lady Bulldogs responded by sinking the next 12 of 14 points. Battles led the charge with six of Georgia's 18 points in the first quarter as Nicholson closed the frame with a jumper to give the Lady Bulldogs a 14-8 lead heading into the second quarter.

Both teams traded points to start the second quarter, but the Gators were unable to close the scoring gap. The Lady Bulldogs used baskets from the perimeter to keep Florida within 10 points, 29-19. A steal in the Gators' paint by Battles boosted Georgia on a 6-2 scoring run, 37-23. A layup from the Gators closed the first half as the Lady Bulldogs carried an 11-point advantage, 39-28, into the second half.

Gator turnovers on back-to-back possessions allowed Georgia to control the start of the second half with a 6-0 run. The Georgia defense went to work, forcing five Florida turnovers within the first five minutes of the second half to push 10 consecutive Lady Bulldog points and increase Georgia's lead to 21, 53-32. Each team recorded six-point runs to close the third frame as Z. Smith sank a buzzer-beating jumper to send the Lady Bulldogs into the final quarter leading 62-41.

Three points from Nicholson and a Battles layup kick started the fourth quarter scoring effort. Seven Florida turnovers sparked a 12-2 run for Georgia, 73-47. The Gators used six consecutive points to attempt to close the scoring gap, but four points from De'Mauri Flournoy and a final jumper from Nicholson gave Georgia its final lead, 81-55.

The Lady Bulldogs will return to the court on Thursday, Feb. 16 in Lexington, Ky. when they take on the Kentucky Wildcats. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be aired live on SEC Network+.