Georgia Back on the Road to Kentucky

Georgia Lady Bulldogs Game Notes

Georgia (17-9, 6-6 SEC) vs. Kentucky (10-14, 2-10 SEC)
Thursday, Feb. 16 | 7 p.m. ET
Memorial Coliseum | Lexington, Ky.
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: SEC Network + (Jeff Piecoro and Christi Thomas)
Audio Stream: georgiadogs.com
Social: @UGA_WBB
History: UGA 39-22 (Full History)
Last Meeting: - UGA, 64-60 (1/5/23)

TEAM COMPARISON

GEORGIA LADY BULLDOGS
Ranking: NR
Head Coach: Coach ABE
Career Record: 389-166 (18th year)
Record at Georgia: 17-9 (1st year)

KENTUCKY WILDCATS
Ranking: NR
Head Coach: Kyra Elzy
Career Record: 47-36 (3rd year)
Record at Kentucky: Same

No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Cl.	PPG	RPG
RECENT STARTERS
0	Zoesha Smith	G/F	5-9	5th	6.6	4.0
1	Chloe Chapman	G	5-7	Sr.	3.2	1.8
3	Diamond Battles	G	5-8	5th	14.2	3.2
20	Jordan Isaacs	F	6-0	Sr.	2.0	3.1
24	Brittney Smith	F	6-3	5th	12.2	5.5

Storylines

» Georgia is back on the road to face the Kentucky Wildcats at 7 p.m. ET Thursday in Lexington.

» The Lady Bulldogs are playing some of the best basketball in the SEC, with four wins in their last five games. The lone loss during this stretch came in an 82-77 OT thriller at No. 3 LSU -- a game which Georgia led for over 25 minutes (Georgia's nine losses this year have come by an average of just 8.0 points per game).

» As the SEC's leader in steals (10.9 per game) and turnover margin (+4.08), Georgia's defense has given opponents problems all year long. As of late, the Lady Bulldogs have stepped it up offensively. Over the last two games, Georgia has hit 53.3 percent from the floor and averaged 80 points per contest.

» Against Vanderbilt, Georgia knocked in 67 percent of its shots -- the program's best single-game shooting percentage since 1988 and the sixth-best in school history.

» Georgia forced 28 Florida turnovers on Sunday, marking the 16th time this season the Lady Bulldogs have forced 20 or more opponent miscues. That total leads the SEC, with Georgia owning a 14-2 record in those games.

» The Lady Bulldogs have recorded 10 or more steals 15 times this year. Georgia currently has eight players with 20-plus steals -- the most among all Division I Power 5 programs.

» Georgia is looking for its first win in Lexington since 2018. The Lady Bulldogs lead the all-time series, 39-22, including a 14-12 mark at Memorial Coliseum.

» Georgia is led by fifth-year senior Diamond Battles, who has scored in double figures in 10-straight games.

» Coach ABE's teams boast a 19-3 record in the month of February over the last three seasons (two at UCF and this year at Georgia).

More on Georgia's Steals ...

Georgia has totaled 284 steals this season, already marking its highest team total in eight years (since 2014-15). The Lady Bulldogs have a nation-best (among Power 5 programs) eight players with 20 or more steals as De'Mauri Flournoy, who has 18 steals, looks to join that group soon. If she does, Georgia would be the first SEC team since Florida in 2015-16 to have nine or more players with 20-plus swipes. (Thanks to stats guru Dave McMahon for his research on this stat.)

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. Georgia has forced 20 or more opponent turnovers in 16 games and has forced double-digit miscues in every contest. The team has held opponents to single-digit quarters on 14 occasions.

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 (3.03 per game) and top-8 in steals (1.88 per game).

Lewis Leads League, Among Nation's Best

Alisha Lewis leads the SEC and ranks fifth nationally with a +2.77 assist-to-turnover ratio. Lewis has totaled 86 assists and just 31 turnovers this season. She has dished out five or more assists in 10 games and has never totaled more than three turnovers in a game.

Brittney Shines in SEC Play

Brittney Smith paces the Lady Bulldogs during SEC action with her 13.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest. Smith has scored in double figures in nine of Georgia's 12 conference matchups, while in league games only, she ranks third in field-goal percentage (.550) and fourth in free-throw percentage (.865).

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 (1,055). 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.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

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

University of Georgia Athletics