University of Georgia Athletics
Defense Powers Lady Bulldogs To Win Over A&M
January 05, 2026 | Women's Basketball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Sometimes a win comes from everything flowing, from everything working, and the rim looking as big as a hula hoop. And sometimes, when there isn't much flow and not much is working, and the rim seems to be thimble-sized, a win comes from just gritting your teeth and doing every little thing to make it happen — like holding your opponent to just three points over the final 15 minutes.
The Georgia women's basketball team's 64-56 overtime win over Texas A&M on Sunday afternoon at Stegeman Coliseum wasn't a thing of beauty offensively, but it was a great showing of perseverance and defense. The Lady Bulldogs shot 35.7% from the field, made just 2 of 14 3-point attempts, and they went 12 of 25 from the free-throw line.
Despite those offensive struggles, Georgia, which trailed for more than 36 minutes and was down 37-18 late in the first half, found a way to not only get back in the game, but pull out a victory. The Lady Bulldogs (15-1, 1-1 SEC)Â held the Aggies (7-4, 0-2) to just one point in the fourth quarter and two points in overtime.
"I always thought we could win this. I was just like, when are we going to wake up for real? It was never a doubt on winning or losing," said 6-foot-3 forward Mia Woolfolk, who finished with 15 points, five rebounds and five steals.
The Aggies scored the first nine points of the game, and they led 20-8 after the first quarter. Things didn't get much better for Georgia in the second, when A&M pushed its lead to 37-18 with 1:00 left in the half. But the Lady Bulldogs' defense started to make things happen in the final minute, and that carried over to the rest of the game.
Down 19, Georgia sophomore guard Trinity Turner got a steal and went the other way for a layup. Then, after an A&M missed 3, sophomore guard Dani Carnegie got the rebound and later fed junior forward Vera Ojenuwa inside for a basket with 16 seconds left. Georgia redshirt sophomore forward Miyah Verse got another steal just before time ran out, and though she wasn't able to turn it into points, the game had started to change.
"We were too lackadaisical on defense in the first half, so definitely coming into that second half, our defense had to empower our offense," Woolfolk said.
And it definitely did, especially with steals leading to easy baskets in transition. Georgia had three steals after the first quarter, six by halftime, and finished with 18. Junior guard Enjulina Gonzalez was pivotal to the Lady Bulldogs' defensive effort, playing 29 minutes off the bench and getting five steals, to go along with five rebounds and 3 points.
Georgia outscored A&M 22-16 in the third quarter, and followed that up with 10-1 in the fourth and 10-2 in overtime. Georgia head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson said Gonzalez's defensive efforts against A&M point guard Ny'Ceara Pryor were a big part of that. Pryor had seven points in the first quarter and was held to just five the rest of the way.
"That was Angie (Gonzalez); that was Angie picking up No. 1 (Pryor); Trinity could get off (Pryor) and play the other guards," Coach ABE said. "Angie was picking her up full-court, and she brought really good energy to us."
Gonzalez was part of a strong effort from the Georgia bench, which combined for 16 points, 18 rebounds and seven steals.
"Our bench showed up today, ... and I thought that was really big for us," Coach ABE said.
Carnegie, who scored a game-high 23 points and also had 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists, scored 12 of Georgia's first 14 points in the third quarter. Carnegie came into the game shooting 46.9% from 3-point range this season (45 of 96), but she went just 2 of 9 against the Aggies. Still, she hit her two 3s in the third quarter as the Lady Bulldogs started clawing their way back into the game.
A Carnegie steal led to a foul and two free throws, which made it a 52-41 game with 1:56 to go in the third. The A&M lead was still nine, 53-44, entering the fourth quarter. A Carnegie steal led to another made free throw, followed by another steal and a dish to freshman forward Zhen Craft for a layup to cut the lead to 53-47.
Georgia's defense had taken over the game by that point, with the steals and overall pressure forcing the Aggies into mistakes and misses, and the Lady Bulldogs' inside attack on offense was getting the Aggies in foul trouble.
Georgia took its first lead of the game with 2:53 remaining in regulation, after a defensive stop led to another Carnegie drive and pass to Craft for a layup, putting the Lady Bulldogs up 54-53 with 2:53 on the clock. Craft finished with 8 points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench.
The Aggies' only point of the fourth quarter came on a free throw with 2:32 remaining, tying the game 54-54. That's where the score remained until the end of regulation, and the teams headed to overtime. Woolfolk, who was hobbling with a leg injury late in the game, hit a fadeaway 10-footer and converted a three-point play to put Georgia ahead 59-55, and she later added two more free throws to help seal the win.
"Sometimes you've just got to put your team first in situations like that," she said. "It's a close game and I know my team needs me on the floor, so I had to just push through and keep it moving."
Georgia hosts No. 5 LSU on Thursday.
Staff Writer
Sometimes a win comes from everything flowing, from everything working, and the rim looking as big as a hula hoop. And sometimes, when there isn't much flow and not much is working, and the rim seems to be thimble-sized, a win comes from just gritting your teeth and doing every little thing to make it happen — like holding your opponent to just three points over the final 15 minutes.
The Georgia women's basketball team's 64-56 overtime win over Texas A&M on Sunday afternoon at Stegeman Coliseum wasn't a thing of beauty offensively, but it was a great showing of perseverance and defense. The Lady Bulldogs shot 35.7% from the field, made just 2 of 14 3-point attempts, and they went 12 of 25 from the free-throw line.
Despite those offensive struggles, Georgia, which trailed for more than 36 minutes and was down 37-18 late in the first half, found a way to not only get back in the game, but pull out a victory. The Lady Bulldogs (15-1, 1-1 SEC)Â held the Aggies (7-4, 0-2) to just one point in the fourth quarter and two points in overtime.
"I always thought we could win this. I was just like, when are we going to wake up for real? It was never a doubt on winning or losing," said 6-foot-3 forward Mia Woolfolk, who finished with 15 points, five rebounds and five steals.
The Aggies scored the first nine points of the game, and they led 20-8 after the first quarter. Things didn't get much better for Georgia in the second, when A&M pushed its lead to 37-18 with 1:00 left in the half. But the Lady Bulldogs' defense started to make things happen in the final minute, and that carried over to the rest of the game.
Down 19, Georgia sophomore guard Trinity Turner got a steal and went the other way for a layup. Then, after an A&M missed 3, sophomore guard Dani Carnegie got the rebound and later fed junior forward Vera Ojenuwa inside for a basket with 16 seconds left. Georgia redshirt sophomore forward Miyah Verse got another steal just before time ran out, and though she wasn't able to turn it into points, the game had started to change.
"We were too lackadaisical on defense in the first half, so definitely coming into that second half, our defense had to empower our offense," Woolfolk said.
And it definitely did, especially with steals leading to easy baskets in transition. Georgia had three steals after the first quarter, six by halftime, and finished with 18. Junior guard Enjulina Gonzalez was pivotal to the Lady Bulldogs' defensive effort, playing 29 minutes off the bench and getting five steals, to go along with five rebounds and 3 points.
Georgia outscored A&M 22-16 in the third quarter, and followed that up with 10-1 in the fourth and 10-2 in overtime. Georgia head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson said Gonzalez's defensive efforts against A&M point guard Ny'Ceara Pryor were a big part of that. Pryor had seven points in the first quarter and was held to just five the rest of the way.
"That was Angie (Gonzalez); that was Angie picking up No. 1 (Pryor); Trinity could get off (Pryor) and play the other guards," Coach ABE said. "Angie was picking her up full-court, and she brought really good energy to us."
Gonzalez was part of a strong effort from the Georgia bench, which combined for 16 points, 18 rebounds and seven steals.
"Our bench showed up today, ... and I thought that was really big for us," Coach ABE said.
Carnegie, who scored a game-high 23 points and also had 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists, scored 12 of Georgia's first 14 points in the third quarter. Carnegie came into the game shooting 46.9% from 3-point range this season (45 of 96), but she went just 2 of 9 against the Aggies. Still, she hit her two 3s in the third quarter as the Lady Bulldogs started clawing their way back into the game.
A Carnegie steal led to a foul and two free throws, which made it a 52-41 game with 1:56 to go in the third. The A&M lead was still nine, 53-44, entering the fourth quarter. A Carnegie steal led to another made free throw, followed by another steal and a dish to freshman forward Zhen Craft for a layup to cut the lead to 53-47.
Georgia's defense had taken over the game by that point, with the steals and overall pressure forcing the Aggies into mistakes and misses, and the Lady Bulldogs' inside attack on offense was getting the Aggies in foul trouble.
Georgia took its first lead of the game with 2:53 remaining in regulation, after a defensive stop led to another Carnegie drive and pass to Craft for a layup, putting the Lady Bulldogs up 54-53 with 2:53 on the clock. Craft finished with 8 points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench.
The Aggies' only point of the fourth quarter came on a free throw with 2:32 remaining, tying the game 54-54. That's where the score remained until the end of regulation, and the teams headed to overtime. Woolfolk, who was hobbling with a leg injury late in the game, hit a fadeaway 10-footer and converted a three-point play to put Georgia ahead 59-55, and she later added two more free throws to help seal the win.
"Sometimes you've just got to put your team first in situations like that," she said. "It's a close game and I know my team needs me on the floor, so I had to just push through and keep it moving."
Georgia hosts No. 5 LSU on Thursday.
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.
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