BASKETBALL
The 24th-ranked Georgia women’s basketball team posted a 17-2 run late in the second half to pull to within one point, but Vanderbilt was able to withstand it in earning a 69-59 win over the Lady Dawgs Thursday night in Stegeman Coliseum.
Georgia trailed by 16 with 8:59 to play before clawing all the way back to within one, 60-59, with 2:56 on the clock. But the Commodores kept the Lady Dawgs off the scoreboard from that point on, scoring nine straight to close the game and take away the double-digit road victory.
Georgia falls to 18-6 with the loss and 8-3 in SEC play, while Vanderbilt improves to 17-7 (8-3). Thursday’s loss was Georgia’s first at home this season as they now stand at 11-1.
“Tonight the bad thing was we were in a position where we had to make a comeback,” said head coach Andy Landers. “We would have liked the run we had at the end to be what put the game away, but it was just a run that was trying to get us back in the game. The reason we were behind to begin with is that we rebounded the ball poorly consistently, and we did a poor job of boxing out.”
“One of the things that happens when we turned the ball over is something that we coach against constantly: when the other team gets a possession, whether it’s a rebound or a turnover, you sprint back and play defense. You don’t gamble in the middle or on the ball at the wrong end of the floor. We did that three times tonight, and it cost us every time.”
The Lady Dawgs got double-digit scoring from Porsha Phillips (12), Jasmine Hassell (10), and Meredith Mitchell (10), but shot just 35 percent on the night including 3-for-19 from three-point range. Vanderbilt’s high scorer was point guard Jasmine Lister, who dropped 22 on 8-for-18 shooting and four threes in 38 minutes. Hannah Tuomi added 19 points and 13 rebounds before fouling out in the thick of Georgia’s comeback attempt.
Vanderbilt would score six of the last nine points in the first half to take a five-point lead, 32-27, into the locker room. Tuomi already had 10 points at the intermission along with seven rebounds.
A three from Lister with 13:47 on the clock in the second half put Vanderbilt up by double figures for the first time, 47-37. An 8-0 Commodore run pushed Vandy in front by 14, 55-41, with 10:00 on the clock and the lead grew to its largest margin of 16, 58-42, with 8:59 to play.
That would set the stage for the Georgia run, started by a lay-up from Tamika Willis. Anne Marie Armstrong recorded a steal and made a three at the other end to trim the deficit to just six, and Phillips and Armstrong added consecutive buckets followed by a Mitchell free throw to cap it at 17-2 and pull the Lady Dawgs out of the hole.
But Vanderbilt made sure it got no closer, as Lister and Stephanie Holzer combined for the 9-0 run to close the game, giving Vandy the 10-point victory.
Vanderbilt ended with 42 rebounds to Georgia’s 33, while committing 22 turnovers to Georgia’s 16. Jence Rhoads dished 10 assists for the Commodores.
The Dawgs are now 30-24 all-time vs. Vanderbilt and 15-7 at home.
Jasmine James returned to the Georgia lineup tonight after sitting out the Alabama game on Sunday. The sophomore rested a sprained wrist for one game but got the call vs. the Commodores, picking up eight points, four assists, and two steals in 34 minutes of action.
Georgia will look to get back on track when it travels to Ole Miss for a Sunday meeting on February 13. The Lady Dawgs and Rebels will tip at 2 p.m. ET on CSS.
Notes
• This was Georgia’s first loss at home this season, they are now 11-1 at Stegeman Coliseum.
• Vanderbilt closes the gap in the all-time series to 30-24 overall and 15-7 in Athens.
• Following tonight’s game, Porsha Phillips is now 106 points from 1,000 total with the Lady Dawgs, as well as 39 blocks from No. 7 Tammye Jenkins among UGA’s career leaders in that category.
• Porsha Phillips moved past No. 5 Medina Turner among UGA’s senior class leaders for rebounds. Phillips now has 248 boards this season.
Double-Digit Lady Dawgs
• Porsha Phillips earned double-digits in points with 12, her 13th this season and the 52nd of her career.
• Jasmine Hassell earned double-digits in points with 10, her eighth this season and the 15th of her career.
• Meredith Mitchell earned double-digits in points with 10, her 10th this season and the 23rd of her career.
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