BASKETBALL
Meredith Mitchell put up a career-high 21 points and notched five rebounds as the No. 12 Georgia Lady Dawgs (4-0) defeated the No. 23 USC Women of Troy (1-2), 67-60, Sunday afternoon.
“I thought our kids were well prepared," said coach Andy Landers. "Assistant Coach Cameron Newbauer did a great job of getting the information we needed and getting it to the team in a way they could understand. I thought we were the aggressive team and most of the time, the aggressive will win it.”
After heading into the locker room with a 26-19 lead, the Lady Dawgs started the second period with a 14-2 run and never looked back. Georgia shot 48.1 percent from the floor in the second half, including double-digit efforts from Mitchell and Khaalidah Miller, 11 and 12 points, respectively.
“The great thing about Meredith's performance was that it was all within reason," continued Landers. "I didn’t think one of her shots was ill-conceived. They were the shots I wanted her to take. She was driving the baseline, pulling up on the boards and then coming off of two screens she made a three. It was good day, about as good as it gets.”
Miller tied her season high with 17 points and added four rebounds to her fourth consecutive double digit scoring effort his season.
Jasmine James and Jasmine Hassell led Georgia on the boards with nine rebounds each. James also recorded seven points and six assists, while Hassell added nine points to her season-high rebounding effort.
“Everyday is not going to be a great day for everybody," said Landers. "Michael Jordan wasn’t great everyday. Everybody on the basketball team has to find a way to do something. They can work together. Maybe it’s going to be shot, maybe it’s going to be a rebound, or maybe it’s going to be a steal. When players learn to think like that, they become more confident. I thought Jasmine James was terrific with the ball.”
Three USC players recorded double-digit scoring efforts, but it was not enough to overcome Georgia. In the first half, Georgia held the Women of Troy to 24.1 percent from the floor and scored 12 points off of USC turnovers.
The Lady Dawgs play again Saturday, November 26th, as they take on No. 14 Georgetown at the Lady Rebel Round-Up in Las Vegas. Georgia returns to Stegeman Coliseum on Wednesday, November 30 at 7:00 p.m., when they host South Carolina State.
Notes
• The Lady Dawgs improved to 4-0 overall.
• Georgia is now 3-4 against Southern Cal, including a 2-0 record versus the Women of Troy in Athens.
• This is Georgia’s fourth win in 10 days and third straight victory in the last 115 hours.
• UGA had a strong inside presence, scoring 36 points in the paint against USC.
• Georgia converted 14 USC turnovers into 22 points.
• Meredith Mitchell scored a career high 21 points, the most since her previous career high of 18 against South Carolina on 3/4/11.
• Khaalidah Miller tied her season-high scoring record with 17 points, her previous 17-point effort was against TCU on 11/11/11.
• Tonight’s win by seven points over Southern Cal marks Coach Andy Landers 777th win at Georgia.
• Georgia shot a blistering 48.1% from the field in the second half.
Lady Dawgs In Double Digits
• Meredith Mitchell scored 21 points, marking her second double-digit game of the season and the 28th of her career.
• Mitchell’s 21 point performance marks her first 20-point game and the highest points scored in a game in her career.
• Khaalidah Miller scored 17 points, marking her fourth double-digit game of the season and the 18th of her career.
Southern Cal Head Coach Michael Cooper
On the game…
“We couldn’t hit shots. When you don’t hit shots out on the road, it’s going to be difficult for you to win games. Our last three games, we came out as a whole. But today, towards the beginning, whenever you dig a hole like that for yourself it’s hard to climb out. But I’m proud of our team, our ladies played hard. They closed the gap and they stayed with it.”
No comments:
Post a Comment