Lady Dawgs Win Opener

BASKETBALL

Junior Anne Marie Armstrong posted career highs of 22 points, eight rebounds and five steals as the No. 13 Georgia Lady Dawgs (1-0) defeated the TCU Horned Frogs (0-1) Friday, 83-60, in the season opener at Stegeman Coliseum.

In addition to Armstrong, three more Lady Dawgs scored in the double digits. Senior Meredith Mitchell notched her fourth career double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore Khaalidah Miller and junior Jasmine James put up 17 and 14 points, respectively.

"It was good start to the season," said Georgia head coach Andy Landers. "A lot of players did a lot of things well. We struggled at times defensively, but the effort was good I thought pretty much from beginning to end."

Georgia started strong with a 10-2 run in the first 3:30 of the game and never relinquished the lead.

“TCU played well," continued Landers. "At the end of transition we failed to check up correctly, they found their players and went to the offensive boards. Defensively, they kept adjusting until they slowed us down. Offensively, we played pretty well in the first half. Then they started matching and shifting until they got their zone right and it really affected us in the second half.”

The Lady Dawgs connected on 41.7 percent of their shots from the field while holding TCU to 36.8 percent. Georgia knocked down 13 three-pointers.

Notes:

• The Lady Dawgs improved to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in Athens against TCU.

• Georgia has commenced 10 of the last 11 seasons with a victory. In total, the Lady Dawgs have recorded a 30-9 record in season-openers in its 39 seasons.

• Anne Marie Armstrong recorded career highs for points (22), rebounds (eight) and steals (five). Her previous scoring high was 17 points vs. Mississippi State on Jan. 23, 2011. She equaled her career high for rebounds established against Alabama on Jan. 20, 2011 and Chattanooga on Nov. 19, 2010. Her previous high for steals was three on three different occasions, most recently against Alabama on Jan. 20, 2011.

• Jasmine James had a career-high eight steals. Her previous high was seven against Savannah State on Dec. 30, 2009.

• Meredith Mitchell equaled her career high for rebounds (12), also established against Arkansas Jan. 13, 2011.

Lady Dawgs In Double Digits:

• Khaalidah Miller scored 17 points, marking her first double-digit game of the season and the 15th of her career.

• Anne Marie Armstrong scored 22 points, marking her first double-digit game of the season and the 17th of her career.

• Jasmine James scored 14 points, marking her first double-digit game of the season and the 40th of her career.

• Meredith Mitchell scored 10 points, marking her first double-digit game of the season and the 27th of her career.

• Meredith Mitchell grabbed 10 rebounds, marking her first double-digit rebounding game of the season and the fifth of her career.

• Meredith Mitchell recorded her first double-double of the season and the fourth of her career.

Coach Andy Landers

On Khaalidah Miller and Jasmine James:

“Khaalidah is a great player. I am so happy for her. She’s just a different player. She’s out on the perimeter shooting threes and playing great defense. She goes on to the offensive boards and gets fouls. Jasmine had great steals. Miller played lights out...shot it well.”

On defense playing a big role:

“This is a team that played great defense last year. Turnovers play a big role in our game and lead to crucial points.”

On bench contribution:

“Anne Marie gets 22 points and hit some big threes. I was happy for Danielle (Bennett) when she came in off the bench and contributed. These players work hard during practice, and it’s great when they can come in off the bench and help our team in a big way. “

TCU Head Coach Jeff Mittie

On the game:

“I thought we did a lot of good stuff but obviously this group is going to improve a lot and you’ll see a different basketball team in January. There were a lot of good things that I saw tonight. We didn’t do a very good job when they turned up the defense of handling that pressure. That was as a group, not as an individual, but as a group.”

On his team:

“I think we know where we are at. We know what we’ve got to do to get better. You can talk about it in practice and try and simulate it as much as you can, but it’s the No. 12 ranked team in the country. We are in their place in their home opener. You’re not going to catch them not excited about this. While they aren’t going to be as sharp as they will be in two weeks, they are definitely excited to play tonight.”

The Lady Dawgs will play again on Tuesday, when they take on Georgia Southern at 7:00 in Statesboro before returning to Athens to host the College of Charleston at 7:00 on Thursday.