Lady Dawgs Win 23rd Game Consecutive Against Alabama

BASKETBALL

Six different Georgia players scored eight or more points to lead the 13th-ranked Lady Dawgs to a 65-59 victory over Alabama on Thursday evening at Stegeman Coliseum.

Khaalidah Miller and Jasmine Hassell led the Lady Dawgs with 11 points and 10 points, respectively, while Merritt Hempe tallied nine points to go along with three rebounds and a steal. Anne Marie Armstrong, Tiara Griffin and Jasmine James each chipped in with eight points apiece, and Griffin pulled down a career-high eight rebounds on the night.

With the win, Georgia (18-3, 6-2 SEC) notched its 850th victory in program history, becoming just the 10th school in Division I history to accomplish the feat.

"We did what we needed to do to win, and that's the way it goes in the record book, even though the process wasn't pretty,” said coach Andy Landers. “There were some good decisions and some bad decisions made. A lot of makeable shots were not made tonight."

The Lady Dawgs opened the game with a strong defensive effort, holding the Crimson Tide (12-9, 2-6 SEC) without a point for the first three and a half minutes of the game. The two teams traded baskets throughout much of the next 10 minutes before Georgia reeled off an 8-0 run to open up a 20-11 lead.

A jumper from Hassell and a three-pointer by Griffin in the final minute of the first half helped give Georgia a 32-25 advantage entering the break.

The Lady Dawgs began to pull away early in the second half, opening up a 14-point lead with just over 12 minutes remaining. Georgia led by as many as 15 points, but Alabama mounted a comeback effort in the final minutes to narrow the lead for the Lady Dawgs.

The Crimson Tide used an 8-0 run in the final four minutes to come within four points, but two free throws each by Armstrong and Miller helped seal the victory for Georgia.

Georgia finished the game shooting 34.3 percent from the field and 77.8 percent from the charity stripe. The Georgia bench contributed 25 points compared to just 11 points from Alabama’s reserves. Georgia’s defense also forced 23 Crimson Tide turnovers while holding Alabama to 35.1 percent shooting from the floor, including 25.8 percent from three-point range.

The Lady Dawgs return to action on Sunday when they travel to Lexington, for a 2 p.m. tip with Kentucky.

Georgia will return home on Thursday, February 7th, to host Auburn at Stegeman Coliseum at 7 p.m.

Notes

• With tonight’s 65-59 victory over Alabama, Georgia improves its record to 18-3 (6-2 SEC).
• UGA is now 36-9 all-time against the Tide, with a 16-3 mark in Athens. The Lady Dawgs have now won 23 consecutive meetings with Alabama dating back to 1998.
• Andy Landers is now only five wins shy of his 900th career victory.
• The Lady Dawgs’ all-time record is now 850-356.
• The Lady Dawgs used their seventh different starting lineup of the season and the fourth different set of starters in the last four games.
• Freshman Merritt Hempe made her first career SEC start.
• Georgia started three freshmen – Shacobia Barbee, Tiaria Griffin and Merritt Hempe. It marked the first time the Lady Dawgs started a trio of freshmen since Ashley Houts, Christy Marshall and Angel Robinson did so in an 82-69 victory over Brown on December 30th, 2006 at the Surf ‘N Slam Classic in San Diego, California.
• After tallying 10 points, Jasmine Hassell has 1191 points for her career, passing Angel Robinson for the No. 24 position.
• Khaalidah Miller is now No. 3 in career three-point attempts in Lady Dawg history. With her five attempts tonight, she now has a total of 467 3FGAs.
• With two steals tonight, Jasmine James now has 239 career steals, passing Carla Green for the No. 8 position among UGA’s career leaders.
• Anne Marie Armstrong’s two blocks tonight ties her at No. 10 among UGA career block leaders with 104.
• Tiara Griffin collected 8 rebounds tonight, besting her previous career-high of six.

Lady Dawgs In Double Digits

• Jasmine Hassell tallied 10 points, her 14th double-digit performance this season and 57th of her career.
• Khaalidah Miller scored 11 points, her 10th double-digit performance this season and 47th of her career.

Dribble Dawgs Beat Auburn

BASKETBALL

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 20 points and pulled down ten rebounds, leading Georgia to a 57-49 win over Auburn Wednesday night at Stegeman Coliseum.

The performance is Caldwell-Pope’s third double-double of the season. Freshman guard Charles Mann also contributed ten points.

The win is Georgia’s (9-11, 3-4) third conference win of the season, and second in a row.

“That was an SEC Dawg fight,” said coach Mark Fox. “Both teams played really hard and it was an extremely physical game. We were really gritty defensively. I thought offensively we got a little careless and turned the ball over too much. We just kept fighting, and Auburn kept fighting too. It was a physical, physical game. We feel that’s a good win, and we feel fortunate to get it.”

After both teams traded the lead in the first half, the Dawgs went on an 8-2 run to end the half, taking a 26-22 lead into the locker room.

With just under four minutes remaining in the game and the score tied 43-43, the Dawgs scored five straight, capped off by senior forward Donte’ Williams converting an three-point play.

After Auburn (8-12, 2-5) fought back to trail UGA 48-46, Caldwell-Pope pulled down a rebound on a missed three-pointer and found senior guard Sherrard Brantley on a long outlet pass. Brantley missed the contested lay-up, but Caldwell-Pope followed with a put back to put Georgia up 50-46.

After Auburn was forced to foul with under two minutes to play, Georgia shot five-of-six from the free throw stripe to secure the win.

Auburn never led during the second half, and the last tie came with just under five minutes remaining at 43-43.

“In our last eight halves of basketball, we’ve played winning in seven of them,” Fox continued. “We are becoming more consistent, still making some mistakes, but there is a lot of room to grow here. They just keep battling and trying to get better, and I am really proud of our team. These kids have worked really hard and have been fully committed to the process.”

Georgia held Auburn to just 28 percent shooting from the field, including 20 percent from three-point range.

Auburn was led by Allen Payne and Frankie Sullivan who each had 13 points.

Georgia will hit the road for a conference bout against South Carolina on Saturday at 1:45 p.m. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.

NOTES

Worth Noting...

• Caldwell-Pope picked up his third double-double of the season with his 20-point, 10-rebound performance.

• Georgia outscored Auburn off the bench, 22-6.

• Georgia has won three of its last four games.

Career-highs...

• Charles Mann had a career high six assists

• Sherrard Brantley tied a career-high (and set a season-high) with four rebounds

The Series: Georgia improves to 90-88 all-time versus the Tigers and 59-22 in those games played in Athens. In the last 22 years, the home team has won 18 times.

Next Up: Georgia hits the road to take on South Carolina Saturday at 1:45 p.m. Georgia leads the all-time series 50-48. The Dawgs will be looking to improve upon a 30-17 mark in those games held in Columbia.

Fifty Seven Dawgs Make Honor Roll

Fifty-seven student-athletes from the University of Georgia have been named to the 2012 Fall Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll according to a recent announcement by SEC Commissioner Mike Slive.

Georgia’s 57 student-athletes named to the honor roll is the second-highest total of any SEC institution. To qualify for the SEC Academic Honor Roll, student-athletes must: maintain a 3.00 grade point average for the preceding academic year or have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 at the nominating institution, if the student-athlete is enrolled in summer courses, the GPA for those courses must be included in the calculation for cumulative GPA, have completed 24 semester hours of non-remedial academic credit toward a baccalaureate degree, and have been a member of a varsity team for the sport’s entire NCAA Championship segment.

The following UGA students were named to the Academic Honor Roll:

Football:

Faton Bauta, West Palm Beach, Florida, Arts & Sciences; Greg Bingham, Columbus, International Affairs; Taylor Bradberry, Winder, Health Promotions; Christopher Burnette, LaGrange, Finance; Corey Campbell, Hephzibah, Biological Sciences; Luis Capella, Augusta, Finance; Christian Conley, Dallas, Journalism; Watts Dantzler, Dalton, Health & Physical Education; Scott Eichler, Oakwood, Agricultural Engineering; Michael Erdman, Merritt Island, Florida., Management; Adam Erickson, Athens, Real Estate; Reuben Faloughi, Martinez, Psychology; Ty Frix, Calhoun, Biological Engineering/MBA; Austin Herod, Woodstock, Exercise & Sport Science; Ethan Jackson, Sandersville, Exercise & Sport Science; Jesse Jones, Habersham, International Affairs; Kyle Karempelis, Roswell, Management; Richard Lowe, Duluth, Biology; Arthur Lynch, Dartmouth, Massachusetts, History; Keith Marshall, Raleigh, North Carolina, Management; Hutson Mason, Marietta, Communication Studies; Taylor Maxey, Statham, Finance; Rhett McGowan, Calhoun, Sport Management; Gregory Mulkey, Fairmount, Agricultural Engineering; Aaron Murray, Tampa, Florida, Psychology; Connor Norman, Duluth, Exercise & Sport Science; Alexander Parsons, Fayetteville, Exercise & Sport Science; Jamal Payette, Cleveland, Finance; Geoffrey Rapp, Kennesaw, Psychology; Lucas Redd, Jefferson, Health & Physical Education; Ben Reynolds, Bainbridge, Biology; Christian Robinson, Norcross, Sport Management; Dustin Royston, Royston, Political Science; Garrison Smith, Atlanta, History; Michael Thornton, Stone Mountain, Communication Studies; Kosta Vavlas, Tarpon Springs, Florida, Biological Sciences; Hugh Williams, Atlanta, Advertising; Drew Wilson, Tignall, Mathematics Education.

Women’s Soccer:

Torri Allen, Stafford, Virginia, Animal Health; Ashley Baker, Lilburn, Recreation & Leisure Studies; Madeline Barker, Atlanta, Communication Studies; Jenna Buckley, Atlanta, Consumer Economics; Susannah Dennis, Franklin, Tennessee, Human Development & Family Science; Kathleen Eastman, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, International Affairs; Laura Eddy, Atlanta, Economics; Meghan Gibbons, The Woodlands, Texas, Sport Management; Nikki Hill, Scottsdale, Arizona, Biology; Callie Corbin Langford, Tallahassee, Florida, Psychology; Ansley Morgan, St. Simons Island, Journalism; Alexa Newfield, Atlanta, Sport Management; Jenna Owens, Highlands Ranch, Colorado, Exercise & Sport Science; Caitlin Woody, Boca Raton, Florida, Psychology.

Volleyball:

Briana Bahr, Pensacola, Florida, Housing; Nicole Choi, Alpharetta, Health Promotion; Elena Perri, Richland, Michigan, Advertising; Gaby Smiley, Alpharetta, Exercise & Sport Science; Stacey Smith, Eden, New York, Marketing.

Smith Invited To Join Roundtable

FOOTBALL

Georgia football player Garrison Smith has been invited to take part in the 2013 NFL and NCAA Student-Athlete Life Skills Roundtable. The event will take place in Charlotte, North Carolina on February 14-15.

Run jointly by the NFL and NCAA, the Life Skills Roundtable is designed to provide student-athletes with a forum to discuss the resources and support that they need in order to meet their personal and professional goals. Both organizations hold intimate discussions with a diverse group of student-athletes through which the NFL and NCAA hope to gain a better understanding of the personal and professional development needs and goals of student-athletes in transitioning from college to their chosen profession or the NFL.

Smith is a rising senior defensive end from Atlanta. He appeared in all 14 games for the Dawgs in 2012, starting in eight and recording 57 total tackles, 2 tackles for loss and 1 sack. He was one of 292 Georgia student-athletes named to the Athletic Directors Honor Roll for Fall Semester 2012, maintaining a Grade Point Average above 3.00 as a history major.

Lady Dawgs Defeat Gators

BASKETBALL

Jasmine Hassell led a trio of double-digit scorers as the No. 14 Georgia Lady Dawgs cruised past the Florida Gators, 69-52, on Sunday afternoon at Stegeman Coliseum.

Hassell notched 13 points, Tiaria Griffin tallied 12 points and Krista Donald recorded a season-high 11. Shacobia Barbee led the Lady Dawgs on the boards, pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds and tying her season high.

"I thought everything today started with our defense," said coach Andy Landers. "We were very good defensively, but especially early on in the game. We also rebounded the ball well, and those two things resulted in possessions. Many of those possessions were transition possessions, so that was good to see. One of the things that we wanted to do today was to get the ball up and down the floor. We did that early, and that helped to create the lead."

Georgia (17-3, 5-2 SEC) took control early by scoring the first points of the contest with less than a minute off the clock. Florida matched the Lady Dawgs for the first couple of baskets, but failed to take the lead before a Hassell layup ignited a 10-0 run that put Georgia up 14-4.

Florida (13-8, 2-5 SEC) slowed Georgia with a three-pointer, but the damage was done and the Gators were unable to gain momentum. The only time in the first half that Florida connected on back-to-back possessions was with a pair of jumpers at around 11 minutes, bringing the score to 24-14.

While the Gators kept the Lady Dawgs from embarking on another double-digit surge, Georgia eventually stretched its advantage to 39-20 before halftime.

In the first half, the Lady Dawgs shot an efficient 41.7 percent from the field, while holding Florida to 30 percent. Georgia also out rebounded the Gators 27-18 and used those rebounds to score 16 second chance points, compared to just six from Florida.

The first four minutes of the second period were fairly well matched, as neither team was able to take control until a trey by Merritt Hempe started a 17-2 run that lasted over eight and a half minutes and gave Georgia its largest lead of the game at 64-33.

The Gators were productive in the final seven minutes of the game, cutting Georgia's lead to 69-52, but it was too late to make a difference.

The Lady Dawgs finished the game shooting 43.1 percent from the field and 71.4 percent from the charity stripe. After a couple of narrow wins and last week's loss, this was the most productive game offensively for Georgia since its 95-83 victory over Alabama on Jan. 10.

Georgia will return to action on Thursday, when it hosts Alabama at 7:00 p.m.

Notes

• With tonight’s 69-52 victory over Florida, UGA improves its record against UF to 47-14, including a 26-3 record in Athens.

• The home team has won each of the last nine meetings between UGA and UF.

• Georgia held Florida to 20 points in the first half, this was the lowest first half scoring total by an SEC opponent this season.

• Andy Landers is now six wins shy of his 900th career victory.

• Jasmine James’ two steals tonight puts her one steal behind No. 8 Carla Green among UGA’s career steal leaders

• Jasmine Hassell’s 13-point performance lands her as No. 25 among UGA’s career scoring leaders, she is five points shy of No. 24 Angel Robinson.

• Khaalidah Miller’s two 3FGAs tonight places her one shy of No. 5 Kelly Miller among UGA’s 3FGA leaders.

Lady Dawgs In Double Digits

• Jasmine Hassell tallied 13 points, her 13th double-digit performance this season and 56th of her career.

• Tiaria Griffin scored 12 points, her sixth double-digit performance this season and sixth of her career.

• Krista Donald notched a season-high 11 points, her first double-digit performance this season and fifth of her career.

• Shacobia Barbee collected 11 rebounds, her second double-digit performance this season and second of her career.