Lady Dogs run past Ga Southern

A 16-1 scoring run in the third quarter propelled the University of Georgia women’s basketball team past the Georgia Southern Eagles, 85-59, before 2,109 spectators Monday evening in Stegeman Coliseum.

Trading points, neither team built a lead until six points from Taniyah Thompson fueled a 6-2 run for Georgia (2-1) to take a 12-8 advantage. With three minutes remaining in the first period, the Lady Bulldogs sank five uncontested points for a 17-10 lead.

A pair of baskets and a triple from De’Mauri Flournoy fueled a nine-point lead to open the second quarter. Georgia Southern (2-1) worked to close the gap and get within five, 19-24. Five points from Javyn Nicholson gave life to a 9-0 scoring run as the Lady Bulldogs built a 14-point lead, 33-19, with less than three minutes remaining in the half. A pair of free throws from Flournoy allowed Georgia to take a 35-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Short scoring runs from both sides allowed Georgia to keep its lead by 10 midway through the period. Seven free throws boosted an 16-1 scoring run late in the third quarter. Two technical fouls by Georgia Southern allowed the Lady Bulldogs to grab a 61-38 lead and carry it into the final period.

The Lady Bulldogs continued their offensive efforts, adding 24 points to their lead as Stefanie Ingram tallied six points to lead Georgia in the final frame. Back-to-back layups from Fatima Diakhate and a pair of free throws from Zoesha Smith solidified the Lady Bulldogs’ lead for an 85-59 victory.

Storylines from Today’s Game

• Coach ABE’s career win total moved to 396.
• The Lady Bulldogs utilized a new starting lineup for the first time this season, featuring Ingram, Flournoy, Asia Avinger, Jordan Cole and Destiny Thomas.
• Georgia tallied 13 blocks on the evening, tying for the third-most in program history.
• Georgia posted its best opening quarter, shooting 44 percent from the field.
• The Lady Bulldogs used a 14-1 scoring run in the third quarter to build a 21-point lead, the largest lead Georgia has had this season.
• Georgia sank 26 free throws.
• Georgia had at least three players score in double figures in every game this season. Flournoy and Javyn Nicholson have been included in all four contributions.
• The Lady Bulldogs forced 16 Eagle turnovers, the most forced by Georgia this season
• Georgia posted 10 steals, the most since facing Florida State in the NCAA Tournament last season.

Career Highs/Player Superlatives

• In her first start as a Lady Bulldog, Thomas grabbed Georgia’s first five points.
• Thompson scored nine of Georgia’s 17 points in the first quarter, setting a new season high for the 5th-year senior. She finished with 13 points.
• Flournoy posted 13 points, reaching double figures for the third-straight game to open the season. She tallied a career-high eight free throws in her scoring effort.
• Nicholson recorded her second double-double of the season and 10th of her career, tallying team highs of 14 points and 14 rebounds. The 14 rebounds match her career high.
• Jordan Cole finished with four assists, tying her career high, six points and four boards.
• Ingram made her first career start, tallying six points, grabbing two rebounds and dishing out two assists.
• Diakhate notched a career-high 10 points and led the team with four blocks, the most since Nicholson tallied four against South Carolina last season.
• Ingram made her first career start, recording career highs in points (6) and assists (2).
• Chloe Chapman had six assists on the evening, tallying the most by a Lady Bulldog this season.

Quote of the Day

“Depth is going to help for sure,” head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson said. “Everybody wants to do good all the time. Sometimes you’re not going to make shots, but you can always play great defense. You can always get loose balls. You can always do hustle plays; you can always make great passes like Chloe (Chapman) did tonight. You can always set good screens. I’m trying to teach them that 80% of the game is all those things and 20% is offense. So, if we can continue to have this strength in numbers, it’s going to be really hard to guard us. When we get to the SEC, we’re going to have all kinds of different lineups and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

What’s Next

• Georgia travels to Mercer to take on the Bears at 7 p.m. ET Thursday evening in Macon.

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