Lady Dogs beat Furman

The University of Georgia Lady Bulldogs stymied the Furman Paladins 61-38 to improve to 6-3 on the season and 5-0 at Stegeman Coliseum.

Georgia extended its eight-game winning streak against Furman dating back to 2011 with the win. Senior forward Stephanie Paul paced Georgia with 15 points and 10 rebounds, the first double-double of her career.

“I'm happy for Steph,” Georgia head coach Joni Taylor said. “I'm looking forward for her to start doing this consistently. We need her to do this every single night, and she is capable of doing that.”

Freshman guard Kaila Hubbard capitalized in her first career start with eight points and six rebounds. Sophomore guard Gabby Connally chipped in 12 points and four steals, while redshirt-junior guard Taja Cole accounted for nine points, six rebounds and four assists. Senior forward Caliya Robinson registered eight points and seven rebounds, rounding out the Lady Bulldog starters with 52 of the team’s 61 points.

The Lady Bulldogs blitzed the Paladins to open the contest, earning a first quarter margin of 16-2 with four points apiece from Robinson, Cole and Connally. Furman entered the contest averaging 43.2 percent shooting from the field, but shot 1-of-13 in the opening period.

Georgia extended the lead to 27-12 by halftime on account of balanced scoring. Nine of the 10 Lady Bulldogs who entered in the first half notched points, including sophomore guard Que Morrison. The Riverdale, Georgia, native missed the first eight games recovering from a knee injury. She sunk two free throws in the first quarter to open her season.

“It was very nerve-wracking,” Morrison said. “I was really nervous and I had the butterflies like the whole game. Of course, I was a little frustrated with some of the plays I made, but it’s all a part of just coming back and getting back in a rhythm.”

In the second half, the Lady Bulldogs extended their lead to as large as 25 points and were dominant inside. Georgia outscored Furman 32-12 inside the paint and outrebounded the Paladins 51-32 in total, keyed by a season-high 24 offensive rebounds en route to a 61-38 final.

Georgia takes a 10-day break for final exams before returning to action on Dec. 14 against Villanova. The Bulldogs travel to Finneran Pavilion and face the Wildcats for the first time since 1986, a game Georgia won 71-60.