The Georgia Lady Dogs basketball team begins play in the SEC Tournament tonight in Greenville: the seventh seeded UGA team takes on the tenth seeded Auburn Tigers in a game that tips at 6 o’clock this evening.
From Tray Littlefield, UGA Sports Communications...
Attached are Georgia’s game notes along with season and career stats. If we can be of any assistance during our time in Greenville, please let me know.
WBB Game Notes: Georgia Set for SEC Tournament
*Full game notes packet attached to this email.
Game Information
No. 7 Seed Georgia (20-10, 9-7 SEC) vs. No. 10 Seed Auburn (15-13, 5-11 SEC)
Thursday, March 2 | 6 p.m. ET | Bon Secours Wellness Arena | Greenville, S.C.
TV: SEC Network (Courtney Lyle, Carolyn Peck and Brooke Weisbrod)
Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Jeff Dantzler)
Opening Tip
» Georgia is set for the 2023 SEC Tournament in Greenville, S.C. The Lady Bulldogs are the No. 7 seed and will play No. 10 seed Auburn at 6 p.m. ET Thursday. The winner of that matchup gets No. 2 seed LSU on Friday.
» Georgia enters the tournament having won seven of its last nine games, with the only losses during this stretch coming at top-5 teams LSU and at South Carolina.
» The Lady Bulldogs won five-straight league games during the month of February, marking the program’s best SEC win streak in six seasons.
» Georgia is in its first season under the leadership of Katie Abrahamson-Henderson. Coach ABE’s teams have won 16 conference titles in her 17 years as head coach. Her UCF squad won last year’s American Athletic Conference Title.
» Coach ABE’s teams boast a 22-4 record in the month of February over the last three seasons (two at UCF and one at Georgia).
» Georgia leads the SEC in steals (10.5 per game and 315 total) and turnover margin (+4.0). The Lady Bulldogs have forced 20-plus turnovers in a conference-best 17 games, owning a 15-2 record in those contests.
» The Lady Bulldogs lead all Power 5 programs with eight players totaling 20 or more steals.
» Georgia is led by fifth-year guard Diamond Battles. Battles was named to the 2023 All-SEC Second Team and the All-Defensive Team. She has scored in double figures 24 times with six 20-plus point games.
» Battles is one of just three SEC players, joining LSU’s Alexis Morris and Vanderbilt’s Ciaja Harrison, to rank among the top-14 individuals in points (14.7 ppg), steals (1.7 spg) and assists (3.1 apg). She also ranks third in minutes played (34.6 mpg), 11th in free-throw percentage (.753) and 13th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2).
» Georgia ranks second among all programs with 51 tournament wins and third in titles with four. The last time the tournament was held in Greenville in 2021, Georgia knocked off Kentucky and Texas A&M to earn its first trip to the finals since 2004.
Series History vs. Auburn
Overall: Georgia leads, 34-20
In Athens: Georgia leads, 21-5
In Auburn: Auburn leads, 12-11
Neutral: Auburn leads, 3-2
Georgia Season Notebook
A Rare Diamond
Diamond Battles, the 2022 American Athletic Conference Player and Defensive Player of the Year at UCF, has developed into one of the top players in the SEC. The All-SEC performer ranks among the league’s top-14 players in scoring, assists, steals, free-throw percentage and assist-to-turnover ratio. She ranks third in the conference, playing 34.6 minutes per game.
Nicholson’s Improvement
Georgia’s leading rebounder and third-leading scorer Javyn Nicholson has seen dramatic improvement this season. Her scoring average has jumped by nearly four points per game, going from 4.5 during her first three years combined to 9.5 this season. Her rebounding has improved from 4.0 rpg in three years to 6.8 per contest during the 2022-23 campaign.
Nicholson has 15 double-figure scoring games this season — compared to just 10 in the three years prior — and five double-doubles — compared to just four over the previous three seasons.
More on Georgia’s Steals ...
Georgia has totaled 315 steals this season, already marking its highest team total since 2012-13. The Lady Bulldogs have a nation-best (among Power 5 programs) eight players with 20 or more steals as De’Mauri Flournoy, who has 19 steals, looks to join that group soon. If she does, Georgia would be the first SEC team since Florida in 2015-16 to have nine or more players with 20-plus swipes. (Thanks to stats guru Dave McMahon for his research on this stat.)
Historic Offensive Effort
Georgia started the game against Vanderbilt (Feb. 5) a perfect 11-of-11 from the field. The Lady Bulldogs shot 67 percent overall as a team, marking their best shooting percentage in a game since 1988, the most efficient shooting effort of any team in the SEC this season, the sixth-highest mark in program history and the second-best percentage against a conference team in school history.
Georgia became the first SEC team to shoot above 65 percent from the floor and higher than 85 percent from the free-throw line in the same game since the year 2000 (Vanderbilt vs. Portland State).
A 10-year Low
Georgia defeated Mississippi State, 62-34, on Jan. 29. The 34 points were the lowest in a game for MSU in 10 seasons. The Lady Bulldogs forced 27 State turnovers, marking their highest single-game turnover mark since 2015.
Tigers on the Brink
Georgia was the first team this season to lead LSU going into the fourth quarter (55-50). Georgia led for 25 minutes, including a nine-point advantage with seven minutes remaining, before falling in an 82-77 overtime thriller.
Dawgs Are Downright Defensive
In each of her last two seasons at UCF, Coach ABE’s team led the nation in scoring defense. The success of her ‘matchup’ defense is now taking shape at Georgia. Georgia has forced 20 or more opponent turnovers in 17 games and has forced double-digit miscues in every contest. The team has held opponents to single-digit quarters on 18 occasions.
Lewis Leads League, Among Nation’s Best
Alisha Lewis leads the SEC and ranks sixth nationally with a +2.55 assist-to-turnover ratio. Lewis has totaled 98 assists and just 38 turnovers this season. She has dished out five or more assists in 11 games and has never totaled more than three turnovers in a game.
Miyah Verse Named McDonald’s All-America Nominee
Georgia signee Miyah Verse was recently named a nominee for the McDonald’s All-America Team. A native of Peoria, Arizona, Verse is a four-star recruit who landed in ESPN’s Super 60 Poll as one of the top players in the nation. She plays high school basketball at Arizona Elite Prep, which has become a national powerhouse.
Building on the Excitement
Earlier this year against South Carolina, the community showed up in a big way. The attendance was listed at 6,225, marking the largest crowd for a SEC home game at UGA since 2013-14 -- a span of nine seasons.
Historic Comeback
Against Wisconsin, the Lady Bulldogs posted one of the largest comebacks in program history. Down 20, Georgia used a 26-0 run and outscored the Badgers 33-5 late in the second half for the 68-60 win. Georgia played particularly well in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Badgers 25-5 in the final frame.
League-Leading 10 Newcomers
With five letterwinners back from last year’s team, the Lady Bulldogs had 10 roster spots to fill this past offseason. Georgia welcomed three players from UCF, while also adding Texas transfer Audrey Warren, West Virginia transfer Kari Niblack and Vanderbilt transfer De’Mauri Flournoy. Four freshmen also joined the team, including Savannah Henderson, Stefanie Ingram, Fatima Diakhate and Amiya Evans.
The 10 newcomers on this year’s roster ties Kentucky for the most in the SEC.
50th Season of Georgia Basketball
This marks the 50th season of Georgia Lady Bulldog basketball. This historic program ranks 15th all time in win percentage (.694) and 16th in total wins (1,058). Georgia ranks second nationally in NCAA tournament appearances with 35 and is still one of only three programs to boast a winning record every season since 1981.
Success at Every Stop
Coach ABE has built successful programs in coaching stops at Albany, Missouri State and UCF. Her teams have won an unprecedented 70 percent of their games, an average of 22 victories per year, while capturing 16 conference titles in 17 seasons. At UCF, the 2021-22 squad won a school-record 26 games en route to the American Athletic Conference Championship, the AAC Tournament crown and a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament – the highest seeding in program history.
It’s A Family
A big reason for the success of Coach ABE’s programs lies with her coaching staff – a group that has been with her nearly every step of the way. Associate head coach Tahnee Balerio played for Coach ABE at Missouri State and is entering her 13th season on Coach ABE’s staff. Assistant coach Isoken Uzamere is in her 11th year with Coach ABE, while legendary former UConn All-American Nykesha Sales is in her seventh season. Former Albany standout Ebone Henry-Harris enters her seventh year.
Georgia Players Have Postseason Success
Georgia’s five returners and six transfers have a combined 23 NCAA tournament appearances between them. Diamond Battles, Brittney Smith and Alisha Lewis earned three NCAA bids at UCF. Texas transfer Audrey Warren helped her team advance to back-to-back NCAA Elite Eights
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