College

Lady Bulldogs Host No. 12 NC State

Georgia (8-1) vs. No. 12 NC State (7-1)

Monday, Dec. 5 | 8 p.m. ET | Stegeman Coliseum | SEC Network

TV: SECN (Tiffany Greene and Andraya Carter)

Radio: Georgia Bulldog Sports Network (Jeff Dantzler)

Storylines

» Georgia hosts NC State in the second game of a four- game homestand on Monday. The game will be aired on SEC Network.

» This marks the 10th all-time meeting between the NC State Wolfpack and the Lady Bulldogs. Georgia leads the series 9-0, with the last meeting in 2021.

» This is the first matchup this season against a ranked opponent. The Lady Bulldogs are 188-207 against ranked opponents and 90-53 against ranked opponents in Stegeman Coliseum.

» Georgia comes into the game off a 78-58 win over Furman on Dec. 1. Four Lady Bulldogs scored double figures to keep Georgia undefeated at home this season.

» The Lady Bulldogs’ offense tallied 24 assists against Furman, the most this season, led by Diamond Battles, who tied her season record, with eight.

» Preseason All-SEC and Naismith National Player of the Year Watch List selection Diamond Battles leads the Lady Bulldogs this season. She paces the team in points (15.0), assists (37 total) and minutes played (33.9 per game). Battles was named Tournament MVP in the Paradise Jam and tallied15 points against Furman. Battles is 14 points away from reaching 1,000 career points. She has scored in double figures in seven of nine games played this season.

» Fifth-year senior Brittney Smith reached 1,000 points in her career in the Paradise Jam. Smith led Georgia in scoring against Furman and tied her season high in scoring (20 points), steals (3) and blocks (2). Smith also led Georgia in the paint with eight boards.

» Junior guard/forward Zoesha Smith is coming off the best game of her career. She set new career highs in points (21), rebounds (10) and steals (4) against Georgia Tech. Smith, who had not played more than 20 minutes in a single game prior to this season, also posted her first career double-double against the Yellow Jackets.

Georgia Season Notebook

1,000 Point Club

Fifth-year senior Brittney Smith eclipsed 1,000 career points in an 18-point effort against Seton Hall in the Paradise Jam on Nov. 26. The UCF transfer has scored 117 points for the Lady Bulldogs. Smith was honored following Georgia’s win over Furman on Dec. 1 for this honor. Following closely behind Smith, fifth-year Diamond Battles, the Lady Bulldogs’ leading scorer, is 14 points away from joining Smith in this feat.

Lady Bulldogs Make a Splash in Paradise Jam

Georgia was named the winner of the Paradise Jam based on the point differential in the games. Diamond Battles was named Tournament MVP, while Brittney Smith placed on the All-Tournament team. Four players scored in double figures in the final game of the tournament against Seton Hall.

Nicholson Double-Double Leads Georgia Past VCU

Senior Javyn Nicholson posted a 13-point, 13-rebound effort against VCU on Friday. It marked the sixth career double-double for the Lawrenceville, Ga., native, with two of those coming this season.

Shorthanded Georgia Shocks Rams

Georgia defeated VCU with just six players available for most of the game. Alisha Lewis, Malury Bates, Javyn Nicholson and Audrey Warren each scored in double figures and played well over 30 minutes in the win. Lewis, making just her third appearance this year, scored a season-best 16 points off 5-for-9 shooting.

A Historic Comeback

Earlier this week, the Lady Bulldogs posted the largest comeback in program history. Down 20 to Wisconsin, 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.

Zoesha’s Career Day

Junior forward Zoesha Smith has made the most of her first career starts this season. Against Georgia Tech last Sunday, Smith scored a career-high 21 points, brought down a career-best 10 rebounds and totaled the most steals of her career with four. The Brunswick, Ga., native also posted a double-double for the first time in her career.

Tech Dominance

Georgia ran its overall record to 37-8 all time with a 66-52 win against Georgia Tech earlier this year. The Lady Bulldogs had lost three of the last four against the Yellow Jackets before last Sunday’s win.

Anybody’s Night

A bright spot for this year’s Georgia team has been its balance and depth. The Lady Bulldogs have had a different player lead the team in scoring in five of seven games. Ten or more players have scored at least a point in a single game twice so far this year.

Brittney’s Streak

UCF transfer and fifth year senior Brittney Smith is on impressive streak. The Orlando, Fla., native has scored in double figures in 17 of the last 23 games, including a career-high 26 point effort against Florida in the NCAA tournament. She has also totaled four double-doubles during this current 21-game stretch. The 2022 American Athletic Conference Sixth Player of the Year averaged 10.8 ppg and 6.0 rpg a season ago.

Roundtree Named Finalist for Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame

Georgia legend Saudia Roundtree was named one of 12 finalists for the 2023 induction of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. The list of inductees will be announced on Nov. 27.

Roundtree led Georgia to the 1995 and 1996 Final Fours as well as the ‘96 SEC Championship. She was the 1996 National Player of the Year as well as the SEC Player of the Year. In 2013, she was inducted into Georgia’s Circle of Honor. Georgia has four legends in the WBB Hall of Fame, including Katrina McClain (2006), Andy Landers (2007), Teresa Edwards (2010) and Janet Harris (2015).

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 (.695) and 16th in total wins (1,045). 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.

Coach ABE Returns to Lead Georgia

Katie Abrahamson-Henderson was named just the third full-time head coach in Georgia history on March 26, 2022. Coach ABE played for the Lady Bulldogs from 1986-87 and was a member of the 1986 squad that captured the SEC Championship. Teammates Katrina McClain, Teresa Edwards, Lisa O’Connor and Carla Green, among others, helped lead Georgia to its third SEC title with Coach ABE playing in all 32 games as a freshman.

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.

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.

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, while Kari Niblack guided West Virginia to the second round of the 2020-21 NCAA Tournament.

Dominant Defense

Under Coach ABE’s leadership, UCF led the nation in scoring defense in each of the last two seasons. The Knights held teams to just 47.8 points per game last year and just 50.5 ppg during the 2020-21 campaign. UCF held 18 opponents to 50 points or fewer with seven failing to reach 40 points during the 2021-22 season.

Success Against SEC

During Coach ABE’s six seasons in Orlando, UCF boasted a 3-2 record against teams from the SEC. The Knights downed Arkansas (52-51) and Florida (69-52) and narrowly lost to Tennessee (41-49) during last season’s remarkable run to the American Athletic Conference Championship. The win against Florida marked the first NCAA tournament win in program history.

Diamond Shines Bright

Fifth-year guard Diamond Battles developed into one of the top players in the nation during her time at UCF. She was the program’s first-ever AAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year and was a consensus first-team All-Conference selection. The Winter Haven, Fla., native led UCF in scoring 16 times with 23 double-figure scoring efforts last year.

Family Business

A big part of Georgia’s impressive recruiting class this past offseason was a familiar name for Coach ABE. Savannah Henderson is the daughter of head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson and her husband Michael. The Orlando, Fla., native was a consensus top-50 prospect nationally as ESPN’s No. 41 overall player and No. 10 wing recruit. She prepped at Timbercreek (Orlando) and played for Central Florida Elite

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