2023 Women's Basketball Postseason Media Guide

PRONUNCIATION GUIDE

ZOESHA (Zo-ee-SHUH) Smith

De’Mauri FLOURNOY (Flur-NOY)

FATIMA (Fah-tim-uh) DIAKHATE (Juh-huh-tay)

MALURY (Like ‘Mallory’) Bates

ALISHA (Uh-LISH-Uh) Lewis

NUMERICAL ROSTER

KARI (CAR-ee) NIBLACK (NYE-Black)

AMIYA (Uh-my-uh) Evans

JAVYN (Jav (like ‘HAVE’ - in) Nicholson

TAHNEE (TAWN-ee) BALERIO (buh-LARE-ee-oh)

ISOKEN (Ee-S0-KEN) UZAMERE (Ohh-ZAH-Mer-ay)

GEORGIA BASKETBALL

SCHEDULE

APRIL

2 NCAA National Championship (Dallas)

Home games listed in BOLD

All times EASTERN unless otherwise noted

BROADCAST INFORMATION

TV: ESPN2

Play-by-Play: Dave O’Brien

Analyst: Christy Winters-Scott

RADIO: GEORGIA BULLDOGS SPORTS NETWORK

Play-by-Play: Jeff Dantzler

In Athens: WXKT103.7 FM or 960 AM The REF

SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitter and Instagram @UGA_WBB

Facebook .......................... Georgia Women’s Basketball

NCAA

NO. 10 SEED GEORGIA (21-11, 9-7 SEC)

NCAA Tournament || First and Second Rounds ||

LADY BULLDOGS

Ranking: NR

Head Coach: Coach ABE

Career Record: 393-168 (18th year)

Record at Georgia: 21-11 (1st year)

OPENING TIP

» Georgia was selected as the No. 10 seed in the Seattle Region and will play first and second round games at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. The Lady Bulldogs open against No. 7 seed Florida State at 12:30 p.m. CT Friday on ESPN2.

» This marks Georgia’s 36th trip to the NCAA tournament in 41 years, tying Stanford for the second most NCAA bids among all Division I programs. The Lady Bulldogs rank fifth in NCAA tournament games played (92) and seventh in tournament wins (58). Georgia has been to 20 Sweet 16s, 11 Elite Eights and five Final Fours, but is looking for its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2013.

» Georgia makes its first trip to Carver-Hawkeye Arena since 1991, when Georgia downed Iowa 62-51.

» Georgia and Florida State are meeting for the ninth time in program history and for the first occasion since 2011. The Lady Bulldogs, who are 8-0 all time against the Seminoles, knocked off Florida State in the second round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

» This year’s Georgia squad won eight of its final 11 games entering the NCAA tournament, with the lone losses coming to No. 1 South Carolina and No. 3 LSU. Led by All-SEC and All-Defensive Team member Diamond Battles, Georgia finished tied for fifth in the final SEC standings after being picked ninth in the preseason poll.

» Georgia led the SEC in turnover margin (+3.78) and steals (10.4 per game), was second in turnovers forced (20.2) and fourth in scoring defense (58.4 ppg) this season.

» Georgia head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, a native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, played at Georgia from 1985-87, and then transferred to play closer to home at the University of Iowa from 1988-90. She helped the Lady Bulldogs capture the 1986 SEC Championship, before playing on two Big Ten Championship squads for the Hawkeyes.

» Coach ABE was one of the most sought after recruits in the nation following her outstanding prep career at Washington High School in Cedar Rapids. She was a two-time Iowa all-state selection and Parade firstteam All-American after averaging 20.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. She scored 2,391 career points and set 15 school records at Washington.

Arena || Iowa City, Iowa

SERIES VS. FLORIDA STATE

OVERALL Georgia leads, 8-0 IN ATHENS Georgia leads, 3-0

IN TALLAHASSEE Georgia leads, 2-0

NEUTRAL Georgia leads, 3-0

LAST MEETING Georgia won, 61-59 (3/22/11) NCAA

SERIES VS. IOWA

OVERALL Georgia leads, 3-2 IN ATHENS 0-0

IN IOWA CITY Tied, 1-1

NEUTRAL Georgia leads, 2-1

LAST MEETING Georgia won, 67-61 (3/23/08) NCAA

SERIES BREAKDOWN

OVERALL Never Met IN ATHENS IN HAMMOND

NEUTRAL LAST MEETING

Coach ABE’s teams have won 16 conference titles in her 17 seasons as head coach.

Fifth-year senior Diamond Battles was named to the All-SEC and All-Defensive Teams.

KARI (CAR-EE) NIBLACK (NYE-BLACK)

Highlights

» Extremely athletic combo player who can play at the head of the defensive pressure

» Was not available for final four regular season games, but returned to have a successful SEC tournament

» Set new career highs in scoring in four of the first five games this year

» Recorded her second career double-double with 15 points, 13 rebs. vs. Florida

» Had a career-high 21-point, 10-rebound effort vs. Georgia Tech

Highlights

» Has started 11-straight games and 25 overall this season

» Posted a career high 11 points against Texas A&M

» One of five Georgia returners; is in her fourth season

» Drew two starts last year and was second on the team with 81 total assists

» Played on the UGA soccer team in her first two years of college; made the SEC All-Freshman Team

» Suffered an injury against Georgia Tech and has not played since

» Was team’s best 3-point shooter through first four games (44 percent)

» Prepped at Timbercreek High School in Orlando, Fla.; consensus top-50 prospect nationally

» Finished her career as Timber Creek’s all-time leading scorer with 1,094 points

» Daughter of Georgia head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson

Highlights

» All-SEC Second Team and All-Defensive Team

» One of just three SEC players to rank top-14 in points, steals and assists

» Scored in double figures in 25 of 32 contests this season with six 20-point games

» 2022 American Athletic Conference Player and Defensive Player of the Year; AAC Tournament MVP

» Ranked top-10 in UCF history in assists (300), steals (168) and free-throws made (255)

» Provides a spark off the bench for Georgia

» Transfer from Vanderbilt

» Played in 31 games during her freshman season in Nashville

» From Villa Rica, Ga., where she played at Carrollton High School

Highlights

» Along with Diamond Battles, one of the vocal leaders on this team

» One of five Georgia returners

» Started 51-straight games from 2020-22 and 23 total games this season

» Prepped at St. Francis High School in Alpharetta, Ga.

Highlights

» Will redshirt this season

» Played prep basketball at Montverde Academy

» Also competed for team Canada in 2019 and 2022

Highlights

» In her sixth year of eligibility at Georgia

» Has played in more games (144) than any player in Georgia history

» Graduated with a degree in sociology and is pursuing a master’s in community nutrition; boasts a 3.65 GPA

Highlights

» Leads the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio and is second in assists per game

» Her 12 assists vs. Auburn were the most by a Georgia player in a SEC Tournament game since Teresa Edwards in 1984

» Transfer from UCF

» Set the UCF record tied the AAC record with 10 steals in a game against Houston

» Was the 2021 AAC Newcomer and Co-Sixth Player of the Year

Highlights

» Georgia’s second leading scorer and rebounder

» Posted double figure scoring games against 10 opponents

» Scored season-high 24 point effort at Vanderbilt; hit first eight shots

» 2022 AAC Sixth Player of the Year

» Scored a career-high 26 points against Florida in the 2022 NCAA Tournament

Highlights

» Transfer from West Virginia

» Made first appearance of the season with nine points and five rebounds against Mercer

» Started 79 of the last 85 games over the last three years at West Virginia

» Big-12 Honorable Mention in each of the last three seasons

» Totaled 1,085 career points and 193 blocks (4th in school history) at West Virginia

» Saw the first action of her career against Kennesaw State

» Played high school basketball at DME Academy in Daytona Beach, Fla.

» Four-star, top-70 prospect according to ESPN

» Daughter of NBA veteran Reggie Evans

Highlights

» Has started 29 games; just 27 points from 1,000 in her career

» Missed the Vanderbilt and Florida games due to a wrist injury; came back with a 9 pt. effort at Kentucky

» Transfer from Texas; helped the Longhorns to back-to-back Elite Eights

AUDREY WARREN // G/F

» Had a season-high 18 points and four three-pointers vs. NC State

» Team’s leading rebounder

» Probably the most improved player on Georgia’s roster this season

» Has doubled her ppg this year compared to last three seasons

» Double figures in scoring in seven of last eight games - tied career high 22 points against Arkansas

» One of five returning players from Georgia

THE COACH ABE FILE

PERSONAL

Name: Katie Abrahamson-Henderson

O verall Record: 380-158 (18 seasons)

Husband: Michael A. Henderson

Daughters: Savannah, Brooklyn

EDUCATION

University of Iowa, 1990

B.S. in sports administration

Duquesne University, 1992

M.S., education

COACHING CAREER

2016-2022, UCF

Head Coach (131-49)

• 2017 WNIT Second Round

• 2018 WNIT Second Round

• 2019 NCAA First Round

• 2021 NCAA First Round

• 2022 NCAA Second Round

2010-16, Albany

Head Coach (146-47)

• Five NCAA Tournament appearances

• Five America East Tournament Championships

• Four America East Regular Season Championships

• Three America East Coach of the Year honors

2008-10, Indiana

Associate Head Coach

• 2009 WNIT Berth

2007-08, Washington

Assistant Coach and Co-recruiting Coordinator

2002-07, Missouri State University

Head Coach (95-61)

• Three NCAA Tournament berths

• Three Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Titles

• Two MVC Regular Season Championships

• 2005 WNIT Champions

2000-02, Michigan State

Associate Head Coach

• 2002 WNIT Berth

1994-00, Iowa State

Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator

• Four consecutive NCAA appearances, including 1999 Elite Eight and 2000 Sweet Sixteen

• 2000 Big 12 Regular Season and Tournament Champions

• Two WNBA Draft Picks (2000)

1992-94, Maine

Assistant Coach

• 1994 North Atlantic Conference Regular Season Champion

1990-92, Duquesne

Assistant Coach

HEAD COACH

KATIE ABRAHAMSON-HENDERSON

FIRST SEASON AT GEORGIA (18TH OVERALL) // RECORD: 393-168 (.701)

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

» Record: 393-168 (.701) in 18 seasons

» Teams have averaged 22 wins per year during her career

» Four-time Conference Coach of the Year

» 16 conference championships

» Nine conference tournament and seven regular season titles in 17 seasons as head coach

» Led UCF to its first NCAA Tournament bid and five-straight postseason appearances

» UCF earned its highest-ever NCAA Tournament seeding at No. 7 last season

» UCF won a school-record 26 games in 2021-22

» She has coached seven conference Players of the Year, five Defensive Players of the Year and 20 first-team AllConference selections

» Had tremendous success at Albany, where she led the program to four-straight America East Championships

» Her teams at Albany compiled an 83-13 record against league opponents, including a conference-record 38-straight wins against America East opponents

» Played for Hall of Famers Andy Landers (at Georgia) and C. Vivian Stringer (at Iowa)

» Helped lead Georgia to the 1986 SEC Championship as a freshman in Athens

» She was also a member of two Big-Ten Championship teams at Iowa as a player

» Has two daughters (Savannah and Brooklyn); Savannah is a freshman on this year’s team

» Coach ABE’s husband Michael played for the Harlem Globetrotters and played collegiately at Long Island CW Post

HEAD COACHING RECORD SEASON-BY-SEASON

ALBANY (2010-16)

(2016-22)

ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH / RECRUITING COORDINATOR

TAHNEE BALERIO

(1ST SEASON AT GEORGIA // 13TH OVERALL)

HIGHLIGHTS

» 13 seasons on Coach ABE’s staff; 9 NCAA tournament bids; 5 conference championship teams

» Helped lead UCF and Albany to first NCAA tournament appearances

» Also guided UCF and Albany to first NCAA tourney win and highest-ever seeding

» Knights won the 2022 American Athletic Conference regular season and conference tournament crowns

» Developed top guards, including Diamond Battles , Kay Kay Wright and Zakiya Saunders

» Two-Time All-Conference selection, team captain and Scholar-Athlete of the Year as a player at Missouri State

» Led the MVC in scoring during the 2006-07 season

ASSISTANT COACH

ISOKEN UZAMERE

(1ST SEASON AT GEORGIA // 11TH OVERALL)

» 11 seasons on Coach ABE’s staff

» Guided teams to 8 NCAA tournament appearances

» Led UCF to the 2022 AAC Conference and Tournament Championships

» Helped UCF earn its highest ever NCAA seeding

» Helped develop Brittney Smith into a two-time All-Conference player and The American Sixth Player of the Year in 2022

» Masseny Kaba developed into one of the top players in the AAC; she was the only Knight in program history to record 800 rebounds and 100 blocks.

» Nyala Shuler finished her career ranked fourth in school history with 837 rebounds and finished top-10 in blocks.

» Albany won four America East titles and earned four NCAA tournament bids during her time there.

ASSISTANT COACH

NYKESHA SALES

(1ST SEASON AT GEORGIA // 7TH OVERALL)

» An eight-time WNBA All-Star and two-time All-American at UConn

» Big EAST Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year as a player

» Played at UConn from 1994-98 and helped lead the Huskies to the 1995 NCAA National title.

» Finished her career as the Huskies’ all-time leading scorer and still ranks among the top-5 there with 2,178 career points.

» Led the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun to a pair of WNBA Finals and is still that franchise’s all-time leading scorer with 3,955 (top-30 among all WNBA players all time.

» Played professionally overseas for seven seasons in Turkey, Latvia, Poland, Czech Republic and Bosnia.

» In her first season as a collegiate coach in 2016-17, Sales helped Aliyah Gregory become the first UCF player to earn American Athletic Conference First Team accolades.

GEORGIA ALL-TIME NCAA TOURNAMENT NOTES (a detailed history of Georgia in the NCAA Tournament can be found later in these notes)

» Georgia has advanced to five Final Fours, doing so in 1983, 1985, 1995, 1996 and 1999.

» The Lady Bulldogs have earned bids to 36 of 41 NCAA Tournaments. That ties Stanford for the second-most appearances.

» Georgia has played in 92 NCAA tournament games -- a total that ranks fifth nationally.

» The team’s 58 NCAA tournament wins ranks seventh nationally

GEORGIA ALL-TIME NCAA TOURNAMENT RESULTS

41 SF #1ME Tennessee L 51-73

1996 • NO. 2 SEED MIDWEST

1st & 2nd Rounds - Athens

3/15 64 #15 St.Francis (PA) W 98-66

3/17

1995 • NO. 3 SEED MIDWEST

# Denotes opponent’s seed in tourney

A Fantastic February

QUICK FACTS

Athens, Ga.

With a SEC-leading 10 newcomers this season, Georgia finally came together in the month of February. After starting 2-5 in the league, the Lady Bulldogs finished 7-2 in the final month of the regular season, including a five-game win streak -- the program’s best SEC win streak in six seasons. Coach ABE coached teams boast a remarkable 22-4 record in the month of February over the last three seasons (two at UCF and one at Georgia).

Lady Bulldogs

colors Red and Black

Name Stegeman Coliseum

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 34.3 minutes per game.

Nicholson’s Improvement

NCAA D-I

SEC President Jere W. Morehead (Georgia, JD, ‘80)

J. Reid Parker Dir. of Athletics Josh Brooks (LSU, '02)

Deputy Director for Admin. Darrice Griffin (Texas Tech, ‘07)

2021-22 IN REVIEW

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 16 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 333 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.

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 singlegame turnover mark since 2015.

1,058-469 (.694)

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.

COACHING STAFF

Head Coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson

Alma Mater Iowa ('90)

393-168 (.701)

Tahnee Balerio

Isoken Uzamere

Nykesha Sales

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 12th nationally with a +2.52 assist-to-turnover ratio. Lewis has totaled 121 assists and just 48 turnovers this season. She has dished out five or more assists in 13 games.

More on Lewis ... Lish Has Best Game Since ‘84

Alisha Lewis dished out 23 assists in two games at the SEC Tournament. Her 12 assists against Auburn marked the best single-game performance by a Georgia player in the conference

tournament since Teresa Edwards had 12 helpers in 1984 (also vs. Auburn).

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.

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 36 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 entering this season. 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.

Game-By-Game Specialty Stats (Georgia Total First)

Georgia is currently in a year-long celebration commemorating the 50th anniversary of Title IX. The Bulldogs’ athletic department is honoring trailblazers in women’s sports and hosted a banquet in Athens this past spring.

2022-23 Game-by-Game Starters

Seton Hall Battles Lewis Warren B. Smith J. Nicholson

Furman Battles Lewis Warren B. Smith Isaacs

NC State Battles Chapman Warren B. Smith Isaacs

Mercer Battles Chapman Warrem B. Smith Isaacs

Belmont Battles Chapman Warren B. Smith Isaacs

West Virginia Battles Chapman Warren B. Smith Isaacs

San Diego State Battles Chapman Warren B. Smith Isaacs

Alabama Battles Chapman Warren B. Smith Isaacs

South Carolina Battles Chapman Warren B. Smith Isaacs

Kentucky Battles Chapman Warren B. Smith Isaacs

Florida Battles Chapman Warren B. Smith Isaacs

Ole Miss Battles Chapman Warren B. Smith Isaacs

Tennessee Battles Lewis Bates B. Smith Z. Smith

Texas A&M Battles Lewis Warren B. Smith Isaacs

Missouri Battles Chapman Warren B. Smith Isaacs

Mississippi State Battles Chapman Warren B. Smith Isaacs

LSU Battles Chapman Warren B. Smith Isaacs

Vanderbilt Battles Chapman Z. Smith B. Smith Isaacs

Florida Battles Chapman Z. Smith B. Smith Isaacs

Kentucky Battles Chapman Warren B. Smith Isaacs

Arkansas Battles Chapman Warren B. Smith Isaacs

Auburn Battles Chapman Warren B. Smith Isaacs

South Carolina Battles Chapman Warren B. Smith Isaacs

Auburn Battles Chapman Warren B. Smith Isaacs

LSU Battles Chapman Warren B. Smith Isaacs

Team Statistics

2022-23 Georgia Women's Basketball Combined Team Statistics

All games

Page 1/1 as of Mar 06, 2023

Team Results

2022-23 Georgia Women's Basketball Combined Team Statistics In Conference games Page 1/1 as of Mar 07, 2023

Team Results

2022-23 Georgia Women's Basketball Team Game-by-Game

TEAM GAME-BY-GAME

All games

1/1 as of Mar 06, 2023

2022-23 Georgia Women's Basketball

Game-by-Game

Scored 100 points or more:

THE LAST TIME GEORGIA

Dec. 22, 2020 - Georgia 107, App State 44

Scored 115 points or more:

Nov. 22, 1998 - UGA 118, Oral Roberts 64

Scored less than 50 points:

Dec. 20, 2022 - West Va. 49, UGA 45

Scored 50 points in a half:

Nov. 11, 2021 -- #19 UGA 97, Gardner-Webb 45 (51 in the second half)

Allowed 100 points:

Jan. 14, 1999 - UGA 69, No. 1 Tennessee 102

Held opponent to 40 points or less:

Feb. 16, 2023 - Georgia 50, Kentucky 40

Held opponent to 20 or less points in a half :

Feb. 16, 2023 - Georgia 50, Kentucky 40 (16 in the first half)

Shot better than 60% from the field:

Feb. 5, 2023 - Georgia 79, Vanderbilt 61 (66.7%)

Won an overtime game:

Dec. 16, 2021 - #14 Georgia 82, #2 NC State 80

Lost an overtime game:

Feb. 2, 2023 - LSU 82, UGA 77

Played a double-overtime game:

Feb. 5, 2017 - UGA 81, No. 25 Tennessee 78 (2OT)

Played a triple-overtime game: Never

Played a quadruple-overtime game: Never

Had at least 20 steals in a game:

Nov. 25, 2014 - vs. Georgia Southern (23)

Forced 30 turnovers in a game:

Nov. 30, 2011 - vs. S.C. State (30)

Had a player score 30 points:

Feb. 28, 2021 -- Jenna Staiti (3) at Florida

Had a player score 40 points:

Dec. 6, 1997 - Coco Miller (45) vs. Charleston Southern

Had a player grab 15 rebounds:

Feb. 9, 2020 - Jenna Staiti (15) at Florida

Had a player grab 20 rebounds:

Dec. 4, 1986 - Katrina McClain (22) vs. Valdosta State

Had a player dish out 10 or more assists

March 3, 2023 - Alisha Lewis vs. LSU (11)

Had a player block five shots:

Feb. 17, 2022 - Malury Bates (5) vs. Missouri

Had a player block 10 shots:

March 19, 1995 - Tracy Henderson (10) vs. Louisville

Had a player with seven or more steals in a game:

Nov. 26, 2021 vs. Notre Dame -- Mikayla Coombs with 8

Had two players record a double-double in same game:

Feb. 12, 2023 --Z. Smith (15 pts., 13 rebs.); J. Nicholson (17 pts., 10 rebs.)

Had a player record a triple-double:

Nov. 15, 2015 vs. Stetson - Shacobia Barbee vs. Stetson; 10 pts., 13 rebs., 10 assists

Had a player record a double-double in back-to-back games:

Jenna Staiti -- 17 pts., 10 rebs. vs. North Florida; 21 pts., 11 rebs. vs. NC State (Dec. 8, 16, 2021

Had a player record a double-double in three consecutive games:

Jenna Staiti --30 pts, 13 rebs vs. Florida, 20 pts., 12 rebs. vs. Kentucky, 13 pts, 12 rebs. vs. Texas A&M (Feb. 28-March 6, 2021)

Had two players score 20 points in a game:

Dec. 16, 2021 -- J. Staiti (21), Q. Morrison (20) vs. NC State

Had five or more players score in double figures:

Feb. 2, 2023 -- D. Battles (22), B. Smith (13), J. Nicholson (12), A. Lewis (11) and A. Warren (10)

Beat a ranked opponent:

Dec. 16, 2021 - #14/17 Georgia 82, #2 NC State 80

Beat a ranked opponent at home:

Feb. 21, 2021 -- #22 Georgia 57, #21 Tennessee 55

Beat a ranked opponent on the road:

Jan. 30, 2022 - #15 Georgia 62, #24 Ole Miss 52

Beat a ranked opponent on a neutral court:

March 6, 2021 - #16 Georgia 74, #2 Texas A&M 68 (SEC Tournament - Greenville, S.C

GEORGIA’ S RECORD WHEN

INDIVIDUAL SUPERLATIVES

GEORGIA CATEGORY OPPONENT

TEAM SUPERLATIVES

Game 1: Georgia 78, Coastal Carolina 61

Nov. 7, 2022 | Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.

Game 2: Georgia 77, Alabama State 44

Nov. 10, 2022 | Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.

Game 3: Georgia 52, Jacksonville State 44

Nov. 13, 2022 | Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.

Game 4: Georgia 89, Kennesaw State 47

Nov. 16, 2022 | Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.

Game 5: Georgia 66, GA Tech 52

Nov. 20, 2022 | McCamish Pavilion | Atlanta

Game 6: Georgia 68, Wisconsin 60

Nov. 24, 2022 | Paradise Jam | St. Thomas, VI

Game 7: Georgia 68, VCU 54

Nov. 25, 2022 | Paradise Jam | St. Thomas, VI

Game 8: Seton Hall 86, Georgia 80

Nov. 26, 2022 | Paradise Jam | St. Thomas, VI

Game 9: Georgia 78, Furman 58

Dec. 1, 2022 | Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.

Game 10: #12 NC State 65, Georgia 54

Dec. 5, 2022 | Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.

Game 11: Georgia 84, Mercer 44 Dec. 7, 2022 | Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.

Game 12: Georgia 66, Belmont 55 Dec. 17, 2022 | Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.

Game 13: West Virginia 49, Georgia 45

Dec. 20, 2022 | Keiser University | West Palm, Fla.

Game 14: Georgia 63, San Diego State 44 Dec. 21, 2022 | Keiser University | West Palm, Fla.

Game 15: Alabama 56, Georgia 53 Dec. 29, 2022 | Coleman Coliseum | Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Game 16: #1 South Carolina 68, Georgia 51 Jan. 2, 2023 | Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.

Game 17: Georgia 64, Kentucky 60

Jan. 5, 2023 | Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.

Game 18: Georgia 82, Florida 77

Jan. 8, 2023 | Stephen C. O’Connell Center | Gainesville, Fla.

Game 19: Ole Miss 66, Georgia 58 Jan. 12, 2023

| Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.

Game 20: Tennessee 68, Georgia 55 Jan. 15, 2023 | Thompson-Boling Arena | Knoxville, Tenn.

Game 21: Texas A&M 75, Georgia 73

Jan. 22,

2023

| Reed Arena | College Station, Texas

Game 22: Georgia 62, Missouri 51

Jan. 26, 2023 | Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.

Game 23: Georgia 62, Mississippi State 34 Jan. 29, 2023 | Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.

Game 24: #3 LSU 82, Georgia 77 Feb. 2, 2023 | Maravich Center | Baton Rouge, La.

Game 25: Georiga 79, Vanderbilt 61

Feb. 5, 2023 | Memorial Gynmasium | Nashville, Tenn.

Game 26: Georiga 81, Florida 55 Feb. 12, 2023 | Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.

Game 27: Georiga 50, Kentucky 40 Feb. 16, 2023 | Memorial Coliseum | Lexington, Ky.

Game 28: Georiga 71, Arkansas 48 Feb. 19, 2023 | Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.

Game 29: Georiga 70, Auburn 59

Feb. 23, 2023 | Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.

Game 30: South Carolina 73, Georgia 63

Feb. 26, 2023 | Colonial Life Arena | Columbia, S.C.

Game 31: Georgia 63, Auburn 47 March 2, 2023 | SEC Tournament | Greenville, S.C.

Game 32: #3 LSU 83, Georgia 66 March 3, 2023 | SEC Tournament | Greenville, S.C.

22-23 SEASON & CAREER HIGHS

POINTS

Season: 21 vs. Ga Tech (11/20/22)

Career: 21 vs. Ga Tech (11/20/22)

REBOUNDS

Season: 13 vs. Florida (2/12/23)

Career: 13 vs. Florida (2/12/23)

ASSISTS

Season: 3 2X, last vs. Ga Tech (11/20/22)

Career: 3 2X, last vs. Ga Tech (11/20/22)

BLOCKS

Season: 2 2X, last vs. West Va. (12/20/22)

Career: 4 at Arkansas (2/24/22)

SMITH, Brittney

STEALS

Season: 4 vs. Ga Tech (11/20/22)

Career: 4 vs. Ga Tech (11/20/22)

MINUTES

Season 32 vs. Ga Tech (11/20/22)

Career: 32 vs. Ga Tech (11/20/22)

MISCELLANEOUS STATS

DOUBLE-DIGIT POINTS

Season: 7 Career: 7

DOUBLE-DIGIT REBOUNDS

Season: 2 Career: 1

DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Season: 2 Career: 2

20-POINT GAMES

Season: 1 Career: 1

OVERALL CAREER STATISTICS

Jr. // Forward // 6-1 // Brunswick, Ga. // Glynn Academy Major: Human Development and Family Science #0

Highlights

ZOESHA SMITH

» Was unavailable for four games, but came back for two strong performances at the SEC tourney

» Double figures in scoring in three of the last four games she has played

» Recorded her second career double-double with 15 points and 13 rebs. vs. Florida

» Hit new career highs in points in four of the first five games this season

» Set new career highs in points (21)and steals (4) vs. Georgia Tech

» Scored 12-straight points in the second half against the Yellow Jackets

» Picked up first career start against Kennesaw State

» 12 pts. against Jacksonville State marked the first double-figure scoring game of her career

» Played 31 minutes against Jacksonville State, marking the first time in her career she has played over 20 minutes in a game; she followed that up with 24 minutes of action against Kennesaw State

Season

Individual Career Summaries All games

Page 9/10 as of Mar 07, 2023

#0 SMITH, Zoesha

Georgia Women's Basketball

22-23 SEASON & CAREER HIGHS

POINTS

Season: 11 vs.TexasA&M (1/22/23)

Career: 11 vs.TexasA&M (1/22/23)

REBOUNDS

Season: 7 vs. LSU (2/2/23)

Career: 7 vs. LSU (2/2/23)

ASSISTS

Season: 7 vs. Florida (2/12/23)

Career: 9 vs. App State (12/22/20)

BLOCKS

Season: 1 vs. Miss. State (1/29/23)

Career: 2 at LSU (2/10/22)

STEALS

Season: 3 vs. Coastal Carolina (11/7/22)

Career: 4 vs. Gardner-Webb (12/22/19)

MINUTES

Season 30 2X, last vs. Missouri (1/26/23)

Career: 38 vs. Alabama (3/5/20)

MISCELLANEOUS STATS

DOUBLE-DIGIT POINTS

Season: 1 Career: 3

DOUBLE-DIGIT REBOUNDS

Season: x Career: x

DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Season: x Career: x

20-POINT GAMES

Season: x Career: x

#1

Highlights

CHLOE CHAPMAN

Sr. // Guard // 5-7 // Mitchellville, Md. // Our Lady of Good Counsel HS

Major: Fashion Merchandising

» Has started 25 games this year

» Posted a career high 11 points and tied her season-high five assists against Texas A&M

» Had a career-high seven rebounds against LSU

» One of five Georgia returners coming into the season

» Played on the UGA soccer team in her first two years of college; made the SEC All-Freshman Team

2022-23

Women's Basketball

» Named the 2020 Atlanta Sports Awards College Athlete of the Year for the state of Georgia

21-22 SEASON & CAREER HIGHS

POINTS

Season: 9 vs. Kennesaw State (11/16/22)

Career: 9 vs. Kennesaw State (11/16/22)

REBOUNDS

Season: 1 3X,lastvs.KennesawState(11/16/22)

Career: 1 3X,lastvs.KennesawState(11/16/22)

ASSISTS

Season: 2 2X, last vs. Ala. St. (11/10/22)

Career: 2 2X, last vs. Ala. St. (11/10/22)

BLOCKS

Season:

Career:

#2

Highlights

SAVANNAH HENDERSON

Fr. // Guard // 6-3 // Orlando, Fla. // Timbercreek HS

Major: Psychology

» Suffered an injury against Georgia Tech and has not played since

» Was team’s best 3-pointer shooter through first four games (4-of-9/44 percent)

» Had a 9-point effort vs. Kennesaw State; knocked in a pair of second-half 3-pointers

» Played over 17 minutes in her collegiate opener against Coastal Carolina

» Consensus top-50 prospect nationally

» R anked as the No. 41 overall player and No. 10 wing prospect by ESPN

» Prepped at Timbercreek High School in Orlando, Fla.

» Finished her career as Timber Creek’s all-time leading scorer with 1,094 points

» Daughter of Georgia head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson Season Stats

2022-23 Georgia Women's Basketball Individual Game-by-Game All games

as

Georgia Women's Basketball Individual Career Summaries All games Page 4/10 as of Dec 14, 2022 FLOURNOY,

STEALS

Season: 2 vs. Ala. St. (11/10/22)

Career: 2 vs. Ala. St. (11/10/22)

MINUTES

Season: 22 vs. Kennesaw State (11/16/22)

Career: 22 vs. Kennesaw State (11/16/22)

MISCELLANEOUS STATS

DOUBLE-DIGIT POINTS

Season: x Career: x

DOUBLE-DIGIT REBOUNDS

Season: x Career: x

DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Season: x Career: x

20-POINT GAMES

Season: x Career: x

#2 HENDERSON, Savannah

#3

22-23 SEASON & CAREER HIGHS

POINTS

Season: 24 2X, last vs. Belmont (12/17/22)

Career: 25 vs. Memphis (2/5/22)

REBOUNDS

Season: 7 vs. Ala. State (11/10/22)

Career: 10 at LSU (12/4/20)

ASSISTS

Season: 8 vs. Furman (12/1/22)

Career: 9 vs. Pittsburgh (11/6/19)

BLOCKS

Season: 2 vs. Ala. State (11/10/22)

Career: 2 3X, last vs. Ala. State (11/10/22)

STEALS

Season: 5 vs. LSU (2/2/23)

Career: 5 6X, last vs. LSU (2/2/23)

MINUTES

Season 44 vs. LSU (2/2/23)

Career: 44 vs. LSU (2/2/23)

MISCELLANEOUS STATS

DOUBLE-DIGIT POINTS

Season: 25 Career: 59

DOUBLE-DIGIT REBOUNDS

Season: x Career: 1

DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Season: x Career: x

20-POINT GAMES

Season: 6 Career: 10

OVERALL CAREER STATISTICS

DIAMOND BATTLES

5th-yr. // Guard // 5-8 // Winter Haven, Fla. // UCF

Major: Earned a bachelor’s in criminal justice

Highlights

» 2023 All-SEC and All-Defensive Team

» Scored in double figures in 25 of 32 games this season with six 20-point performances

» Paradise Jam MVP

» Eclipsed the 1,000 career point mark in 15-point effort against Mercer

» 24 points, career-high five made 3-pointers and season-high steals against Wisconsin

» Transfer from UCF, where she developed into one of the top guards in the country

» 2022 American Athletic Conference Player and Defensive Player of the Year

» 2022 AAC Tournament MVP

Season

2022-23 Georgia Women's Basketball Individual Game-by-Game

games

Georgia Women's Basketball

Individual Career Summaries All games

Page 2/10 as of Mar 07, 2023

Field Goals 3-Point F-Throws Rebounds Scoring SEASON TEAM GP-GS MIN/AVG FG-FGA FG% 3FG-3FGA 3FG% FT-FTA FT% OFF DEF TOT AVG PF-FO A TO BLK STL PTS AVG 2018-19 UCF 30-0 310/10.3 22-70 .314 0-1 .000 21-30 .700 5 27 32 1.1 32-0 26 38 1 15 65 2.2 2019-20 UCF 30-18 714/23.8 48-151 .318 0-4 .000 62-94 .660 15 69 84 2.8 53-0 95 68 3 39 158 5.3 2020-21 UCF 21-21 680/32.4 66-182 .363 7-26 .269 72-93 .774 5 63 68 3.2 45-0 77 83 9 50 211 10.0 2021-22 UCF 30-29 1075/35.8 138-361 .382 41-114 .360 100-127 .787 16 91 107 3.6 45-0 102 89 9 64 417 13.9 2022-23 UGa 32-32 1097/34.3 145-377 .385 30-118 .254 137-182 .753 17 88 105 3.3 65-0 93 81 6 54 457 14.3 TOTAL FOR UGa 32-32 1097/34.3 145-377 .385 30-118 .254 137-182 .753 17 88 105 3.3 65-0 93 81 6 54 457 14.3 TOTAL 143-100 3876/27.1 419-1141 .367 78-263 .297 392-526 .745 58 338 396 2.8 240-0 393 359 28 222 1308 9.1

Statistic

Value

22-23 SEASON & CAREER HIGHS

POINTS

Season: 11 2X, last vs. Alabama (12/29/22)

Career: 17 vs. Chatt (11/30/21)

REBOUNDS

Season: 3 vs. San Diego St. (12/21/22)

Career: 3 vs. San Diego St. (12/21/22)

ASSISTS

Season: 3 2X, last vs. San Diego St. (12/21/22)

Career: 3 2X, last vs. San Diego St. (12/21/22)

BLOCKS

Season:

Career: 1 at Tennessee (2/23/22)

STEALS

Season: 4 vs. San Diego St. (12/21/22)

Career: 4 vs. San Diego St. (12/21/22)

MINUTES

Season: 26 vs. Alabama (12/29/22)

Career: 26 vs. Alabama (12/29/22)

MISCELLANEOUS STATS

DOUBLE-DIGIT POINTS

Season: 3 Career: 6

DOUBLE-DIGIT REBOUNDS

Season: x Career: x

DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Season: x Career: x

20-POINT GAMES

Season: x Career: x

DE'MAURI FLOURNOY

So. // Guard // 5-7 // Villa Rica, Ga. // Vanderbilt

Major: Business

Highlights

» Has played in 21 games and provides spark off the bench for Georgia

» Transfer from Vanderbilt

» Played in 31 games during her freshman season in Nashville

» From Villa Rica, Ga., where she played at Carrollton High School

» ESPN top-100 prospect

Georgia Women's Basketball

Individual Career Summaries

All games Page 4/10 as of Mar 07, 2023

#13

22-23 SEASON & CAREER HIGHS

STEFANIE INGRAM

Fr. // Guard // 5-8 // Orlando, Fla. // Lake Highland Prep

Major: Journalism

Highlights

» Redshirting this season

» 2021 Orlando Sentinel Player of the Year

» Played at Lake Highland Prep - one of the top programs in the country

» Named one of the key prospects to watch at the 2021 GEICO Nationals

Season Stats

Career:

MISCELLANEOUS STATS

DOUBLE-DIGIT POINTS

Season: x Career: x

DOUBLE-DIGIT REBOUNDS

Season: x Career: x

DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Season: x Career: x

20-POINT GAMES

Season: x Career: x

OVERALL CAREER STATISTICS

22-23 SEASON & CAREER HIGHS

POINTS

Season: 12 vs. GA Tech (11/20/22)

Career: 12 vs. GA Tech (11/20/22)

REBOUNDS

Season: 9 vs. Missouri (1/26/23)

Career: 9 4X, last vs. Missouri (1/26/23)

ASSISTS

Season: 2 3X, last vs. Kentucky (2/16/23)

Career: 4 2X, last vs. North Florida (12/8/21)

BLOCKS

Season: 2 2X, last vs. Auburn (2/23/23)

Career: 2 5X, last vs. Auburn (2/23/23)

STEALS

Season: 4 vs. Kennesaw State (11/16/22)

Career: 4 vs. Kennesaw State (11/16/22)

MINUTES

Season: 28 vs. GA Tech (11/20/22)

Career: 38 vs. Kentucky (2/25/21)

MISCELLANEOUS STATS

DOUBLE-DIGIT POINTS

Season: 1 Career: 2

DOUBLE-DIGIT REBOUNDS

Season: x Career: x

DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Season: x Career: x

20-POINT GAMES

Season: x Career: x

OVERALL CAREER STATISTICS

ISAACS, Jordan

#20 JORDAN ISAACS

Sr. // Forward // 6-0 // Alpharetta, Ga. // St. Francis HS

Major: Communication Studies

Highlights

» Vocal leader who has started 23 games this year

» Had a career-high 12 point effort and minutes (38) at Georgia Tech

» Recorded a career high nine rebounds and two blocks against Missouri

» One of five Georgia returners

» Started 51-straight games from 2020-22, until last season’s game vs. South Carolina

» Prepped at St. Francis High School in Alpharetta, Ga. Season

Georgia Women's Basketball

Individual Career Summaries All games

Page 5/10 as of Mar 07, 2023

22-23 SEASON & CAREER HIGHS POINTS

#21 FATIMA DIAKHATE

Fr. // F/C // 6-5 // Gatineau, Quebec, Canada // Montverde Academy

Major: Undecided

MINUTES Season

Career:

MISCELLANEOUS STATS

DOUBLE-DIGIT POINTS

Season: x Career: x

DOUBLE-DIGIT REBOUNDS

Season: x Career: x

DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Season: x Career: x

20-POINT GAMES

Season: x Career: x

Highlights

» Redshirting this season

» In freshman season after prepping at Montverde Academy

» Also competed for team Canada in 2019 and 2022

Season Stats

OVERALL CAREER STATISTICS

22-23 SEASON & CAREER HIGHS

POINTS

Season:

Career:

REBOUNDS

Season:

ASSISTS

#22

Highlights

MALURY BATES

6th-yr. // Forward // 6-3 // Roanoke, Va. // William Fleming HS

Major: Earned bachelor’s degree in sociology

Pursuing a master’s degree in community nutrition

» Has played in more games than any player in Georgia history

» 144 games played over her six years in Athens

» Seven double-figure scoring games this season

» Posted a career-high 15 points in win over Florida

» One of the first players off the bench for Georgia Season

BLOCKS

STEALS

Season:

MINUTES

Season:

Career:

MISCELLANEOUS

DOUBLE-DIGIT POINTS

STATS

Season: 7 Career: 12

DOUBLE-DIGIT REBOUNDS

Season: x Career: x

DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Season: x Career: x

20-POINT GAMES

Season: x Career: x

BATES, Malury

Georgia Women's Basketball

Individual Career Summaries

Single Game Highs

22-23 SEASON & CAREER HIGHS

POINTS

Season: 18 vs. Missouri (1/26/23)

Career: 27 at South Fla. (3/2/21)

REBOUNDS

Season: 4 2X, last vs. Tennessee (1/15/23)

Career: 7 2X, last vs. USC (11/27/21)

ASSISTS

Season: 12 vs. Auburn (3/2/23)

Career: 12 vs. Auburn (3/2/23)

BLOCKS

Season: 1 3X, last vs. Miss. State (1/29/23)

Career: 2 vs. South Fla. (3/10/22)

STEALS

Season: 5 vs. Auburn (3/2/23)

Career: 10 vs. Houston (1/11/22)

MINUTES

Season 34 vs. Auburn (3/2/23)

Career: 40 3X, last vs. South Fla. (1/16/22)

MISCELLANEOUS STATS

DOUBLE-DIGIT POINTS

Season: 9 Career: 27

DOUBLE-DIGIT REBOUNDS

Season: x Career: x

DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Season: x Career: x

20-POINT GAMES

Season: x Career: 2

#23 ALISHA LEWIS

Sr. // Guard // 5-7 // Wallingford, Pa. // UCF Major: Communication Studies

Highlights

» Leads the SEC and ranks 12th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio

» Totaled 23 assists in the last two games

» Her 12 assists against Auburn were the most for a Georgia player in a SEC tournament game since Teresa Edwards in 1984

» R anks second in the SEC in assists per game with 4.5 and seventh in steals per game with 2.0

» H it the go-ahead shot with 19 seconds remainig to put Georgia up for good vs. Kentucky

» Had a season-high 18 points against Missouri

» Had back-to-back double figure scoring games with 16 vs. VCU and 10 vs. Seton Hall

» Saw her first action of the season against Georgia Tech

» Transfer from UCF

» Set the UCF record tied the AAC record with 10 steals in a game against Houston

» 2021 AAC Newcomer and Co-Sixth Player of the Year

2022-23 Georgia Women's Basketball

Game-by-Game

22-23 SEASON & CAREER HIGHS

POINTS

Season: 24 vs. Vanderbilt (2/5/23)

Career: 26 vs. Florida (3/19/22)

REBOUNDS

Season: 12 vs. Jax State (11/13/22)

Career: 14 vs. Tulsa (3/2/22)

ASSISTS

Season: 3 vs. Mercer (12/6/22)

Career: 3 4X, last vs. Mercer (12/6/22)

BLOCKS

Season: 2 2X, last vs. Furman (12/1/22)

Career: 2 18X, last vs. Ala. State (11/10/22)

STEALS

Season: 3,3X last vs. Alabama (12/29/22)

Career: 3 5X, last vs. Ala. State (11/10/22)

MINUTES

Season 38 vs. Florida (1/8/23)

Career: 39 vs. Wright State (12/21/19)

MISCELLANEOUS STATS

DOUBLE-DIGIT POINTS

Season: 21 Career: 59

DOUBLE-DIGIT REBOUNDS

Season: 4 Career: 12

DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Season: 2 Career: 9

20-POINT GAMES

Season: 4 Career: 6

SMITH, Brittney

#24 BRITTNEY SMITH

5th-yr. // Forward // 6-3 // Orlando, Fla. // UCF Major: Earned a bachelor’s in health sciences

Highlights

» Georgia’s second-leading scorer and rebounder

» Recorded double figure scoring games against 10 SEC opponents in the regular season

» Named to 2022 Paradise Jam All-Tournament Team

» Scored her 1,000th career point in the game against Seton Hall

» Posted season-high scoring with 24 points vs. Vanderbilt

» Had a season-high 20-point effort vs. Kennesaw State

» Transfer from UCF

» 2022 AAC Sixth Player of the Year

Single Game Highs

» UCF’s second-leading scorer and rebounder last season with 10.8 points and 6.8 rbs. per game Season Stats

#24 SMITH, Brittney

2022-23 Georgia Women's Basketball

Georgia Women's Basketball

22-23 SEASON & CAREER HIGHS

POINTS

Season: 9 vs. Mercer (12/7/22)

Career: 23 vs. Kansas State (1/20/21)

REBOUNDS

Season: 6 vs. Vanderbilt (2/5/23)

Career: 16 vs. Villanova (3/24/19)

#25 KARI NIBLACK

5th-yr. // Forward // 6-1 // Leesburg, Fla. // West Virginia

Major: Earned a degree in business at West Virginia Pursuing a master’s in non-profit management and leadership

Highlights

» Transfer from West Virginia

» Made her first appearance and contributed nine points, five rebounds and two steals against Mercer

» Played in both games during the West Palm Beach Invitational

» Started 79 of the last 85 games over the last three years at West Virginia

» Big-12 Honorable Mention in each of the last three seasons

Season

#25 NIBLACK, Kari

ASSISTS

Season: 2 2X, last vs. West Va. (12/20/22)

Career: 6 vs. Syracuse (12/22/19)

BLOCKS

Season: 2 vs. Tennessee (1/15/23)

Career: 7 2X, last at Kansas (1/8/20)

STEALS

Season: 2 2X, last vs. Tennessee (1/15/23)

Career: 3 4X, last vs. Kansas (2/9/22)

MINUTES

Season 15 vs. Vanderbilt (2/5/23)

Career: 40 vs. Kansas State (1/20/21)

MISCELLANEOUS STATS

DOUBLE-DIGIT POINTS

Season: x Career: 48

DOUBLE-DIGIT REBOUNDS

Season: x Career: 15

DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Season: x Career: 11

20-POINT GAMES

Season: x Career: 4

Georgia Women's Basketball

Individual Career Summaries All games Page 7/10

OVERALL CAREER STATISTICS

NIBLACK, Kari

Single Game Highs

22-23 SEASON & CAREER HIGHS

POINTS

Season: 2 4X, last vs. USC (2/26/23)

Career: 2 4X, last vs. USC (2/26/23)

REBOUNDS

Season: 8 vs.Mercer (12/6/22)

Career: 8 vs.Mercer (12/6/22)

ASSISTS

Season: 1 vs. USC (2/26/23)

Career: 1 vs. USC (2/26/23)

BLOCKS

Season: 1 vs. Mercer (12/6/22)

Career: 1 vs. Mercer (12/6/22)

STEALS

Season:

Career:

MINUTES

Season: 10 vs. Mercer (12/6/22)

Career: 10 vs. Mercer (12/6/22)

Single Game Highs

MISCELLANEOUS STATS

DOUBLE-DIGIT POINTS

Highlights

» Has played in 12 games in her freshman season

» Big minutes in each of Georgia’s games against South Carolina

» Saw the first action of her career in Georgia’s game against Kennesaw State

» Played high school basketball at DME Academy in Daytona Beach, Fla.

» Four-star, top-70 prospect according to ESPN

» Daughter of NBA veteran Reggie Evans

EVANS, Amiya

22-23 SEASON & CAREER HIGHS

POINTS

Season: 18 vs. NC State (12/5/22)

Career: 21 2X, last vs. Oklahoma (2/12/22)

REBOUNDS

Season: 7 vs. Auburn (3/2/23)

Career: 12 vs. TCU (3/7/21)

ASSISTS

Season: 6 vs. Jax State (11/13/22)

Career: 6 2X, last vs. Jax State (11/13/22)

BLOCKS

Season: 2 vs. Kentucky (2/16/23)

Career: 3 vs. West Virginia (2/20/22)

STEALS

Season: 4 vs. Jax State (11/13/22)

Career: 5 vs. Texas Tech (1/5/22)

MINUTES

Season 40 vs. Arkansas (2/19/23)

Career: 42 at Tennessee (11/21/21)

MISCELLANEOUS STATS

DOUBLE-DIGIT POINTS

Season: 11 Career: 39

DOUBLE-DIGIT REBOUNDS

Season: x Career: 3

DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Season: x Career: 2

20-POINT GAMES

Season: x Career: 2

#31 AUDREY WARREN

5th-yr. // G/F // 5-9 // Springfield, Mo. // Texas

Major: Earned a bachelor’s in youth and community studies

Highlights

» Has started all but one game this season

» Had a season-high 18 points and four 3-pointers vs. NC State

» Had a strong showing at the Paradise Jam with back-to-back double figure scoring games

» Three consecutive double digit scoring performances against SEC opponents (South Carolina, 12; Kentucky, 11; Florida, 13)

» Tied a career high with 6 assists vs. Jacksonville State

» Transfer from Texas; helped the Longhorns to back-to-back Elite Eights

» Fourth on the team with 8.2 ppg and 4.3 rpg last season

» Her 80 percent clip from the free-throw line last season was the best on the team

» Scored in double figures 12 times last season

2022-23 Georgia Women's Basketball Individual Game-by-Game All games

Season Stats

Georgia Women's Basketball Individual Career Summaries All games Page 10/10 as of Mar 07, 2023

OVERALL CAREER STATISTICS

WARREN, Audrey

Single Game Highs

Statistic Value

#31 WARREN, Audrey

22-23 SEASON & CAREER HIGHS

POINTS

Season: 22 vs. Arkansas (2/19/22)

Career: 22 2x, last vs. Arkansas (2/19/22)

REBOUNDS

Season: 14 2x, last vs. Wisconsin (11/24/22)

Career: 14 2x, last vs. Wisconsin (11/24/22)

ASSISTS

Season: 4 2X, last vs. Vanderbilt (2/5/23)

Career: 4 3x, last vs. Vanderbilt (2/5/23)

BLOCKS

Season: 4 vs. USC (2/26/23)

Career: 4 vs. USC (2/26/23)

STEALS

Season: 4 2x, last vs. Arkansas (2/19/23)

Career: 4 2x, last vs. Arkansas (2/19/23)

MINUTES

Season: 35 vs. South Carolina (1/2/23)

Career: 35 vs. South Carolina (1/2/23)

MISCELLANEOUS STATS

DOUBLE-DIGIT POINTS

Season: 16 Career: 23

DOUBLE-DIGIT REBOUNDS

Season: 6 Career: 10

DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Season: 4 Career: 8

20-POINT GAMES

Season: 1 Career: 3

OVERALL CAREER STATISTICS

#35 JAVYN NICHOLSON

Sr. // Forward // 6-2 // Lawrenceville, Ga. // Collins Hill HS

Major: Sport Management

Highlights

» Has nearly doubled her points per game this seasons compared to prior three years

» Georgia’s leading rebounder

» Strong finish to the season with eight double-figure scoring efforts in last 10 games

» Tied her career-high in scoring with 22 points against Arkansas

» 20 points and 14 rebounds against Ala. State -- just the third 20-point game of her career and the most rebounds in a game in her career

» One of five returning players from Georgia

Season

Georgia Women's Basketball

Individual Career Summaries

All games Page 8/10 as of Mar 07, 2023

GEORGIA'S SEASON-BY-SEASON NCAA TOURNAMENT RESULTS

GEORGIA'S SEASON-BY-SEASON NCAA TOURNAMENT RESULTS

GEORGIA'S SEASON-BY-SEASON NCAA TOURNAMENT RESULTS

GEORGIA'S SEASON-BY-SEASON NCAA TOURNAMENT RESULTS

* Denotes Regional Games + Denotes Final Four Games

GEORGIA'S GAME-BY-GAME NCAA TOURNAMENT LINE SCORES

GEORGIA'S GAME-BY-GAME NCAA TOURNAMENT LINE SCORES

GEORGIA'S GAME-BY-GAME NCAA TOURNAMENT LINE SCORES

GEORGIA'S GAME-BY-GAME NCAA TOURNAMENT LINE SCORES

GEORGIA'S NCAA TOURNAMENT RECORDS

INDIVIDUAL RECORDS

POINTS

Game: 37 by Saudia Roundtree vs. Louisiana Tech (3/25/96) 37 by Teresa Edwards vs. Tennessee (3/20/86)

Tourney: 113 by Saudia Roundtree (1996)

Career: 254 by Janet Harris (1982-85)

POINTS PER GAME

Tourney: 31.0 by Teresa Edwards (two games in 1986)

Career: 19.5 by Janet Harris (13 games from 1982-85)

REBOUNDS

Game: 17 by Tasha Humphrey vs. Hartford (3/21/06) 17 by Katrina McClain vs. Kansas (3/14/87)

Tourney: 64 by La’Keshia Frett (1996)

Career: 110 by Janet Harris (1982-85)

REBOUNDS PER GAME

Tourney: 10.7 by La’Keshia Frett (six games in 1996)

Career: 8.9 by Katrina McClain (12 games from 1984-87)

FIELD GOALS MADE

Game: 14 by Teresa Edwards vs. Tennessee (3/20/86)

Tourney: 39 by Saudia Roundtree (1996)

Career: 108 by Janet Harris (1982-85)

FIELD GOALS ATTEMPTED

Game: 28 by Teresa Edwards vs. Tennessee (3/20/86)

Tourney: 95 by Saudia Roundtree (1996)

Career: 215 by Teresa Edwards (1983-86)

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE

Game (8 aTT.): 1.000 by Carla Williams (8x8) vs. Kansas (3/14/87)

Tourney (20 aTT.): .739 by Sherelle Warren (17x23) (1988)

Career (30 aTT.): .641 by Katrina McClain (75x117) (1984-87)

3-POINT FIELD GOALS MADE

Game: 6 by Kelly Miller vs. Iowa St. (3/22/99)

Tourney: 13 by Kelly Miller (1999) 13 by Kedra Holland (1996)

Career: 34 by Kedra Holland-Corn (1995-97)

3-POINT FIELD GOALS ATTEMPTED

Game: 12 by Khaalidah Miller vs. Marist (3/18/12) 12 by Kim Berry vs. Arkansas (3/18/90)

Tourney: 37 by Kedra Holland (1996)

Career: 99 by Kedra Holland-Corn (1995-97)

3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE

Game (5 aTT.): .800 by Kedra Holland (4x5) vs. Ok. St. (3/17/96)

Tourney (10 aTT.): .481 by Kelly Miller (13x27) (1999)

Career (15 aTT.): .400 by Kelly Miller (22x55) (1998-01)

MOST FREE THROWS MADE

Game: 12 by Saudia Roundtree vs. Louisiana Tech (3/25/96)

Tourney: 32 by Saudia Roundtree (1996)

Career: 49 by Teresa Edwards (1983-86)

FREE THROWS ATTEMPTED

Game: 16 by Janet Harris vs. Indiana (3/25/83)

Tourney: 41 by Saudia Roundtree (1996)

Career: 65 by Teresa Edwards (1983-86)

MOST FREE THROWS MADE

Game: 12 by Saudia Roundtree vs. Louisiana Tech (3/25/96)

Tourney: 32 by Saudia Roundtree (1996)

Career: 49 by Teresa Edwards (1983-86)

FREE THROWS ATTEMPTED

Game: 16 by Janet Harris vs. Indiana (3/25/83)

Tourney: 41 by Saudia Roundtree (1996)

Career: 65 by Teresa Edwards (1983-86)

Game

FREE THROW PERCENTAGE

by

by Alexis Kendrick (10x10) vs. Rutgers (3/24/03)

Tourney

ASSISTS

by Lisa O’Conner (37x46) (1983-86)

Game: 13 by Teresa Edwards vs. Tennessee Tech (3/16/85)

Tourney: 39 by Saudia Roundtree (1996)

Career: 74 by Saudia Roundtree (1995-96)

STEALS

Game: 9 by Sherill Baker vs. Marist (3/19/06)

Tourney: 16 by Teresa Edwards (1985)

Career: 34 by Kedra Holland-Corn (1995-97)

BLOCKED SHOTS

Game: 10 by Tracy Henderson vs. Louisville (3/19/95)

Tourney: 19 by Tracy Henderson (1995)

Career: 49 by Tracy Henderson (1995-97)

TEAM RECORDS

POINTS

Game: 112 vs. Louisville (3/17/84)

Tourney: 500 in 1996

REBOUNDS

Game: 55 vs. St. Francis (PA) (3/15/96)

Tourney: 270 in 1996

FIELD GOALS MADE

Game: 50 vs. St. Francis (PA) (3/15/96)

Tourney: 196 in 1996

FIELD GOALS ATTEMPTED

Game: 88 vs. St. Francis (PA) (3/15/96)

Tourney: 421 in 1996

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE

Game: .600 vs. Ole Miss (30x50) (3/23/84)

Tourney: .537 in 1985

3-POINT FIELD GOALS MADE

Game: 12 vs. Iowa State (3/25/13)

Tourney: 26 in 1999 26 in 1996

3-POINT FIELD GOALS ATTEMPTED

Game: 30 vs. Iowa State (3/25/13)

Tourney: 87 in 1996

Coach ABE wants Georgia women’s basketball back in title hunt

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

By Chip Towers

ATHENS — Georgia’s Katie Abrahamson-Henderson – “Coach ABE” (yes, she writes it with all caps) to the college basketball world – is part of one of the more impressive coaching trees ever erected. It would be even more glorious if she had intentionally designed it.

“I’m a Christian, so I think it was God’s plan,” said the Bulldogs’ first-year coach, sitting in her new office on the second floor of UGA’s Coliseum Training Facility last week. “I came to Georgia to play for Hall of Fame coach Andy Landers not knowing anything other than I missed my family. Then I go back home and Vivian Stringer is my coach? Wow!”

The daughter of a single mother, homesickness led the high school AllAmerican back to Iowa. There, she starred for C. Vivian Stringer, one of the top coaches of all time in games won (1,055 victories). Together with Stringer, Abrahamson won 56 of 63 games at Iowa and made two deep runs in the NCAA Tournament. That followed two seasons as a starter for Landers’ Lady Bulldogs. Similarly, those teams went 57-7 and played in a pair of Sweet 16s.

The majestic limbs kept sprouting from there. Initially not intending to be a coach – she went to college thinking sports management or exercise physiology – the decision to get a postgraduate degree led to stints with Joanne Palombo-McCallie, first at Maine, later at Michigan State. She also would end up working for Bill Fennelly at Iowa State.

Abrahamson-Henderson became her own sapling with her first head-coaching gig leading Missouri State’s storied women’s basketball program. From 200207, the Lady Bears went to three NCAA Tournaments and won two conference titles and a WNIT championship.

An uber-successful run at Albany that included five consecutive NCAA Tournament bids landed Abrahamson-Henderson at Central Florida. There, she executed one of the great turnarounds in women’s basketball, leading the Knights to the program’s first American Athletic Conference title and a school record for wins with a 26-4 mark this past season.

All of which brought her full circle back to Georgia. For UGA’s athletic administration, Abrahamson-Henderson was a quick and obvious solution to Joni Taylor’s surprise decision to bolt to Texas A&M after last season.

“Obviously, I loved it at UCF; I never wanted to leave,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “But I never thought Joni was going to leave. Ever. Then it opened up, and I was like, ‘Oh, my.’ It was weird, and it was fast.”

So there she sat last week, in the office most recently occupied by Taylor but only Landers before that. One of Abrahamson-Henderson’s most prized new possessions is the No. 3 Georgia jersey that the school provided her the day she was named head coach.

For now, the jersey still lays folded on a bookshelf. Eventually it will be framed, but there hasn’t been time yet to do such things.

Abrahamson-Henderson has been in a relative sprint since her introductory news conference March 26. There has been a lot to get done, and there is still much to do.

That’s only with the basketball program. Never mind the real-life challenges of two daughters finishing school in Orlando, selling a house and finding another in Athens, settling on schools and so on.

The 2022-23 Lady Bulldogs have been assembled now and are working out together in the training complex. Finally, it’s about what needs to happen on the court.

Between the players who elected to stay at UGA, the ones who came from UCF and the ones who have come from points far and wide, it appears the Lady Bulldogs again will be a force to be reckoned with. Their coach appears to have assembled a post-oriented squad with a nice blend of experience, skill and athletic ability.

Where Abrahamson-Henderson would like to distinguish herself is not only getting Georgia into the postseason, but competing for championships, both regular season and otherwise. That’s where the Lady Bulldogs were coming up short under Taylor.

After a 26-7 campaign that ended abruptly with a second-round loss in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, Georgia had a series of quick exits in the “Big Dance.” The Lady Bulldogs made a run at the SEC Tournament title in 2021 but couldn’t get past South Carolina in the championship game. Then, they bowed out to Duke in the NCAA’s second round.

Georgia’s NCAA Tournament presence under Taylor was nice, but otherwise the Lady Bulldogs were just an indistinguishable face in the SEC throng that populates every postseason.

Abrahamson-Henderson’s attitude of what constitutes success is different. Never mind all those runs her teams made while playing at Georgia and Iowa. It has been the battles fought and championships conquered in the secondtier conferences where she has coached that her competitive spirit has been formed.

Her teams have reflected that sentiment. In 17 seasons as a head coach, Abrahamson-Henderson has compiled a 372-157 record (.703), averaged 22 victories per season, won seven regular-season titles, nine conference tournament crowns and earned 11 NCAA berths (14 postseason bids overall). Does Georgia have the stuff to sustain such a pace this year? AbrahamsonHenderson can’t be sure, of course. But she likes the team she has assembled in short order.

The Bulldogs’ 15-player roster is complete. It features five players who already were at Georgia (Zoesha Smith, Chloe Chapman, Jordan Isaacs, Malury Bates and Javyn Nicholson), three UCF transfers (Diamond Battles, Brittney Smith and Alisha Lewis), Texas transfer Audrey Warren, West Virginia transfer Kari Niblack, Vanderbilt transfer De’Mauri Flournoy, and three highly touted freshman signees (Stefanie Ingram, Fatima Diakhate and Amiya Evans).

It also includes a highly recruited, top-50 prospect out of Orlando. That 6-foot3 guard is Savannah Henderson, and she happens to be the eldest daughter of Mike and Katie Henderson.

That’s new ground even for the Bulldogs’ 55-year-old coach.

“I was shocked she wanted to come here,” Abrahamson-Henderson said of her daughter. “She’s a smart kid, and I told her right away we were going to recruit her the exact same way we do everybody else. The (assistant) coaches called her; we separated her from coming over to the office like she always had. We did a home-visit presentation with her. I was at home in a different room, and her and Daddy were in another room with our coaches and hearing what they had to say. …

It’s another beautiful circle that has Savannah Henderson starting her college career at the same place her mother did. Now the task is to get the program back to where it was before.

Well before she was “Coach ABE,” she played at Georgia with Katrina McClain, Barbara Bootz, Lisa O’Connor and Teresa Edwards. The Bulldogs won the SEC championship her freshman season and lost only seven games in two seasons. That’s the standard she envisions for Georgia women’s basketball.

As for that “ABE-in-all-caps” thing, that’s just something the coach said she has just rolled with. She inherited it from her father, Lee Abrahamson, who played basketball at Coe College with eventual NBA championship coach Bill Fitch. Hers is a basketball family, which includes an uncle who played at Iowa State and another who played at Drake.

“They were all basketball knuckleheads, and everybody called them ‘ABE,’ all caps. ABE, ABE, ABE,” she said, laughing. “It’s weird, and I don’t know why.”

That’s OK. The goal now is for “Coach ABE” to make a name for herself at Georgia.

Former UAlbany basketball coach brings winning ways to Georgia

Albany Times Union

By Joyce Bassett

ATHENS -- Georgia head women’s basketball coach Katie AbrahamsonHenderson has won 20 games so far in her first season in the Southeastern Conference. She has made her presence known in college basketball’s premier conference.

On Sunday against undefeated and top-ranked South Carolina, the Lady Bulldogs lost 73-63 in front of a sold-out crowd of 18,000 in Columbia. Aliyah Boston had 25 points and 11 rebounds, and Zia Cooke added 12 points as No. 1 South Carolina completed a perfect Southeastern Conference season with a 73-63 victory.

Georgia entered the game on a roll, winning five straight conference matchups heading into Sunday’s final game of the season and conference championship play.

LSU’s coach Kim Mulkey said after a recent loss to the Gamecocks “It’s South Carolina, in my opinion, and everyone else,” but Abrahamson-Henderson refused to place the Gamecocks on a pedestal.

“We have bigs and not everyone has that,” she said in a telephone interview prior to the game. “Now everyone else is using our game plan. Which is fine.”

In both regular season matchups with the Gamecocks, the Lady Bulldogs rose to the occasion. They led at halftime during a home loss 68-51 on Jan. 2 and kept the game close Sunday in hostile Colonial Life Arena on the Gamecock’s senior night celebrating Aliyah Boston and the class of 2019.

“They’re fearless. My teams are always fearless,” she said.

Abrahamson-Henderson, known as Coach Abe, made her mark at UAlbany, earning the school’s first women’s basketball NCAA tournament win against Florida in 2016.

In Abrahamson-Henderson’s tenure, UAlbany players set numerous new program records. Ebone Henry, the 2012-13 America East Player of the Year, finished her career with 1,642 points from 2009-13. Ebone Henry Harris the married mom of three children, serves as the Georgia Lady Bulldogs’ Director of Player Development.

“Ebone is a fantastic mom,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “We were just talking about Shereesha Richards today. I miss that kid. We played against a player at Auburn who reminded us of Shereesha.”

Richards became the leading scorer in UAlbany basketball history with 2,440 career points from 2012-16.

Coach Abe was named head coach of Georgia in March 2022 after leading the University of Central Florida in Orlando to the round of 32 last season. Again, it was a win over Florida that gave Abrahamson-Henderson and UCF a coveted first-round win in the NCAA tournament.

But soon after the NCAA tournament, the Georgia job opened up and Abrahamson-Henderson was hired to return to the school where she played two years of collegiate basketball.

“I really had to re-recruit the players who stayed and show them our vision of what we were going to do,” she said.

Anchored by UCF players who followed her to Georgia along with a solid class of incoming freshmen and portal transfers, she patched together a team in her debut season with the Lady Bulldogs.

“I was trying to blend all those cultures, four cultures, together. At the beginning it was really hard,” she said. Now the team sits at 20-10 overall, 9-7 in the SEC. On the bubble at the moment for an NCAA tournament at-large bid, Abrahamson-Henderson anticipates a highly competitive conference tournament.

“I think everybody’s really settled in on their roles now. It just took a while,” she said.

Prior to this season, in 17 seasons as a head coach, Abrahamson-Henderson’s teams have compiled a 372-157 record — a 70 percent win percentage and average of 22 victories per year, according to her Lady Bulldogs profile. Her teams have earned seven conference regular season titles, nine league tournament crowns, 11 NCAA Tournament berths and 14 postseason bids overall. Her Missouri State team won the 2005 WNIT championship.

Battles Named to All-SEC, All-Defensive Teams

GeorgiaDogs.com

ATHENS — Diamond Battles, a fifth-year senior on the University of Georgia women’s basketball team, has been named to the All-Southeastern Conference Second Team and the SEC All-Defensive squad, it was announced Tuesday.

The Winter Haven, Florida native joins eight players on the second team and just six individuals on the All-Defensive team.

Tuesday’s announcement adds to her long list of career accolades, which includes American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Tournament MVP, as well as a consensus first-team All-AAC performer and WBCA All-America Honorable Mention selection.

This season, 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).

Battles has reached double figures in scoring a team-high 24 times with six games over 20 points.

Under Battles’ leadership, Georgia has won seven of its last nine games, with the only losses coming at top-5 teams LSU and South Carolina. The Lady Bulldogs won five-straight SEC matchups in the month of February, marking the team’s best conference win streak in six seasons. Battles has averaged 16.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game during the current nine-game stretch.

She is just the 12th Georgia player in program history to earn a spot on the SEC All-Defensive Team and the 31st Lady Bulldog to land on the All-SEC Second Team.

Quick Chat: Diamond Battles

GeorgiaDogs.com

By John Frierson

ATHENS -- Diamond Battles knows she has a cool, distinctive name. The Georgia women’s basketball fifth-year guard — the AAC Player of the Year last season for UCF — tends to play up to her name. She plays with style and she plays with grit and substance.

Through the first 25 games of the season, the 5-foot-8 Battles, from Winter Haven, Fla., is leading the Lady Bulldogs in scoring with 14.2 points per game while also averaging 3.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.8 steals. Given the choice, Battles would rather make a great defensive play over doing something on the offensive end.

During a recent Quick Chat, Battles talked about her start in basketball, her ability to palm a ball, the Def Leppard t-shirt she was wearing, her love of cooking, living up to her name, and much more. Here’s some of what she had to say:

Frierson: Did you play a bunch of different sports when you were young or was it all basketball from the beginning?

Battles: I’m the baby of four girls, so my sisters, they played a lot of sports. My mom always made sure we were in a lot of sports. I think the first sport was definitely track and field. I was a 400 and 200 runner, and I didn’t like it. It was too hot — living in Florida, it was too hot.

Then, my mom was like, “Let’s try a different sport.” My oldest sister played basketball but I didn’t really get into it yet, so my second sport was definitely softball, and I liked that a lot. It was still hot but it was more fun. I got into basketball probably around second or third grade, I would say, and I started liking it a lot.

I grew up watching Tiffany Hayes, who went to UConn and then the Atlanta Dream, and there was Amber Smith (like Hayes, Smith is from Winter Haven, too), who was a great player at Kentucky and coaches there now. I grew up watching them play and it’s like I was their baby. I watched ‘em and watched ‘em, and then once I got to middle school, I played volleyball, and I really liked it.

Basketball won out. I think I was just so energetic and aggressive and competitive as a young one, especially in the classroom, too. I hate getting Bs and Cs, and my mom would be like, “It’s OK.” I always just wanted to be the best, and I think that’s why basketball was the perfect fit.

Frierson: Do you remember when you realized that you had a future in basketball beyond being a good high school player?

Battles: My god-dad, he was my high school coach, I think I was in the sixth grade, and he asked me to palm a ball. I didn’t know I could do it. I didn’t even pick up the ball and try until he threw the ball at me, and I palmed it. [Battles and I go palm-to-palm and her hand is definitely bigger than mine, which is attached to a very average 5-11 body.]

I’ve got really huge hands. And I didn’t know I could do that. And my coach was like, “You have a chance to be really good.” I think I already had one thing going for me which is that I really like defense. Offensively, I was like, I think I can do this.

Frierson: What is your favorite thing to do on a basketball court? Would you rather hit a big shot or maybe get a big steal, or something else entirely?

Battles: Actually, it’s between getting a big steal and and-1, or taking a charge. No, no, no, taking a charge tops it. I don’t know, I get so much energy taking charges.

There have been some big games where I’ve taken charges. They didn’t win the game, but they helped. I just really thrive off defense.

Frierson: You’re wearing a Def Leppard t-shirt, and I grew up listening to Def Leppard. Do you have any idea who Def Leppard is?

Battles: [Laughing] I do not. I saw this in rue21, and I knew I had to do

something for my (photo) shoot earlier. I usually don’t dress like this but they were like, wear sneakers. And I’m a heels type of girl. But I don’t know who this is. I just thought it was a pretty cool shirt.

Frierson: What do you do to get away from school and basketball?

Battles: The way I relax is probably cooking. I love to cook. My teammates love when I cook, too.

Frierson: Say you invite three teammates over for dinner and you want to show off your skills a little bit, so what are you making?

Battles: It depends. A certain group loves the Alfredo-base type, like with salmon or something. But then there are some that love Southern food, like the collared greens, macaroni and chicken. It just depends on who’s coming over.

Frierson: Being from Florida, do you feel Southern? Or do you just feel like a Floridian?

Battles: Floridian. I was talking about that with somebody the other day. I was like, Florida is, even though we’re in the South, it’s its own culture. It’s not really Southern, but it is.

Frierson: At what point did you realize you have an awesome name?

Battles: I’ve always heard it, but I didn’t hear it a lot until I got to college. I think it didn’t really register until college.

Frierson: Is a name like Diamond Battles a lot to live up to?

Battles: Yes, and I think my last name is something to live up to because I don’t think you can have Diamond Battles and you don’t battle every day. I think that’s a thing you have to live up to. What’s the point of having such a great name if you don’t use it right.

(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)

Quick Chat: Brittney Smith

GeorgiaDogs.com

By John Frierson

ATHENS -- Brittney Smith loves her hometown of Orlando. She grew up going to Disney World and other amusement parks, and then she went from a star high school basketball player to a great four-year career playing close to home at UCF. After coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson left to take over at Georgia, Smith left home to spend her final collegiate season playing for the Lady Bulldogs.

A 6-foot-3 forward, Smith was the American Athletic Conference’s Sixth Player of the Year last season after averaging 10.8 points and 6.0 rebounds a game. Through 28 games this season, starting each one, Smith is averaging 11.9 points and 5.5 rebounds. Along with Coach ABE and Smith, Diamond Battles and Alisha Lewis also came to Athens from UCF.

During a recent Quick Chat, Smith talked about her favorite spot at Disney World, how she got started in basketball, where she wants to be in 10 years, and much more. Here’s some of what she had to say:

Frierson: Growing up in Orlando, were you already sick of Disney by the time you were 10? Or is it a lifelong obsession?

Smith: It’s kind of a lifelong obsessions, I guess. I’m also obsessed with everything else Orlando has to offer, like all the other amusement parks. I’m a really big Earth girl, like the beach is my thing, just being outside — Orlando is amazing.

Frierson: Do you have a favorite Disney thing: a ride, a character, a movie?

Smith: Every time I go to Disney, I have to go to Animal Kingdom first, and I have to ride the Avatar ride. I love the whole Avatar area at Disney, it’s so cool. It’s so cool.

Growing up there, it was really nice. I didn’t realize how, I guess in a way, privileged people are in Orlando, growing up with amusement parks. Honestly, until the last couple of years of my life, I had no clue that everybody else didn’t grow up the same way I grew up, going to so many fun attractions and stuff.

It’s kind of interesting knowing that I grew up in one of the most popular vacation spots. It makes me love it even more.

Frierson: Did you play a bunch of different sports when you were younger, or was it all basketball?

Smith: Basketball has always been my main sport. I didn’t really grow up playing sports, but once my stepdad came into my life, he introduced me to basketball. I ended up doing high jump in track, and I did a little bit of volleyball, but basketball has always been my main thing.

Frierson: How were you at the high jump?

Smith: In high school, my basketball coach was also the head track coach, so he would beg everybody on my team to do track. I finally was like, “I’ll do track, but I’m not running.” I refused to run; I ran enough in basketball. He said I could do the long jump, triple jump or high jump, and I kind of have weak shins so I was like, OK, I’ll do the high jump.

I actually was really good at it. I won districts and stuff, almost made it to states. It was so much fun, and it was a good way to stay tan. Because I love being tan [laughs]. At practice, sometimes I would just lay out on the mat and tan, and then get to jumping. It was so much fun.

Frierson: The tan part of that hit me out of nowhere. I did not see that coming at all.

Smith: [Laughs] That was my tanning time.

Frierson: You have players on this team that you’ve known for years, from UCF, and you have a bunch of teammates that you’ve only gotten to know since you transferred. Have you enjoyed that dynamic?

Smith: Obviously I’m very close with the girls from UCF, so coming here, that

was kind of my ground point, my stable point, I always have those girls. Making new friends and getting to know people can be a little intimidating or scary, but getting to know these girls, I feel like I’ve known them for a lifetime.

I feel like a lot of us just clicked immediately and got so close. I’m not saying I’m not super close with the UCF girls anymore, but I feel like we all clicked and immediately all feel like we’ve known each other for so long. It’s just like, these are my girls.

Frierson: In a perfect world, what are you doing in 10 years?

Smith: In 10 years I will be 33, and hopefully I will have my own home. I love designing my bedroom and my dorms, I’m really big on decorating, so I can’t wait to have an actual house so I can decorate it. Hopefully I’ll still have my cat, his name’s Vinny, and hopefully I’ll have a dog by then — I want a Dalmatian. I’m interested in medicine, I’m not sure which route I’ll go, but hopefully I’ll be a neonatal nurse. That would be really cool. In my own home, with my cat and my dog.

Javyn Nicholson: Creating consistency for Georgia

Red and Black

By John James

ATHENS -- Entering the 2022 women’s basketball season, Georgia had only five players returning to the roster from the previous year.

Katie Abrahamson-Henderson had taken over as the team’s new head coach, and more change quickly followed. Diamond Battles, the reigning American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, followed Abrahamson-Henderson to Athens. Brittney Smith, the AAC Sixth Player of the Year, joined Battles and her coach on the trip to the SEC.

More transfers arrived — including Audrey Warren from Texas and De’Mauri Flournoy from Vanderbilt — and soon, Georgia had 10 newcomers on the roster, tied with Kentucky for the highest total in the conference.

For Javyn Nicholson, a senior forward who’d spent her entire career in red and black, familiar faces were few and far between. Despite the new look of the roster, Nicholson and her teammates weren’t making any excuses, opening the season with seven straight wins.

“Every game, every practice, every time we have the chance to step on the floor together, we are building more and more,” Nicholson said. “The culture is building more and more. There are expectations, and we have to uphold that every day. We are making great progress, and we still need to get better in a lot of areas.”

Nicholson was a key contributor to last year’s team, a group that fell in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Her role varied from starting or serving as a model player off the bench. In either scenario, she could be relied on for offense and energy whenever called upon.

This season, Nicholson has been used in a similar manner. She’s traded her starting spot back-and-forth with Jordan Isaacs, a rangier, more defensivelyoriented forward. What Isaacs offers on defense is lost on offense — Nicholson was one of the team’s top scorers during the regular season, finishing third on the team in total points.

Her brand of physical interior offense is one of the team’s most consistent sources of shot-making, and Abrahamson-Henderson is aware of Nicholson’s importance to the team.

“I don’t consider anybody a bench player,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “Honestly, I think we have a lot of people that can start games for us. In every game, we try to start different people in terms of who’s going to go out there right away and just give us a spark and get us going in the first five minutes of the game. So, to me, Malury [Bates] and Javyn [Nicholson] can be starters and they can be finishers, it doesn’t really matter.”

That mentality didn’t quite hold up to a demanding conference schedule. After a scorching start to the year, the Bulldogs lost five of their first seven SEC matchups, unable to stand up to a more rigorous level of competition.

Offensive efficiency was one reason for that lackluster stretch, as the team surpassed 60 points just twice over those seven outings. In the middle of that drought, Georgia suffered a 66-58 loss to Ole Miss, the start of a three-game losing streak for the team.

Smith was the Bulldogs’ highest scorer in that matchup. She and Nicholson have shared the court for much of Georgia’s season thus far, and Smith emphasized the need for reflection after that loss.

“I feel like this loss was a learning point for us,” Smith said. “We have a lot to learn. We had a game plan. We didn’t follow it the way we should have. This should be a good learning opportunity for us to do better in the conference tournament.”

The team went 7-4 over the remainder of the regular season, and Nicholson’s offensive consistency was crucial to Georgia’s improvement during that run. In a win over Arkansas, Nicholson tied her career high with a 22-point performance, leading the team in scoring for the night.

In the leadup to the conference tournament, Georgia still has work to do. The SEC isn’t getting any easier, and if the Bulldogs have any postseason aspirations, Nicholson will need to maintain her reliable track record.

Nicholson has made the NCAA Tournament in every season of her collegiate career when it hasn’t been canceled, and she’s experienced success in the regular season and beyond. With that in mind, she knows that Georgia still has room for improvement.

“We like to praise ourselves for the good things we do accomplish and just be consistent in those things then also work on things we struggle with,” Nicholson said. “Going down the line, teams are going to get better. It’s going to get harder. We just want to make sure we nip that in the bud now and play our game.”

Following their leader: Diamond Battles and Brittney Smith’s seamless transition in new era of Georgia women’s basketball

Red and Black

By Bo Underwood

ATHENS -- The spring of 2022 marked a major transition period for Georgia women’s basketball. The arrival of head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson from UCF meant an influx of new players and coaches, to make up for the exodus of personnel that came after the departure of former coach Joni Taylor to Texas A&M.

With Georgia’s new roster being a patchwork of transfers, seniors and recruits that had flipped from UCF, the expectation was that the team would have to essentially learn how to play together as the season progressed. However, two UCF graduate transfers, guard Diamond Battles and forward Brittney Smith, have provided a level of stability that has allowed the Bulldogs to remain competitive even with all the roster upheaval that happened in such a short period of time.

“It was a team effort,” Smith said of the decision to transfer to Georgia. “I was not going anywhere without Diamond, and Diamond was not going anywhere without me.”

Battles and Smith’s experience playing together for four years at UCF meant they entered Athens with a well-established groove and rapport — both on the court and off — before they ever stepped foot inside Stegeman Coliseum.

“Brittney just gives such great energy on the floor,” Battles said. “She’s always so positive. When she talks to me, she’ll just say ‘Come on Diamond, wake up!’ and it brings out another side of me. That’s just the kind of connection we have during games.”

“Sometimes setting screens is not my favorite thing to do, but when I set a screen for Diamond I already know she’s gonna come off it and hit a pullup jumper every time,” Smith said. “And off the court, whenever I need a laugh or to be cheered up I’m always gonna go to Diamond’s room. I’m knocking on her door. She’s constantly making me laugh.”

Battles and Smith have combined to score over 650 points this season — almost 30 points per game.

Battles and Smith have led the way for the Bulldogs all year, with Battles leading the team in scoring with Smith right behind her. Battles has been the Bulldogs’ premier perimeter threat all year, while Smith has willed the team to victory several times this season with her presence in the paint. AbrahamsonHenderson summed up the pair’s impact on the team with just one word:

“Culture,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “And they bring two different entities. Diamond is so tough and serious and Brittney’s all ‘happy rainbows and sunshine’. But you need those two different extremes. They both know what they want for this team, and the culture they bring to the locker room is so big.”

Even with having two polar opposite attitudes on the basketball court, Battles and Smith share a tight bond not just as teammates, but close friends.

“Brittney’s just that person that you can just hang out with all day,” Battles said. “You don’t need to worry about anything. She makes you feel at home. We take trips together, go shopping, go to Target all the time. She’s like a sister that I’m really close to and we’re just always together.”

The mutual trust that Battles and Smith share with not just each other but their longtime coach has been a hallmark of the team’s season. It’s been a major reason for why the Bulldogs were able to quickly establish a defined identity as a tough, defensive team who attack the basket on offense.

“She [Abrahamson-Henderson] built me for this moment,” Battles said after completing Georgia’s largest comeback victory in school history against Wisconsin. “To be online and ready because in certain games you’re gonna

have to carry [your] team. In certain games your teammates step up, but it was one of those games where I had to be that leader for my team. Being locked in and having a tough mentality is what she coached me for four years to do and to be.”

Katie Abrahamson-Henderson v Coastal Carolina

Georgia head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson during a match against Coastal Carolina at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga., on Monday, Nov. 7, 2022. (Kayla Renie/UGA Athletics)

Abrahamson-Henderson’s impact goes beyond basketball, though.

“Coach Abe has done a really good job guiding us on life after college and life in general,” Smith said. “She and the rest of the coaches have shaped us into the basketball players that we have become so far. We still have goals and they’re still trying to get us where we wanna be, but I feel like we both as people and as basketball players have developed incredibly in the last four and a half, almost five years.”

The work and development paid off when Battles and Smith were able to accomplish major personal milestones earlier this year. Each eclipsed the 1,000 career point mark, with Smith reaching the number in late November and Battles following it up a few weeks later.

“It was a really great accomplishment,” Battles said. “I don’t think either of us even realized how close we were to a thousand points because at the end of the day, we just wanna win games and we don’t really think about ourselves in that sense. But being able to come out of Georgia knowing that we both came here, made an impact, and were able to accomplish that together is something that we’re both gonna remember for a long time.”

As Georgia navigates the tail end of its SEC schedule and inches closer to tournament play, the leadership and steadiness they get from Battles and Smith will be needed more than ever. Georgia faces an uphill battle in the SEC with juggernauts like South Carolina and LSU looming in the tournament, but nevertheless, the team’s two leaders remain committed to proving everyone wrong.

“We just wanna win. We just wanna win every game. Every time we step on the floor. We wanna win, we wanna be better, no matter what,” Smith said.

Queen of Dimes: Alisha Lewis dishes Georgia to win over Auburn

Lady Bulldog Report

By Brandon Sudge

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Seventy-two seconds remained in the first quarter when Alisha Lewis drove into the paint and found Audrey Warren on the wing for a 3-point swish.

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Thirty-eight seconds later, Lewis trotted near the half-court stripe and geared up for a touchdown pass. She delivered a dime to Malury Bates as she galloped toward the basket.

Thirty-two seconds then passed before Lewis showed up again. Auburn guard Sania Wells tried to pass to teammate Kharyssa Richardson, but not before Lewis impeded the path. She leaped and deflected the basketball off of Richardson.

“This is what she’s good at,” Georgia head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson said of Lewis’ performance. “It’s a natural instinct. That’s not learned, but instinct.”

Not only did the first-quarter stretch from Georgia’s reserve guard propel the team’s offense and give it the necessary boost to advance in the SEC tournament with a 63-47 win over Auburn. Lewis’ performance etched a place in program lore. She finished with 12 assists, which tied a program record in the SEC tournament set by Teresa Edwards — who has her name in the Stegeman Coliseum rafters — also against Auburn.

Lewis finished two assists shy of tying the all-time program assists record, set by Adrienne Shuler in 1991 against Florida State. She tied LSU’s Alexis Morris for the most assists of any SEC player this season.

Entering play, Lewis led the SEC in turnover-to-assist ratio at 2.55. Her 97 assists ranks fifth in the league. The four players ahead of Lewis are starters, and Lewis has recorded only four starts on the season.

“It’s about creating for my teammates and them making the shots,” Lewis said. “I wouldn’t have my assists without my teammates executing once I pass the ball. It’s able to get the offense flowing.”

Lewis is the consummate team-first player. She deflected most of the attention from herself and focused on how she found her teammates. She did it in nearly every way, too, by dishing passes to the paint, from the mid-range and beyond the 3-point line.

Nine of her assists came before halftime. Her performance, which included eight points, might not carry the allure of Diamond Battles’ 18 points or Brittney Smith’s near double-double, but it could go down as one of Georgia’s most-influential of the season as it willed the Lady Bulldogs to their 16-point win on the tournament stage.

“Lish has great vision,” Battles told the SEC Network. “When you get in the paint, you better be ready, because she’s going to find you.”

From the time Lewis was a three-time state champion from Urusline Academy as a high schooler in Delaware, she has always had the pass-first mentality. She possesses the quality that coaches desire in a true point guard. It’s what led her to be recruited by Syracuse, find a place to blossom at Central Florida then follow Abrahamson-Henderson to Georgia as a finish to her college career.

Lewis attributes the approach to a handful of coaches and trainers she has worked with throughout the molding stages of her basketball career. It’s something that makes Georgia’s offense tick. She gives the Lady Bulldogs flow,

and has played an integral role in the team racking up wins throughout league play.

On Thursday, when she posted her career-high, Lewis said she enjoyed “every single one” of her dimes and credited her teammates for making the shots. She distributed to numerous players, too, as Warren, Battles, Malury Bates, Brittney Smith and Javyn Nicholson all scored off of feeds from Lewis. Seven of her assists came in the second quarter alone.

“I think being the point guard, executing plays and being able to facilitate helps our offense go,” Lewis said. “That creates for everyone else, but it also gives you opportunities to score if people thinks you’re going to pass first.

“Even my teammates encourage me to shoot more, but I love passing the ball. I love getting my teammates involved. It’s fun. It’s exciting.”

Lewis’ latest game under the SEC tournament lights inside Bon Secours Wellness Arena encapsulated a journey to Georgia that the senior guard (with one season of eligibility remaining) remains fond of. Lewis missed the first five games of the season for undisclosed reasons, but her influence was felt from the first moment she took the court. She had only two assists against Georgia Tech, but the Lady Bulldogs’ offense had a different look and feel.

In league play, Lewis logged five double-figure scoring games, including 18 points in 20 minutes during a win over Missouri. Over a crucial four-game stretch, in which Georgia went 3-1, Lewis averaged 6.5 assists per game. That included an eight-assist performance against Mississippi State.

Lewis started her career at Syracuse in which she averaged a smidge over a point in four minutes per game. Years later, after forging a bond with Abrahamson-Henderson and crew, she’s found her home in Athens.

“It’s crazy. It happened in the blink of an eye,” Lewis said. “I transferred to UCF my sophomore year, then stayed with (Abrahamson-Henderson and staff). They’ve instilled a lot in me. I wanted to follow them, and they trusted me to bring me with them. It has been special to do this with them and will continue to contribute in the best way I can.”

Lewis’ path now finds her under the tournament lights. She’s on a stage that is meant for “upsets,” Lewis said, which is what the Lady Bulldogs will try to pull off against No. 2 seed and one-loss LSU on Friday evening. Against Auburn, though, her night ended with a scoring splash.

With 39 seconds remaining, De’Mauri Flournoy found Lewis for a fall-away 3-pointer on the wing. It fell through, and Lewis could only smile.

The only thing to go wrong came with six seconds left. A layup, which would’ve given Lewis a double-double rimmed out.

Everything else, however, fell in perfect form for No. 23 and the Lady Bulldogs.

“Missing that layup kind of hurt,” Lewis said. “but I’m glad we came out with the win.”