Lady Bulldogs Upset Michigan State 69-60 to Remain Undefeated

Release from Georgia Athletics:

In a thrilling second-half defensive stand, the No. 19 Georgia Lady Bulldogs upset No. 16 Michigan State 69-60 on Sunday afternoon in Stegeman Coliseum to remain American’s winningest basketball team. With the victory, Georgia continues its perfect 10-0 start for only the 10th time in program history, while the Spartans fall to 5-2 on the season.

Tiaria Griffin led Georgia’s scoring effort with 15 points, including three from 3-point range, as well as season highs of eight rebounds and six assists. Krista Donald added 12 points and grabbed nine boards, while Marjorie Butler tied her career high with 11 points. She also recorded four assists and three rebounds.

Michigan State took the opening tip and put the first points on the board, but Georgia used a Donald layup and Shacobia Barbee 3-pointer on back-to-back possessions to take the lead. The Lady Bulldogs maintained their lead for the entirety of the game.

“I liked the way we started more than anything,” head coach Andy Landers said. “I thought we came out and did what we do. That’s what Georgia does and we talked about that in the dressing room – be confident, go out and do what we do and do it the way that we do it. Don’t be distracted by who they are or what they may be able to do. That’s exactly how we started the game, and it knocked them off balance.”

Midway through the first stanza, Georgia took control of the game on a 17-2 run, with four Lady Bulldogs adding points at the rim. Merritt Hempe and Pachis Roberts led the charge for Georgia, both hitting shots from 3-point range and forcing a Michigan State timeout.  After trailing by as much as 23 points, the Spartans used an 8-point run in the final two minutes of the half to narrow the score to 36-21 at the break.

Michigan State returned to the court in a comeback fashion, outscoring the Lady Bulldogs 19-12 in the opening minutes of the second half. With the Spartans sitting only six points behind at the 10:41 mark, Griffin sunk a 3-pointer, Erika Ford stole the ball back and Butler hit consecutive jump shots to keep Georgia in front.

The Spartans used another run to again draw within six points, but a Butler shot from 3-point range gave Georgia a double-digit lead with less than two minutes to play. Michigan State sent Georgia to the line in a final effort, but the Lady Bulldogs shot a perfect 6-for-6 in the closing minute to seal the Georgia win.

“In the second half, as I said, they got composed and we didn’t get as much productivity off of our bench, got into a little bit of foul trouble and then it became a thing of hitting shots and making free throws,” Landers said.

Georgia was out-rebounded for the first time this season, grabbing 33 boards to the Spartans’ 37. But the Lady Bulldogs held onto the ball, forcing 15 Michigan State turnovers and having only nine miscues of their own. This resulted in 17 points-off-turnovers for Georgia and only 10 for Michigan State.