Lady Bulldogs Beat Mizzou 69-48 to Remain Undefeated at Home

Release from Georgia Athletics:

Fueled by a 16-point night from Tiaria Griffin, the No. 20 Georgia Lady Bulldogs defeated Missouri 69-48 on Thursday night at Stegeman Coliseum. With the victory, Georgia remains undefeated at home with 10-straight wins.

The Lady Bulldogs improve to 14-2 on the year with a 2-1 mark in Southeastern Conference play, while the Tigers fall to 10-6 (0-3 SEC).

Griffin led Georgia’s shooting campaign with 16 points, and Shacobia Barbee added 12 points. Krista Donald tallied a team-best nine rebounds.

Missouri opened the game on a quick, four-second drive to the basket, but Georgia took the lead less than a minute later after sophomore Pachis Roberts, in her first career start, recorded a steal and sunk a layup. The Tigers hit multiple 3-pointers to stay within striking distance for most of the first period, however.

With a 21-18 lead nearing the break, Barbee hit a jumper to ignite a Georgia run. Marjorie Butler capitalized on a Missouri turnover, hitting consecutive shots, one from behind the arc, and Barbee added another basket to put the Lady Bulldogs up 30-18 at halftime.

Georgia continued its run in the second stanza, outscoring the Tigers 14-4 in the opening minutes of the half. Spanning both periods, the Lady Bulldogs kept Missouri away from the basket for more than eight minutes. But the Tigers rallied, narrowing the deficit from 23 points to 14 in a short 3:09. Griffin put Georgia back in control on a 3-pointer that was followed shortly by a jumper from Mackenzie Engram. Erika Ford and Jasmine Carter added shots in the final minutes of the game to give Georgia a 20-point advantage.

“It was an excellent team effort,” head coach Andy Landers said. “That’s what it was going to take because when you run people off as many screens as they do and the motion that they do defensively, you have to have five people ready to help each other and ready to jump switch. And I thought we were really good.”

Georgia capitalized on turnovers, converting 22 Missouri miscues into 29 points, while the Tigers managed only six points on 11 Lady Bulldog turnovers. Georgia also tallied 12 second-change points and 31 points from the bench.