Prior to this nationally televised matchup (ESPN2) between the Georgia Lady Dawgs and the LSU Lady Tigers, the potential for some high-drama existed as SEC Tournament seedings were at stake. Coach Andy Lander's squad could potentially grab a first-round bye with a victory and a 3rd or 4th overall seed, or lose the bye altogether with a loss to the Tigers from Red Stick and an unfavorable outcome of another game in another city. The drama never materialized by virtue of a 53-47 South Carolina victory over Arkansas earlier in the afternoon, and the successful head-to-head outcomes that Georgia and LSU held over both Arkansas and USCe. Georgia (22-7, 11-5 SEC) now prepares to play in Nashville on Friday night as the #3 overall seed. Kentucky won the Conference crown and is the #1 seed, Tennessee #2 and LSU #4. Anyway you slice it, it's been a pretty darned good 24+ hours in Stegeman Coliseum.
The Lady Dawgs are Hot. And they play pretty good hoops, too.
This game was sloppy at times, with Georgia committing 11 turnovers. Ultimately, this game was a showcase for the nation to see what the Lady Dawgs do best: play stifling defense. LSU turned the ball over 22 times, and the 2nd half pressure finally took a toll on coach Nikki Caldwell's club.
The Lady Dawgs held a double-digit lead with about 5:00 to go in the first half, but a feisty LSU club narrowed the lead to only 3 at the intermission, 26-23. After trading jabs, Georgia went on a run at the 10:06 mark in the 2nd half, going up by 11 and never looked back.
Individually, Khaalidah Miller scored 12 of her team-high 14 points in the first half, hitting 4 of 5 three-pointers. In her last game on Senior Day, Meredith Mitchell scored 10 points and dished out 5 assists, and Jasmine Hassell chipped in 12 points off the bench. Georgia shot 43.1% overall, hitting 38.9% (7-18) from beyond the arc and led in rebounds (+3), steals (+10), and assists (+4).
On Friday (9:00 P.M. Fox Sports Net) Georgia will play the winner of the Ole Miss (#11) and South Carolina (#6) match-up.