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Olivia Sayer
Georgia women’s guard, De’Mauri Flournoy (10) participates in a shooting competition during Stegmania on Oct. 6, 2023, in Athens, Georgia. The University of Georgia held its annual Stegmania at Stegeman Coliseum to preview the men’s and women’s basketball teams. (Photo/Jessica Lin, @j.lin321)
The saying often goes, “It’s not how you start. It’s how you finish.”
Georgia women’s basketball embodied this and finished in dominating fashion en route to a 71-59 victory over North Carolina A&T Monday evening at Stegeman Coliseum.
The win marked Georgia’s 18th-straight season-opening victory. Earning the majority of these wins at home, defending home court is not something this Georgia team takes lightly.
“One of our themes is always ‘Not in our house,” head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson said. “This is our house, and you don’t just let people come in your house and take all your jewelry or your money. You have to protect your house.”
Despite the final score, Georgia started slow against the Aggies. After junior Asia Avinger scored Georgia’s first five points of the season, the team found itself trailing 15-14 by the end of the first quarter. That one-point deficit quickly turned into an eight-point deficit of 33-25 before the buzzer sounded at the half.
“I think we definitely started off the game a little rough just because [it’s] the first time we’re playing together,” Avinger said.
Georgia was one of a handful of teams to not have had a player enter the transfer portal this past offseason. However, the Bulldogs did lose last season’s leading scorer, Diamond Battles, to the WNBA Draft and brought in a trio of transfers — highlighted by Avinger, who spent her first two seasons at San Diego State.
Throughout the first two quarters of the game, Georgia was plagued with sloppy play. The team shot 26.3% on field goals, as compared to North Carolina A&T’s 40.6%. Georgia also went 2-6 on free throws, while North Carolina A&T went 4-6 from the line. The Bulldogs did have one less turnover than the Aggies, but weren’t capitalizing the same way the road team was.
The second half didn’t start much better for the Bulldogs. Georgia could’ve used a spark to kickstart some momentum, but garnered a personal foul instead. The Aggies took advantage and made two free throws to expand their lead to 10.
Something must have ignited something in the Bulldogs, as they began to go on a run. Junior De’Mauri Flournoy, who went 1-7 from the field in the first half, suddenly couldn’t miss the basket. Flournoy’s seven-straight points, paired with a defensive rebound, helped bring Georgia within three.
“I mean, just basically keep shooting,” Flournoy said. “I consider myself a shooter, so shooters gonna shoot. It doesn’t matter if you miss 10 straight. Shoot the next one.”
Georgia kept shooting until fifth-year Javyn Nicholson brought the Bulldogs within one. Following a media timeout, Avinger drilled a 3-pointer to give Georgia its first lead of the third quarter, as the team sat at a 39-38 lead.
Flournoy nailed another 3-point shot with one minute remaining in the third quarter, and senior Zoesha Smith opened the fourth with a layup. Georgia rolled from there, capping a dominant second half with a 71-59 victory.
In the victory, four Bulldogs each scored double-digit points. Avinger and Flournoy led the Bulldogs with 15, while Nicholson and Smith had 14 and 13, respectively. Nicholson also tallied 12 rebounds, and earned her ninth career double-double.
The win marked Abrahamson-Henderson’s 395th of her career, five wins shy of the 400 mark. Upon reaching her 400th win, she will become only the fourth active coach in the SEC to do so.
Georgia looks to build upon the commanding second half, as it travels to Nashville, Tennessee on Nov. 10 to take on Belmont at the Curb Event Center Arena. The Bruins began their season with a loss to Missouri, but ended the previous season on a 16-game winning streak before losing to Drake.