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Olivia Sayer
Georgia teammates huddle during a women’s NCAA college basketball game between Georgia Southern and Georgia at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Georgia, on Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. Georgia won 85-59. (Photo/Jessica Lin, @j.lin321)
Georgia women’s basketball had an atypical performance Saturday afternoon, as it fell to Georgia Tech 64-53 in Stegeman Coliseum.
The Bulldogs looked out of sorts, as they missed several shots and struggled to maintain their normally dominant fashion against the Yellow Jackets Throughout the 40 minutes of play, Georgia found itself leading for only five of them.
The Bulldogs got off to a strong start, but the fire quickly dwindled. After scoring the first three points to build a 5-2 lead, the Yellow Jackets knotted the score at 5. Georgia responded as a couple of baskets by senior Zoesha Smith gave the Bulldogs an 11-7 advantage. The two in-state rivals battled until Georgia held a 11-10 lead with around four minutes to play in the first quarter.
From there Georgia Tech came to life, rifling off nine straight to go ahead 19-11. The Yellow Jackets seized control, building upon their lead until Georgia found itself trailing 40-24 at the half.
The Bulldogs tried to claw back in the third quarter, but Georgia Tech continued to stack points. With around five minutes remaining in the third, Georgia pulled within 10 after fifth-year Javyn Nicholson drained two free throws to cap an 8-0 run. The Yellow Jackets quickly squashed any comeback hopes, however, and Georgia found itself down 41-55 heading into the last quarter of play.
Georgia Tech did not let up in the fourth, bolstering its lead even further. Georgia persisted but was unable to conjure anything up, falling 64-53.
The offense, about a week after completing a season-high scoring effort, had one of its worst performances, as the Bulldogs fell victim to uncharacteristically inaccurate shooting. Georgia finished with a 32.3% shooting percentage on field goals while tallying 23.5% from behind the arc.
Searching for answers, head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson shared the unusual circumstances the Bulldogs were faced with leading up to the game. Commencement took place during the week, so the team was only able to shoot in the gym one time over 10 days. Despite the situation, coach Abrahamson-Henderson did not want to make excuses for the team’s poor execution.
“We’re Division I athletes, and we should be able to hit shots and make shots and do all that good stuff,” Abrahamson-Henderson said.
Habitual shooting provides the opportunity for repetition, something that is vital for success from the foul line. A statistic that had been steadily improving throughout the season, took a step in the other direction, as Georgia shot 42.9% from the free throw line.
“We were nine-for-21, that’s first, that’s big,” Abrahamson-Henderson said.
One key to Georgia’s success thus far has been its bench. The group came into the game averaging 30.1 points per game – second in the conference. However, the Yellow Jackets held the group in check, limiting them to just 11 points.
Georgia (7-3) looked to rebound when it traveled to Tampa, Florida on Dec. 20 to face Pittsburgh in the Sun Coast Tournament, with tipoff at noon, as the Bulldogs looked to avoid their first losing skid of the season.