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Olivia Sayer
Georgia forward Javyn Nicholson (35) during a game against Alabama Sate University at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga., on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022. (Kayla Renie/UGA Athletics)
Four minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Asia Avinger flings the ball to De’Mauri Flournoy, who tosses it to Javyn Nicholson. Sitting at a career 998 points, the only thing standing between Nicholson and the prestigious 1,000-point club is a 6-foot-2 forward from Ole Miss.
Weighing her options, a stutter-step moves Nicholson closer to the basket, while leaving the sophomore defender a step behind. With Stegeman Coliseum counting down, the fifth-year Bulldog leaps off her left foot and watches as the basketball falls through the rim, securing her 1,000th career point.
“[Nicholson] puts in work every single day,” Avinger said. “I’ve never seen somebody grind so hard for this game. So she’s definitely earned it, every single point.”
Nicholson is just the 43rd Bulldog to record 1,000-career points, an impressive feat considering the plethora of stars to take the court for the Bulldogs, including her head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson.
“She’s going to be able to look back and say ‘I scored 1,000 points at Georgia,’ which is amazing,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “Not a lot of people can say that in their college careers, being able to do that. And we got Hall of Fame players that played here, including myself. Just kidding, I’m joking. That’s a joke.”
The feat by Nicholson provided a bright spot for a Georgia team that had just lost its fifth-straight game and now sits 1-5 in conference play.
“It’s definitely all the little things,” Nicholson said on focuses for the next month. “Just being steadfast in our process and putting good games together. I feel like whether we win or lose, we always have one thing after the game that we could have done better, and we haven’t really had a complete game.”
Although it did not reflect in the final score, Georgia’s offense looked much improved. Facing a team that had held eight of its 17 opponents to under 50 points, the Bulldogs took a different approach— avoiding 3-pointers.
Georgia’s first 3-point try came with less than two minutes remaining in the first half. The team finished the contest having only attempted five, the lowest number of attempts by the Bulldogs this season.
When asked about the lack of tries, Abrahamson-Henderson pointed to Ole Miss’s success in creating points off rebounds and fouls.
“They score in transition off of offensive rebounds and drawing fouls,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “And we didn’t want to shoot quick shots to let them get those opportunities.”
Georgia also had a strong outing from the foul line, an area that has been steadily improving throughout the season. After shooting .500 in their first game, the Bulldogs shot 90% on 10 attempts against the Rebels. It was Georgia’s most accurate free throw percentage since its last win on Jan. 4.
Abrahamson-Henderson summed up her thoughts on Georgia’s free-throw shooting with one word.
“Finally,” Abrahamson-Henderson said.