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Olivia Sayer
Georgia guard Chloe Chapman (1) dribbles the ball during a women’s NCAA college basketball game between Duke University and Georgia at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Georgia, on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023. Georgia lost 72-65 in overtime. (Photo/Jessica Lin, @j.lin321)
The Georgia women’s basketball team beat Troy 86-70 on Wednesday afternoon at Stegeman Coliseum. The Bulldogs rode an impressive offensive performance to the win and improved to 7-2 on the season.
The team celebrated Georgia’s annual Elementary School Day, as over 4,000 students lined the court to help cheer on the Bulldogs. In addition to bringing some energy, the students also received an up-close look at athletes embodying characteristics of what it takes to be successful.
“I think what people don’t understand is that it’s more than just a basketball game for these young boys and girls that might have never seen a college campus before, or never come to a college basketball game,” head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson said. “They get to see some role models out there and see a really cool campus.”
Georgia’s dominant offensive effort was piloted by junior De’Mauri Flournoy, who notched a season-high 16 points and tied a career-high with four 3-pointers. For the fifth time this season, Georgia had four players score in double digits, and fifth-year Javyn Nicholson continued her streak of double-digit points for the ninth straight game.
Many Bulldogs recorded career performances in the contest, with redshirt freshman Stefanie Ingram tallying a career-high 12 points. Senior Zoesha Smith’s 12 points marked her second-straight game scoring in double figures, and sixth of the season.
Georgia shot 43.6% from the floor and made seven of its 18 3-point attempts. The team also recorded 51 boards to outrebound its opponent for the sixth consecutive game.
“Look at our size, we should be out rebounding our opponents,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “We were talking about more offensive rebounds so that we could get extra possessions.”
A few rebounds and jumpers gave Troy a 9-4 lead early. Flournoy and fifth-year Destiny Thomas responded, knotting the game at 9 midway through the first quarter. Both teams traded scores, tying the game five times until an eventual 6-0 run by the Bulldogs gave them a 19-15 advantage after the first quarter.
Georgia carried the strong ending into the second quarter, as five points by Ingram fueled a 7-0 run by the Bulldogs. A steal by Ingram paved the way for a layup by Smith and gave Georgia a 10-point lead. Troy struggled to fend off the Bulldogs, as eight unanswered points gave Georgia a 47-31 lead at the half. 47 points in the first half marked a season-high for the Bulldogs.
Georgia did not slow down in the third quarter, and continued to stretch out the lead. Solid shooting from all around the court gave Georgia a 20-point lead heading into the final quarter of play.
Georgia’s offense stayed hot in the final period, with Flournoy and fifth-year Jordan Cole each tallying five points in the quarter. Troy, who was searching for its first win of the year, scored 21 points, but it was not enough to overcome the blazing Georgia offense.
Georgia will next play host to in-state rival Georgia Tech Dec. 16 for some clean, old-fashioned hate. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m. in Stegeman Coliseum.