Olivia Sayer
Walking off the court in the Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss, Georgia women’s basketball looked deflated. The Bulldogs had just lost by 22 to the Rebels and were on a four game losing streak. Looking to right the ship, Georgia looked forward to its matchup with Florida. The game would be Georgia’s Senior Day, honoring the players that are graduating this year.
It was fitting that the group led Georgia to a 76-60 victory over the Gators Sunday afternoon in Stegeman Coliseum, scoring 54 of the Bulldogs’ 76 points. It was the most Georgia had scored against an SEC team this season.
Georgia’s starting lineup featured all four healthy seniors, as Javyn Nicholson, Jordan Cole, Taniyah Thompson and Chloe Chapman all began the game on the court. The fifth senior Zoesha Smith was unable to play due to suffering a season-ending injury prior in the season.
Each of the seniors were honored following the victory.
“I’ve talked to them all about how they’re going to leave this program and be so proud that they played here and got their degree from the University of Georgia,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “It’s going to go a long way in the future, and Dawg Nation is everywhere.”
Nicholson, once again, led the way for the Bulldogs. She scored at least 20 points in her third straight game, leading Georgia with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Amid a rocky season, Nicholson has been a steady presence for the Bulldogs.
“She’s a phenomenal scorer for us,” Abrahamson-Henderson said after Nicholson’s 27-point performance on Feb. 18 against No. 1 South Carolina. “She can score in many different ways, in the high post and the low post.”
While Nicholson’s performance piloted Georgia’s offense, it was Cole who had a career day. She finished the contest with her first career double-double, tallying 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Cole’s vast improvements have not gone unnoticed by Abrahamson-Henderson, as her coach recalled pushing her to work on a certain aspect of her game.
“In my first year I kept forcing her to try to score and get rebounds, good offensive rebounds,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “She can draw from the high post, and she could shoot from the high post. It just took her a while to do that, so I’m glad she got her first double-double. I’ll make sure she knows that tomorrow.”
The other two seniors in the starting lineup, Thompson and Chapman, also made an impact. Thompson finished with 10 points and four rebounds, while Chapman led the team with five assists.
Following the game, each of the five graduates were honored for their contributions to the program. Smith is the only one with remaining eligibility, as she joined the Bulldogs prior to the 2020 season.
“They’re going to have a lot of opportunities because they played at Georgia and they graduated from Georgia with that degree,” Abrahamson-Henderson said.
The Bulldogs came out of the gate on fire against the Gators, as Thompson’s second-chance layup got the home team on the board first. After Florida matched Georgia basket-for-basket, a 7-0 run propelled the Bulldogs to a 21-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Georgia outscored Florida 26-12 in the second quarter, nailing 10 of its 17 shot attempts. The Bulldogs played solid all around basketball in the quarter, making all four of their free throw attempts while only turning the ball over three times. The complementary play gave Georgia a 47-25 lead heading into halftime.
The Bulldogs did not ease up in the third quarter, especially when Florida attempted to start a rally. Georgia held the Gators to a 33.3 shooting percentage in the third, while only allowing them to make 16.7% of their shots from behind the arc. Georgia’s strong matchup defense had it leading 65-42 at the start of the final quarter.
“It’s a matchup, so you’re matching up with a human being,” Abrahamson-Henderson said earlier in the season. “You’re not in a zone, and you’re not letting people be wide open.”
Florida had a quick surge in the fourth quarter, but the closest the Gators pulled within was 16. Georgia’s strong 3-point defense continued, once again only allowing Florida to shoot 16.7%. A final missed 3-pointer by the Gators provided the nail in the coffin and earned the Bulldogs a 76-60 victory.
In addition to its defense, Georgia looked much improved offensively. The Bulldogs finished with their third highest 3-point percentage, led by redshirt-freshman Savannah Henderson and junior De’Mauri Flournoy’s two baskets each. On free throws, the team shot 85.7%, behind a perfect 8-8 in the first half.
Four Bulldogs finished scoring in double digits as well.
“Just sharing the ball was big,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “Florida is known for their defense and being really scrappy, and we did a good job of taking care of the ball.”
The Bulldogs will return to Stegeman Coliseum Thursday evening to face No. 13 LSU. The game is Georgia’s final home matchup of the season, and tip off is set for 9:00 p.m.