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Lady Bulldogs Post 45-30 Win Over Presbyterian in Season Opener
ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia
sophomore Merritt Hempe led all scorers with 10 points as the No. 24
Lady Bulldogs claimed a 45-30 season-opening victory over Presbyterian
on Sunday afternoon at Stegeman Coliseum.
Junior Krista Donald
chipped in with eight points for Georgia, while senior Khaalidah Miller
added seven points, while tying career high marks with 11 rebounds and
six assists. Hempe was the only double-figure scorer in the game.
“Defensively,
I didn’t think we were very effective on the ball,” said Georgia head
coach Andy Landers. “Everybody on our team got taken to the rim. We’re
hugging people away from the ball. So consequently when they use the
screen, we’re chasing our man. That pretty much sums it up defensively
all day long.”
Both teams struggled to score early on in the
game, but Georgia eventually used a 9-0 run midway through the first
half to help create a 15-6 lead with just over five minutes remaining
until the half. Miller collected eight rebounds to go along with four
points in the first half, as the Lady Bulldogs held a 19-10 advantage
entering the break.
Miller led the charge for the Bulldogs at
the start of the second half, quickly converting on a three-point play
in the first 30 seconds. A three-pointer by freshman point guard Sydnei
McCaskill helped extend the Georgia lead to 30-16 in the half's opening
minutes, and the Bulldogs would continue to cruise offensively en route
to claiming the 45-30 win.
McCaskill played all 40 minutes in
her first career game for the Lady Bulldogs, knocking down a pair of
three pointers and contributing four rebounds, two blocks and a pair of
steals.
Georgia outrebounded the Blue Hose 51-37, including an
18-13 edge on the offensive glass, and limited Presbyterian to just 20
percent shooting from the field for the game, including 16 percent from
three-point range. The Lady Bulldogs also outscored the Blue Hose 22-14
in the paint.
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