Lady Vols Comeback Sends Georgia Lady Bulldogs Back to the Pack
Forced to play over half the game without leading scorer Shacobia Barbee, the Georgia Lady Bulldogs fell to Tennessee in Knoxville.
As quickly as the 22 ranked Lady Bulldogs win over Texas A&M found a door to the top of the SEC, the 5 ranked Tennessee Lady Vols kicked the Dawgs back to the middle of the pack.
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Tennessee outscored Georgia 15-6 over the last 5:51 to win 59-51 over the Lady Bulldogs on Sunday. The Volunteers remain undefeated in conference play while Georgia drops to 5-3 in conference.
Playing the Volunteers is a tough enough chore. Today the chore was tougher as Georgia played the last 22:42 of the game without leading scorer Shacobia Barbee. Barbee injured her right leg driving to the basket with 2:42 left in the opening period and did not return.
Ultimately, the game was decided at the free throw line where the Lady Volunteers made their first 20 free throws of the day before finally missing with 46 seconds left. Georgia was only 3-of-7 at the line.
“Defensively, I thought we accomplished our objectives as much as a coach can reasonably expect, and this was a difficult job,” head coach Andy Landers told Georgiadogs.com. “That’s a difficult proposition, to guard guys who can stretch you and beat you inside like Tennessee can. We defended very well. The only negative I take away from it is how many times they went to the line.”
Freshman Mackenzie Engram led Georgia (17-4 overall) with 14 points, including 12 in the first half, while Krista Donald added 12. Jordan Reynolds led Tennessee (17-3 overall) with 15 points.
Both teams put up runs with double-digit advantages in each half. After Tennessee led 11-5, a 17-3 spurt put Georgia up by eight. The Lady Volunteers countered with a 14-0 run and led 30-25 at halftime. With 5:51 left in the game, a three-point play by Isabelle Harrison with one second left on the shot clock opened Tennessee’s game winning surge. It was one of five three-point plays by Tennessee in the game.
“The kids took the challenge at halftime,” Landers said. “I think they knew that they were going to have to play it out without Cobi. They came out, sparked themselves and went on a terrific run.”