Georgia Lady Bulldogs Need a win on Senior Day against Auburn
The Georgia Lady Bulldogs will entertain the Auburn women’s basketball team on Sunday afternoon at 2:00.
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February has been unkind to the Lady Bulldogs.
After a six-game losing streak, the longest in Andy Landers’ 36 seasons at Georgia, the Georgia Lady Bulldogs are 17-9 overall and 5-8 in SEC action. The Dawgs will look to return to winning ways on Sunday when they host Auburn at Stegeman Coliseum.
Coach Landers talked to georgiadogs.com about the team’s recent struggles. “We’re depending on some young players and inexperienced players. Young players and inexperienced players do some good things, but they also do some things that are hurtful. The message going forward needs to be that we can’t repeat the same mistakes.”
Auburn arrives in Athens sporting records of 9-17 overall and 0-13 in SEC action. The Tigers opened the season with a 9-4 non-conference record, including handing Florida Gulf Coast one of its only two losses during the 2014-15 campaign to date.
Tiaria Griffin is the Lady Bulldogs’ active scoring leader at 11.3 points per game. Krista Donald is Georgia’s top active rebounder at 6.7 rebounds per game. Georgia lost Shacobia Barbee – and her 11.6 points per game and 6.9 rebounds per game averages – to a season-ending injury at Tennessee on Jan. 25. Barbee fractured her right distal fibula while coming down from a drive to the basket late in the first half. She had surgery Jan. 28 to repair the fracture.
All told, eight different Lady Bulldogs – Barbee, Marjorie Butler, Donald, Mackenzie Engram, Erika Ford, Griffin, Merritt Hempe and Pachis Roberts – have combined to score in double figures 61 times for Georgia during the 2014-15 campaign.
Tra’cee Tanner and Brandy Montgomery lead the Tigers on the offensive end with double-digit scoring averages of 12.0 points per game and 10.7 points per game, respectively. Tanner also paces Auburn on the boards at 6.1 rebounds per game.
Due to the late start of Georgia’s final regular-season home game (9 p.m. this Thursday against Tennessee), Sunday afternoon will serve as the Lady Bulldogs’ “Senior Day.”
Krista Donald and Erika Ford, managers Ben Dolezal, Aaron Jenkins and Jonathan Oshinski and athletic trainer Mallory McQuaig all will be honored in pre-game ceremonies.
Georgia Bulldogs
“I’m very proud of our seniors,” Coach Landers said. “Each and every one of them has played an integral role in our program.”
Donald was limited due to a preexisting knee injury her first two seasons. As a freshman and sophomore she averaged 12.3 minutes, 3.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Her contributions increased dramatically after a procedure in the summer of 2013. As a junior and senior, Donald averaged 28.4 minutes, 8.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game for Georgia.
“Krista’s mentality is infectious,” Landers said. “She has a warrior-like mentality and competes really, really hard all the time. I think when you play with her; her teammates can’t help but emulate that to some degree.”
Ford has almost 2,500 minutes of playing time both off the bench and as a starter. She was Freshman All-SEC team in 2012. As a junior, she led Georgia in scoring in 11 games, the most of any Lady Bulldog, and produced the three highest single-game scoring outputs on the team.
“Erika she has developed very well as a player since she got here and has grown and matured as a person,” Landers said. “She is someone who has always been very solid and someone we know we can count on.”
Both Donald and Ford are on track to graduate in May. Donald will receive her degree in Criminology, while Ford will secure her diploma in Human Development and Family Science. They will become the 67th and 68th four-year letterwinners during Andy Landers’ 36 seasons in Athens to graduate from Georgia. Every one of Landers’ four-year letterwinners earned a degree from Georgia.