Sorry for the late update. It’s family birthday season here at your humble Fastbreak Club Web Dude’s house. Three birthday parties in two days. So we’ll be keeping it brief(ish) tonight…because we’re burning some serious midnight oil here.

We all know that nothing is easy when it comes to SEC play. Ole Miss (tomorrow’s opponent for our Lady Bulldogs) isn’t going to just roll over and let Georgia take out some frustration on them over a tough loss to Kentucky a couple of nights ago. So you have to be able to bounce back. Luckily, our Lady Dawgs (15-4 overall, 4-2 in the SEC) have shown some serious resilience this season. They’ve successfully bounced back from every “L” so far with a “W.” They’ll be facing a 12-7 Ole Miss team (2-4 in league play) that has won 8 of those 12 games at home. Much like this past Thursday against Kentucky, we probably won’t know who’ll be available to actually play until just before the opening tip. Hopefully Krista will be back in the rotation tomorrow. She’s a local product, hailing from Lake, Mississippi…about 3-and-a-half hours down the road from Oxford. So you know she’d love to get out there and put on a show for her family and friends. If the Lady Bulldogs get the same kind of balanced scoring effort from the starting five as they did against Kentucky, stay out of foul trouble, and knock down their free throws, they’ve got an excellent shot at righting the ship tomorrow and coming home with a win.

Georgia and Ole Miss will tip-off at 3:00 PM (Eastern) tomorrow afternoon at Tad Smith Coliseum in Oxford. CSS will carry the game live for their cable subscribers and non-CSS’ers can watch online at ESPN3.com. You can also listen to the Lady Dawgs and Rebs on your local Georgia Bulldog Radio Network affiliate station. We’ll have a Georgia/Ole Miss recap and web links posted right here sometime tomorrow night.

Click here for the official Georgia/Ole Miss game notes.

Here’s a link to the Ole Miss women’s basketball page.

Click here to see the complete Rebel roster.

This one was tough to take. A five-point loss to Kentucky tonight at the Coliseum. With J.J. and Krista out, Meredith ailing from an ankle sprain, and Anne Marie battling early foul trouble that severely hindered her usual aggressiveness, the Lady Bulldogs still nearly knocked off the number-six team in all the land. Georgia (now 15-4 overall and 4-2 in SEC play) nursed a single-digit lead over the ‘Cats (17-2, 6-0 in the SEC) for over 30 minutes of game time…but the shots stopped dropping in the last ten minutes, turnovers came at inopportune times, and there were some questionable calls and non-calls that didn’t go Georgia’s way. All due credit to Coach Matthew Mitchell and Kentucky. It’s tough to win on the road in this league. (Though it’s considerably easier when your floor rotation is eight-or-nine deep.) You just sure would’ve liked to have seen how this one would’ve gone down with J.J. running the point and Krista helping to crash the boards.

One bright spot for the Lady Bulldogs tonight was the offensive performance by Erika Ford. We said on this very site that it was only a matter of time until Erika drops 20 on some SEC opponent. Well…tonight was almost the night as Erika led the Lady Dawgs with 17 points, repeatedly slashing to the basket like Tweety Nolan back in the day. In fact, every Georgia starter scored in double figures versus the ‘Cats tonight. In addition to Erika’s 17 points, Jazz scored 13, Khaalidah added 12, and both Anne Marie and Meredith finished with 11 points.

Next up for the Lady Bulldogs, a weekend trip to Oxford for a Sunday afternoon (3:00 PM, Eastern) game versus Ole Miss. We’ll have a Georgia/Ole Miss preview posted right here sometime during the day on Saturday. In the meantime, keep thinking those healing thoughts for our walking wounded…because this Georgia team can rumble with anybody at full strength.

Click here for the official Georgia/Kentucky recap and a link to the stats and box score.

Maryland’s loss to Miami (FL) last week opened the door for Duke to crash the top-five party in the latest AP and ESPN/USA Today national rankings. Baylor unanimously maintained their tight Kung-Fu grip at the top of the charts while Notre Dame, Connecticut, and Stanford all held serve at their respective positions. The Lady Bulldogs are on the move upward again…rising four spots in the AP poll and two places in the ESPN/USA Today rankings. Georgia’s next opponent, Kentucky, rocketed up to number six in both polls on the heels of their big win over Tennessee last week. So you can see what a big deal tomorrow night’s game at the Coliseum is shaping up to be. It’s a game with big-time SEC stakes on the line and national ramifications.

Here’s a look at the top five in both national polls and Georgia’s ranking:

AP

1. Baylor

2. Notre Dame

3. Connecticut

4. Stanford

5. Duke

15. GEORGIA

ESPN/USA TODAY

1. Baylor

2. Notre Dame

3. Connecticut

4. Stanford

5. Duke

14. GEORGIA

Click here to see the entire top-25 in both major polls.

Kentucky (16-2 overall, a perfect 4-0 in SEC play) rolls into town tomorrow night and they’re bringing the SEC Player of the Week with them. ‘Cat guard A’dia Mathies won this week’s SEC honors on the strength of an eye-popping 34-point performance in Kentucky’s big win over Tennessee last Thursday night. Georgia (15-3 overall, 3-1 in the SEC) hasn’t been all that impressed with Kentucky’s recent rise as The Next Big Thing in SEC women’s basketball, taking five wins in the last six games between the Lady Dawgs and ‘Cats. There’s still no official word about the condition of J.J.’s knee and/or her status for tomorrow night’s game. There’s a little gamesmanship involved here…even if the Lady Bulldog coaching staff knows full well J.J. won’t be playing, they still want the Kentucky coaches to use valuable prep time game-planning for her. We probably won’t know anything about J.J.’s readiness until the Lady Bulldogs take the court. And the Stegeman Coliseum court has been quite the home-floor advantage in this series as Georgia owns a 16-3 winning mark over the ‘Cats in Athens…including last season’s 18-point smackdown. Dawgs and ‘Cats…rivalries don’t come much more naturally than that. See you there!

The Lady Dawgs and will attempt to chase down the Wildcats tomorrow night (7:00 PM) at Stegeman Coliseum. No TV for tomorrow night’s showdown of nationally ranked programs (which is kind of ridiculous)…but you can always catch all the action live on your local Georgia Bulldog Radio Network affiliate station. But do everything you can to get out to the Coliseum for this one. Georgia and Kentucky are going to put on a show you don’t want to miss. We’ll have a game recap, web links, and exclusive Georgia/Kentucky photos posted right here sometime late tomorrow night.

Click here for the official Georgia/Kentucky game notes.

Here’s a link to the Kentucky women’s basketball page.

Click here to see the complete Wildcat roster.

The wait in question is for more information on the condition of J.J.’s right knee. A big win on the road and a career-high 22-point performance from Anne Marie notwithstanding, the major storyline coming out of this afternoon’s 17-point win in Starkville is “What’s up with J.J.’s knee injury?” As soon as something official is posted, we’ll have it right here. In the meantime…here’s the official game recap, courtesy of Georgiadogs.com:

Anne Marie Armstrong equaled her career high with 22 points to lead a trio of Lady Bulldogs in double digits as No. 19 Georgia secured a 68-51 victory over Mississippi State here on Sunday.

Khaalidah Miller scored 17, and Jasmine Hassell chipped in 12. Erika Ford added eight (all in the second half) for Georgia (15-3, 4-1 SEC). Porsha Porter paced State (11-6, 1-3 SEC) with a dozen points.

The victory was even more impressive considering the Lady Bulldogs played the final 33:58 without starting point guard Jasmine James.

“We’ve got a lot of kids with aches and pains,” Andy Landers said. “For them to be able to come out and play and then lose a player in the game and not flinch and continue to make plays like they did today is admirable. It’s a maturity and a strength that a lot of teams don’t have.”

Georgia led 23-16 when James went to the floor with 6:02 left in the first half grasping the right knee she sprained during the Montana State game on Dec. 20. James missed the Lady Bulldogs’ final two non-conference outings against Appalachian State and Furman before returning to the court for the SEC opener versus Arkansas on Jan. 1.

James did not return, leaving Ford, Miller and Meredith Mitchell on the floor for the rest of the contest.

The Lady Bulldogs were impressive over the entire 40 minutes.
Georgia scored the game’s first five points and never trailed. Armstrong and Miller combined to score 14 as the Lady Bulldogs opened up a 20-10 lead at the 9:35 mark. State responded with a 6-0 run to pull within four just 1:03 later.

After play resumed following James’ injury, Georgia quickly scored five points – on a runner by Miller and a three from Armstrong – to build the largest advantage of the first half at 28-16. The Lady Bulldogs eventually entered the lockerroom up 34-26.

Georgia notched the first five points of the second stanza in less than a minute to expand the margin to 13. State did not pull within single digits the rest of the way, with the lead topping out at 60-42 with 5:31 left.
The Lady Bulldogs shot 42.3 percent from the floor and outrebounded State, 40-29. Georgia had as many offensive rebounds (21) as Mississippi State grabbed defensively and posted a 29-12 edge in points off of turnovers.

“I thought everyone played well,” Landers said. “Our guards, first of all, were terrific defensively and our traps on ball screens really kept Mississippi State from executing and doing the things that they do so well. That piece drove the game and drove the outcome of the game. For the most part, we kept them out of the paint as well. That’s what they want to do…drive the ball into the lane and make plays or drive and kick out or drive and play off to a post player. We accomplished the objectives we set out to accomplish before the game started.”

The Lady Bulldogs will return home on Thursday to host No. 9 Kentucky at Stegeman Coliseum at 7:00 PM. The UGA Athletic Association is offering $2 tickets to the game by using the promo code LADYDOGS when ordering online at georgiadogs.com. Tickets are available in any upper level section and the online promo offer expires Thursday, January 19, at 3:00 PM.

We’ll have a preview of the Georgia/Kentucky game posted right here sometime Tuesday night. And if there’s news about J.J.’s knee between now and then, we’ll get that posted as soon as it’s released.

You just read the official recap…but click here for a link to the stats and box score.

What’s your worst Georgia/Mississippi State memory? Getting bounced by State early in the SEC Tournament? The infamous “Super Bowl Sunday” upset in Starkville? The refs putting LaToya Thomas on the line with no time left on the clock in Athens? It just seems like bad mojo is in the air whenever our Lady Bulldogs take on State. Tomorrow afternoon would be a most opportune time to begin re-shaping the “Lady Bulldog vs. Lady Bulldog” dynamic. Georgia (14-3 overall, 3-1 in SEC play) travels to Starkville tomorrow to face a Mississippi State (11-5, 1-2 in the SEC) team that can throw some height at you. Five MSU Lady Bulldogs measure in at 6-3 or taller. They’ve lost some close games to very good teams…but they got stomped by 48 points by Kentucky in Lexington last weekend. They bounced back with a win on the road at Alabama this past Thursday…but, like we were saying, the records don’t seem to matter all that much when Georgia and State hook up. If our Lady Bulldogs can knock down some outside shots early, pull the State defense out from the paint, and maybe get some of their “bigs” in foul trouble, then they’ll have a pretty good shot at picking up their third straight SEC win and coming home to face Kentucky next Thursday with some solid momentum.

Georgia and Mississippi State are set for a 3:00 PM (Eastern) tip-off tomorrow afternoon at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville. No TV for this battle of the Lady Bulldogs…but you can catch all the action on your local Georgia Bulldog Radio Network affiliate station. We’ll have a Georgia/Mississippi State game recap and web links posted right here sometime tomorrow night.

Click here for the official Georgia/Mississippi State game notes.

Here’s a link to the Mississippi State women’s basketball page.

Click here to see the complete “other” Lady Bulldog roster.

If you enjoy watching a couple of teams just flat-out get after each other, then Stegeman Coliseum was the place to be tonight. On a blustery night in Athens, the Lady Bulldogs (14-3 overall, 3-1 in SEC play) blew past Florida (11-6, 1-3 in the SEC) by a half-dozen points to pick up a big conference win on a night when J.J. and Hassell struggled to get anything going on offense. However, a pair of 19-point performances from Anne Marie and Khaalidah and some lights-out free throw shooting (Georgia went 18-of-22 from the line) sealed the Gators’ fate, despite a late run fueled by a string of Lady Dawg turnovers.

It was all Anne Marie early-on as she scored 13 first-half points, including a steal and layup at the buzzer that propelled Georgia to a 13-point halftime lead and brought the house down. The Gators pulled within single digits about midway through the second half and eventually whittled the Lady Bulldog lead down to three. That was when Khaalidah started knocking down big shots and everybody started knocking down free throws. It wasn’t a mistake-free performance from Georgia…the Lady Dawgs turned the ball over 24 times and were out-rebounded by eight…but they found a way to win. And any time you beat Florida, it’s a good game.

This Sunday, the Lady Bulldogs travel to Starkville…where nothing ever comes easy…to take on Mississippi State at 3:00 PM (Eastern). We’ll have a Georgia/Mississippi State preview posted right here sometime during the day on Saturday. In the meantime…make sure to catch “Under The Lights,” featuring the Lady Bulldog basketball program, on Fox SportSouth sometime in the next few days. Airtimes are listed in the post just below this one you’re reading.

Click here for the official Georgia/Florida recap a link to the stats and box score.

And click here for additional details about “Under The Lights” on Fox SportSouth.

Tonight (January 12) our Lady Bulldogs will be featured on the Fox SportSouth program “Under The Lights” as the award-winning documentary series will spend some quality time with Coach Landers and the entire Georgia women’s basketball family. Airtime on SportSouth tonight is 10:30 PM…perfect for winding down after a big win over Florida! If you can’t catch the show tonight, additional airtimes are January 18 at 11:30 PM, January 21 at 10:00 PM, January 22 at 10:30 PM and January 24 at 9:30 PM. Just about every reputable cable and/or satellite carrier offers SportSouth…so check your local listings for the channel number and join the Lady Dawgs “Under The Lights” right in your own living room.

Brenda Rawson, our unofficial (and we probably ought to make it official by now!) Fastbreaking field photographer sent in these game shots from the Auburn game this past Sunday. It’s always nice to see those glorious red road uniforms. Several of these photos do a great job of capturing how relentlessly the Lady Bulldogs were getting after the Tigers on defense. Lots of hands in faces and bodies on the floor. Thanks, Brenda…glad it turned out to be a winning bus trip!

Notre Dame won an overtime thriller over Connecticut last week and consequently leapfrogged the Huskies in the national standings. Connecticut didn’t even get their usual solitary scandalous first-place vote this week. (Someone must’ve had an attack of conscience…) Other than that switcheroo, the top five remained intact this week…with Baylor still looming large at number one. Georgia, as always, got over-punished by the writers and fell to nineteenth in the AP poll while the coaches (who actually watch games) only dropped the Lady Bulldogs one spot to number sixteen. 

Here’s a look at the top five in both national polls and Georgia’s ranking:

AP

1. Baylor

2. Notre Dame

3. Connecticut

4. Stanford

5. Maryland

19. GEORGIA

ESPN/USA TODAY

1. Baylor

2. Notre Dame

3. Connecticut

4. Stanford

5. Maryland

16. GEORGIA

Click here to see the entire top-25 in both major polls.