Georgia women advance in NCAA Tournament

The Georgia women’s basketball team picked up its first NCAA Tournament win under coach Joni Taylor on Saturday, as the Bulldogs held on to take down a tough Mercer team 68-63 in Athens. 

The Bulldogs were playing at home as they are the hosts for the regional, but a number of Mercer fans made the trip up from Macon for the game. 

Georgia was able to get the win despite only getting scoring contributions from six players. Georgia was led by Caliya Robinson who finished with 29 points and 16 rebounds. The Bulldogs also got a double-double from senior Mackenzie Engram who finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman Que Morrison added 10 points. 

Mercer was led by Kahlia Lawrence, who finished with 23 points. 

It was a tight game throughout, as every time Georgia tried to pull away in the third quarter, Mercer went on a run to keep it close. While Mercer did cut Georgia’s lead to a point in the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs never surrender the lead in the final quarter and held on. 

This is the second time in Taylor’s tenure that the Bulldogs have made the NCAA Tournament, but Georgia lost in the first round in 2016. This is Taylor’s third season at Georgia. 

The Bulldogs are 26-6, while Mercer ends the season with a 30-3 record. 

Georgia advances to the second round, where it will take on Duke. The Blue Devils beat Belmont.