With her team trailing by four and scoreless in overtime as the clock ticked past the 1-minute mark Thursday, Georgia's Ashley Houts knew her team needed a play.
She gave a head fake, dribbled to her left and laid a soft shot off the glass to cut the Kentucky lead in half. Thirty-six seconds later, she fed the ball to teammate Jasmine James, who made a 3-pointer that proved to be the game-winner, pushing the Bulldogs to a 15-0 record, the best start in school history.
It was an illustration of Houts' importance to the team, being the cog for an offense that has averaged only 67 points but has been resourceful when needed.
As one of only two seniors getting significant playing time on this team, she has taken control of the point-guard position to give the team whatever it needs, whether that means scoring a career-high 27 points against Kentucky or a quieter six assists in a big win over nationally ranked Virginia earlier in the year.
"It's really simple that leadership that she provides, both inspirational and performance, and the direction that she gives us," Landers said. "I think it gives our basketball team great confidence."
That's the case even in a situation like the team was in Thursday, trailing by four with less than a minute left, with an offense that seemed to have gone stagnant after losing a 12-point second-half lead.
One more scoreless possession might have been enough to clinch the end to Georgia's undefeated run, but Houts wasn't going to let it happen.
"I had it with a low shot clock, so I knew it was going to be me," Houts said. "As a senior, [I'm] more aware of what you've got and what you need to do. I was able to get a little lane."
It's what she's done the past few years, running the offense, leading the team in scoring last season (12 points per game) and this season (13.1) at roughly the halfway point.
She isn't going to get 20 points often, though, and would just as soon be a facilitator. But, even at 5-foot-6, she isn't afraid to tussle with much bigger players near the basket and will do whatever it takes to put points on the board.
"Oftentimes, her baskets came on the third try," Landers said, of Houts' performance against Kentucky. "She got the ball, she'd try to do some dribbling. She'd try it again. Then, a crack would open and there she'd go. But she realized that all the passes and catches were being challenged, and her teammates weren't doing a great job of getting open."
She knows there are going to be nights like that for the other players, just like she's had her own games when the shots just weren't falling. Teams don't start 15-0 without a wealth of options to turn to when needed, and she quickly points to teammates such as James, Porsha Phillips, Angel Robinson and others as players who can have the same impact on offense that she has.
If they can continue to play tight defense and opportunistic offense, this team could have a chance to be one of Landers' more successful ones.
And for Houts in her final season in a Georgia uniform, it couldn't come at a better time.
"I think every player who comes here wants to do something special," Houts said. "For me, it's my second family and my home. It's something that I've tried to buy into. In order for us to do something special, for my senior season, that would be perfect."
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