Defense is Lady Dogs' strong suit
Since they don't have "UConn" on their jerseys, perhaps it had to end sometime.
Georgia's women's basketball team was dealt its first loss of the season Thursday night, a 66-44 drubbing at Vanderbilt. It was a season-low output for a Bulldogs team that is tied for last in SEC (65.4 point per game). Georgia went scoreless for a 9:50 stretch during the second half.
Georgia had built the first 16-0 start in school history with defense, which is first in the conference in field-goal percentage and second in scoring allowed. But the victories may have masked the team's offensive issues.
Jasmine James (10) was the only player who scored in double figures against Vandy while the team shot 37 percent from the field. Coach Andy Landers was not pleased with what he saw.
"It's starting to be a concern," Landers said. "We didn't create any offense out of our defense. Everything had to be in the half-court. We've got to improve.
"If you don't learn when you're winning, hopefully you'll learn when you lose."
Senior leadership
With their 72-66 victory against Wake Forest on Thursday night, Georgia Tech seniors Brigitte Ardossi and Tiffany Blackmon became the winningest senior class in the program's history with 80 victories in four seasons. They still have 12 more regular-season games and the ACC and NCAA tournaments to pad the total.
It's the second consecutive Tech senior class to set a new mark for most victories, something coach MaChelle Joseph said has been rewarding for herself as well as the team.
"It's satisfying for me to know that all their hard work is paying off for them," said Joseph, who has 121 victories in six-plus years at Tech. "It feels like the last three years, we've been in unchartered waters with this program. Now, we've gotten to a point where the players can expect to win. It's a new chapter in our program."
Happy against the hogs
When Georgia travels to Arkansas on Sunday, it may not be the most daunting road trip on the Bulldogs' schedule. Besides Arkansas being 8-8 and 0-3 in SEC play, Georgia is 21-4 against the Razorbacks since 1980. The Bulldogs didn't lose to Arkansas between 1991 and 2001, winning 15 straight. But Arkansas won in Athens last season, 77-64.
Brigitte's big night
In the Yellow Jackets' victory against Wake, Ardossi was the star, scoring 29 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. The 6-foot-2 senior's offensive game seems to be catching up to her defense during her final season, with her points-per-game jumping from about seven points from last season to 13.5 .
"She's always been our best post defender," Joseph said. "Now, she's our best offensive player."
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