Ladies basketball play it game by game
February 19, 2002 by AMBER SHAW
Filed under Sports
Coming off its biggest win of the season, Georgia’s women’s basketball team must maintain its focus as it faces Western Kentucky at Stegeman Coliseum tonight at 7.
The No. 24 Lady Bulldogs (16-8, 5-7 SEC) stunned No. 14 Florida 73-64 Sunday afternoon in Athens.
“I’m just taking it game by game,” senior Tawana McDonald said after the victory. “This win was good for the whole team. This is the spirit of our team.”
Although Georgia upset the Lady Gators and got its first big win of the season, the squad refuses to focus on the win for too long.
Instead of reveling in the victory or looking ahead to Thursday’s conference game against Alabama, the young squad, which includes seven freshmen, refocuses on its next matchup — non-conference opponent Western Kentucky.
“We still have a couple of games to go to get better,” senior guard Camille Murphy said. “I think our gel and chemistry are starting to get better, but we’re just taking it one game at a time.”
Murphy, who led the team with 9 assists and zero turnovers against Florida, realizes the importance of capitalizing on the momentum gained and focusing on the next game to keep the momentum going.
“We are definitely playing with a purpose. We’re starting to edge back up in people’s minds. I’m not worried about the NCAA tournament right now; I’m worried about our next game against Western Kentucky,” said Murphy.
Despite their less than glorious record in February, the Lady Bulldogs have never quit. After the heartbreaking losses to Mississippi State, South Carolina and No. 3 Tennessee, Georgia came back with big wins.
“I think we’ve played our best basketball in February,” Coach Andy Landers said. “We just haven’t won. Since February, we could have won every game.”
“The best thing about this team is that they have never folded or dropped its head,” Landers said. “When we come to practice after all these close losses and big time disappointments, we are just like we were before — we want to please, we work hard, we don’t pout, we just come to play.”
But, to get to the tournament, the Lady Bulldogs will have to play smart ball down the stretch, which means minimizing turnovers.
“There’s a lot of improvement we still have to make,” said Sophomore Christi Thomas. “I’m thrilled that this team finally got a win. It feels good and I think this team can do it consistently.”
