2008 Woodie Awards
Consecutive losses afflict Lady Dogs
KEVIN COPP
Issue date: 1/18/08 Section: Sports
The No. 12 Lady Bulldogs continued their mid-season slide Thursday with a 67-59 loss at Vanderbilt, losing consecutive games for the first time since February 2006.
After two straight losses in road contests, at Xavier and Auburn, the focus for the Lady Bulldogs (14-3, 1-2 SEC) entering Thursday's contest was centered on being able to come out of the gate and match Vanderbilt's intensity.
The Commodores 16-0 run to begin the game quickly put that notion to rest.
"What basically happened is a series of defensive breakdowns that allowed them to get some easy shots, and then they hit some open shots," head coach Andy Landers said. "Confidence factors in, and when you lose it, the scoreboard just wasn't moving on our end."
The Lady Commodores (13-5, 2-1) effectively copied Auburn's game plan for success, scoring a pair of early fast break buckets and limiting the Bulldogs' Tasha Humphrey to just five points in seven minutes due to foul trouble in the first half.
Georgia played nearly even with Vanderbilt after the Commodores' early burst, but the Bulldogs were unable to cut into the lead, committing 17 first-half turnovers en route to a 17-point halftime deficit at 38-21.
However, the Bulldogs were able to make it a competitive game after halftime.
"We just played better," Landers said. "We played harder, the matchups were better, and the quickness differential wasn't as great, and that allowed us to do things a little differently."
The Lady Commodores pushed its lead as high as 20 points in the second half, but a 19-7 Georgia run closed the gap to a 57-51 Vanderbilt edge with just over four minutes remaining.
That was as close as the Lady Bulldogs would get, as Liz Sherwood knocked down back-to-back baskets to secure the Vanderbilt victory.
The Lady Bulldogs, who are now below .500 in the SEC for the first time since the 2001-02 season, will have a chance to rebound against Alabama (8-10, 1-2) at home on Sunday at 2 p.m.
After two straight losses in road contests, at Xavier and Auburn, the focus for the Lady Bulldogs (14-3, 1-2 SEC) entering Thursday's contest was centered on being able to come out of the gate and match Vanderbilt's intensity.
The Commodores 16-0 run to begin the game quickly put that notion to rest.
"What basically happened is a series of defensive breakdowns that allowed them to get some easy shots, and then they hit some open shots," head coach Andy Landers said. "Confidence factors in, and when you lose it, the scoreboard just wasn't moving on our end."
The Lady Commodores (13-5, 2-1) effectively copied Auburn's game plan for success, scoring a pair of early fast break buckets and limiting the Bulldogs' Tasha Humphrey to just five points in seven minutes due to foul trouble in the first half.
Georgia played nearly even with Vanderbilt after the Commodores' early burst, but the Bulldogs were unable to cut into the lead, committing 17 first-half turnovers en route to a 17-point halftime deficit at 38-21.
However, the Bulldogs were able to make it a competitive game after halftime.
"We just played better," Landers said. "We played harder, the matchups were better, and the quickness differential wasn't as great, and that allowed us to do things a little differently."
The Lady Commodores pushed its lead as high as 20 points in the second half, but a 19-7 Georgia run closed the gap to a 57-51 Vanderbilt edge with just over four minutes remaining.
That was as close as the Lady Bulldogs would get, as Liz Sherwood knocked down back-to-back baskets to secure the Vanderbilt victory.
The Lady Bulldogs, who are now below .500 in the SEC for the first time since the 2001-02 season, will have a chance to rebound against Alabama (8-10, 1-2) at home on Sunday at 2 p.m.
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