ATHENS — A stifling Georgia defense held Kennesaw State (1-5) scoreless for over 23 minutes, as the Lady Bulldogs (5-2) cruised to an 82-40 victory over the Owls Tuesday night at Stegeman Coliseum.
“I continue to challenge them,” head coach Joni Taylor said.“That’s the next step for this team. We’re not a good team yet, but we want to be a good team. We need to make sure we continue to fight so we get to the next level. I remind them to pound it away and stay focused and give great effort.”
Sophomore Caliya Robinson had her second double-double of the season and led Georgia with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Junior Mackenzie Engram, who was celebrating her 21st birthday on Tuesday, came off the bench and poured in a career-high 23 points for the Lady Bulldogs, adding eight rebounds and three assists. Redshirt senior Pachis Roberts pulled down a career-high 14 boards, helping Georgia outrebound the visitors 44-24.
With the Lady Bulldogs trailing early 7-5 at the 6:22 mark, Engram tied the game allowing the Lady Bulldogs to close out the first quarter on a 16-0 run on their way to a 21-7 advantage.
Georgia increased its run to 35-0 over the Owls deep into the second quarter. Kennesaw State ended its drought, scoring with less than two minutes remaining in the half. The Lady Bulldogs held the Owls to five points and 20 percent shooting in the second period to take a 32-point lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Owls started the second half scoring the first five points, still trailing the Lady Bulldogs 44-17. Roberts helped extend Georgia’s lead once again with a 3-pointer to increase its lead to 49-18. The Lady Bulldogs closed out the frame with a 7-0 spree to lead 61-24.
Georgia’s offense stayed hot in the final quarter, shooting just over 58 percent with Robinson leading the pack with nine points. Robinson’s 3-pointer sparked a 9-0 run by the Lady Bulldogs that sealed the win, as Ari Henderson made three free throws to cap off the Georgia victory at 82-40.
Georgia is back in action on Saturday as the Lady Dogs travel to Stillwater, Okla., to take on the Cowgirls of Oklahoma State as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The game is scheduled to start at 8 p.m.
