ATHENS — Behind a career-high 25 points from redshirt junior Pachis Roberts, the Georgia Lady Bulldog basketball team (12-1) closed out the nation’s longest active non-conference home-game winning streak with an 81-48 win over Tennessee Tech (4-9) on Monday in Stegeman Coliseum.
Now with 56-consecutive non-conference home wins, the victory gives the Lady Bulldogs an 11-game win streak heading into the Southeastern Conference slate.
Roberts tied a season high for the Lady Bulldogs with her 25 points, finishing the night 10-for-13 with an unblemished 5-for-5 mark from behind the arc. The Georgia native also posted five rebounds to go along with three assists and two steals.
“When she knew she was starting, I told her this was an opportunity for her to give us energy coming into the game,” said head coach Joni Taylor. “She always comes in and rebounds and can defend because she is a big guard. We were concerned where some three-pointers were going to come from with Tiaria (Griffin) not playing, and she answered that pretty quickly. She earned what she did tonight, so hopefully this will carry her into conference play on a good start.”
Along with Roberts, senior Merritt Hempe and freshman Caliya Robinson recorded double-digit points with 12 and 10, respectively. Robinson and sophomore Mackenzie Engram each grabbed a team-best nine rebounds, as the Lady Bulldogs outrebounded the Golden Eagles 49-27.
Georgia led 21-3 after one quarter of action, opening the contest with an 11-0 advantage thanks in part to Shacobia Barbee going 3-for-3 from the floor with seven points and three rebounds. TTU didn’t make its first basket until five minutes in while the Lady Bulldogs ended the frame on a 6-0 run.
The lead increased to as much as 33 points in the second quarter, as a 13-0 spree capped by a three-point basket from Engram and a pair from Roberts brought the score to 39-6 with just over six minutes remaining. The Eagles had a 7-2 run of their own, but a Shanea Armbrister three-pointer with seven seconds remaining sent Georgia into the locker room up 50-19.
Adding on to her nine points from the first half, Roberts notched 12 of Georgia’s first 15 points of the third quarter off of a perfect 5-for-5 shooting with two buckets from beyond the arc. The Lady Bulldogs added a quick seven points with two jumpers and a free throw from Robinson and Haley Clark converting a steal to a layup, extending the lead to 72-32 with under 30 second to go. TTU closed the quarter with three points, making it 72-35.
The Golden Eagles started the final quarter with momentum, as a streak of 4-for-5 from shooting range had TTU the closest it could get with a 31-point deficit. The SEC’s leading defense then shut the visitors down with TTU hitting just one of its last eight shots of the game.
The Lady Bulldogs open SEC play next, traveling to College Station, Texas, to face No. 16 Texas A&M on Jan. 3. The game will air on SEC Network/WatchESPN with a 5 p.m. ET start time.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2015/12/359076/roberts-career-night-leads-lady-bulldogs-to-11th-straight-win