UGA Women’s Basketball: Richardson Leads No. 14 Georgia Over Saint Francis, 82-45

Team Statistics

Game Stats	SF-PA	UGa
FG%	.385	.531
3FG%	.167	.533
FT%	.600	.600
RB	32	33
TO	21	8
STL	3	9

ATHENS, Ga. — Double-digit efforts from Jenna Staiti and Reigan Richardson and a stout defensive effort helped the No. 14-ranked Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball team to dominant win over Saint Francis this afternoon at Stegeman Coliseum, 82-45.

Staiti and Richardson led all scorers this afternoon with 16 and 13, respectively. Georgia shot 53 percent from the field and totaled 28 assists on 34 made field goals.

The Lady Bulldogs improve to 10-1 this season and are now 2-0 all-time versus Saint Francis.

“We have to continue to move our feet and do things we are supposed to do,” shared head coach Joni Taylor. “It’s an effort thing. Rebounding on both ends of the basketball is an effort thing. If you look at us at NC State, I thought we went and got offensive rebounds and kept them from getting to the board as much as we could. And then you look at today, and it’s not the same. That’s my conversation with them all the time – how consistent can we be?”

The Lady Bulldogs raced out to a 5-0 start against the Red Flash behind a swift lay-up from Staiti and a three-point jumper from Sarah Ashlee Barker. Shots fell for both teams before a silky passing move led to a Mikayla Coomb’s layup, which was the final score of the quarter as Georgia led 22-16.

An 8-0 run by the Lady Bulldogs midway through the second quarter saw the lead grow to 16 points. Javyn Nicholson and Jillian Hollingshead put up 6 and 5 points each to help Georgia take a 47-30 halftime lead. Staiti leads all scorers with 10.

Staiti and Isaacs went back-to-back on the opening two Lady Bulldog possessions in the second half, each knocking down a jumper. The Georgia lead increased to 28 points at the end of the third quarter.

The Lady Bulldogs closed out the win over Saint Francis behind Richardson’s five fourth quarter points.

Next up for the Lady Bulldogs is a match-up with South Alabama at 12:00 p.m. in Stegeman Coliseum. Coverage for the game will be on SEC Network Plus.

Team Notes

• The Lady Dogs defeated the Red Flash 82-45.  Georgia now holds a 2-0 record against St. Francis.
• For the opening six minutes of the contest, the Lady Dogs were perfect on all shot attempts.
• During the third quarter, Georgia caused six turnovers while holding St. Francis scoreless for the final 5:42 of the period.
• Georgia notched a new season-high of 28 team assists led by Reigan Richardson (6).
• Two Bulldogs were in double-digit scoring. Jenna Staiti led the team with 16 points followed by Reigan Richardson with 13.
• Georgia turned the ball over a season-low of eight times.
• The Lady Dogs tied their season-high by sinking eight shots from behind the three-point arc. Sarah Ashlee Barker hit three, Reigan Richardson had two, while Que Morrison, Chloe Chapman and Alina Sendar each contributed one.
• Georgia notched 41 bench points compared to St. Francis’ 12.
• The Lady Dogs forced 21 turnovers which led to 20 points off of turnovers.

Individual Notes

• Freshman guard Reigan Richardson led the team and tallied a career-high six assists.
• Sophomore Sarah Ashlee Barker earned her season-high of four assists.

Head Coach Joni Taylor
On offensive rebounds…
“It’s just the continuum of moving our feet and doing things we’re supposed to do. It’s an effort thing. Rebounding on both ends of the basketball is an effort thing. You look at us at N.C. State and I thought we won offensive rebounds and we kept them from getting to the board as much as we could. And then you look at today, and it’s just not the same. So, that’s my conversation with them all of the time is ‘how consistent can we be in doing things at an elite level?’ I thought we were better the 3rd and 4th quarter but I was not happy at all the first and second quarter with our lack of boxing out and us being relentless going to the offensive boards.”
On being able to rest players…
“First of all, we knew St. Francis was going to come in and play really, really hard. They’re picked to finish their conference third. They’ve had a tough non-conference schedule but we really respect what they do so we wanted to be able to challenge our starters to get out to a good lead so we could sit Jenna (Staiti) and Que (Morrison). I think we were able to do that. Especially the third and fourth quarter, we were able to get into a better groove with some of our subbing patterns. I think it’s important. You look at Que who played 45 minutes the other night, she didn’t come out at all. And Jenna 37 or 38. The next behind her was Mikayla (Coombs) at 40. It’s important to rest them but it’s also important for our younger players to get experience. Especially because of the schedule we’ve had lately, we haven’t been able to get them on the floor as much as we would have liked them to. So, Reigan (Richardson) and Zo (Zoesha Smith). Also, Chloe (Chapman) playing the point for extended minutes today without Que out there, and S.A. (Sarah Ashlee Barker) out there with her. Her just running the show and telling them what to do, all of that is really huge.
On Reigan Richardson …
“She is somebody who we think can impact the game on both ends of the ball. She’s an explosive scorer. We think she has the height and the athleticism to be a really good defender. She’s got to learn how we do things and do it at a high level. She is definitely somebody, in our mind, that we see in that rotation of guards that can really come in and have an impact.”

#53 Jillian Hollingshead | Fr. | F
On her season to this point… 
“It’s been great. Georgia is a great place. SEC is a very good division. Every night, you’re going against the best of the best. You have to work on the little things, do what you do best, and just seize the moment every time you get on the floor.”
On her improvement to this point and what she needs to continue improving… 
“Georgia is really big on defense so definitely the defensive side. I know for N.C. State, the last game we just had, defense was a big part. Defense usually leads to offense, so I feel like the offense will come. Defense is definitely where you have to make a staple and work hard and do the little things.”
On her strongest point offensively… 
“With me, definitely, like you said, shooting. My mid-range has gotten way better since the start of the season. The second would probably be my inside game. You just have to be tough. Like I said, you’re playing the best of the best down there. The post is really not that easy of a job. You’re working hard kind of wrestling throughout the game, so that’s probably my second.”

#21 Reigan Richardson | Fr. | G
On the last few weeks… 
“Obviously, having a concussion, it was pretty hard because I couldn’t really do anything but do treatment and rehab on my ankles and knee. That’s basically what I’ve been focusing on ever since I had my concussion. Ever since I got cleared, I tried to focus on my defense and trying to get my shot back to where it was and trying to get more in shape. That’s really what’s been going on the last couple of weeks.”
On getting the opportunity to get more minutes… 
“I feel like I did get back into my rhythm a little bit this game. It’s kind of hard at first just because I haven’t been playing a lot. Going up and down the court is a little hard after even just sitting out for a couple of days. I guess that’s something I have to improve on over the break is getting my conditioning up. I think this game helped me a lot. I got some shots up even though I wasn’t hitting how I wanted to. It’s also about confidence, so I think I had a lot of confidence this game which will probably help me in the future.”
On getting to have her friends and family come to the N.C. State game… 
“It was quite a few. It was my high school coaches and a few people from the team. My mom and one of my friends from back home came. That was really great.”