The University of Mississippi Athletics
Lady Rebels Open Conference Play Hosting #17/18 Georgia
1/4/2006 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 4, 2006
OXFORD, Miss. -
The Lady Rebels (10-3) are playing host to #17/18 Georgia (9-3) in the Southeastern Conference opener for both squads on Thursday. Game time is slated for 7 p.m., in Tad Smith Coliseum.
Ole Miss concluded the non-conference portion of its schedule with a second place finish in the Hurricane Holiday Classic after falling to the host Miami 79-70 its last outing. The Lady Rebels will be searching for their first win of the new year when they take on the Lady Bulldogs.
Ole Miss is led on the season by junior guard Armintie Price with 18.6 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Price, a two-time 2005-06 SEC Player of the Week, has scored in double figures in 12-of-13 games this season and tied a season-high with 24 points versus Miami.
Senior guard Ashley Johnson is averaging 13.5 points per game and has made 23-of-73 shots from beyond the arc. Johnson has been the leading scorer for Ole Miss in four games this season, posting a season-high 22 in the win over Rutgers.
Junior guard Ashley Awkward and has been getting the nod at the point guard position for Ole Miss. Awkward is leading the team in assists with 2.5 per game. She also drops in 9.9 points and is second on the team with 1.6 steals per game.
Sophomore forward Carla Bartee is Ole Miss' top player off the bench with 8.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per outing. Bartee posted her first double-double as a Lady Rebel with 15 points and 10 rebounds versus Louisiana Tech. She has also knocked down 17 triples on the season.
Under the direction of third-year head coach Carol Ross, the Lady Rebels are 46-28. Ross, who played at Ole Miss from 1979-82, earned SEC Co-Coach of the Year honors in 2004 after guiding Ole Miss back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in eight seasons. Ross' Lady Rebels returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2004-05, falling to George Washington in the first round of play.
Georgia enters Thursday's contest with a 9-3 overall mark. The Lady Bulldogs have won seven of their last eight games, falling only at #24/23 Temple on Dec. 19.
Sophomore forward Tasha Humphrey leads UGA in scoring with 18.9 points and rebounding with 8.8 boards per game. Senior guard Sherill Baker ranks second in scoring with 18.8 points and leads the NCAA in steals with 5.4 per contest. Sophomore forward Megan Darrah and junior guard Cori Chambers also turn in double-digits in scoring with 12.7 and 11.2 points per game, respectively.
Georgia head coach Andy Landers is 643-202 in his 26th season with the Lady Bulldog program. Landers is 725-223 in his 31st season of coaching overall.
