Georgia Lady Bulldogs vs. Florida Gators

Postgame Notes March 1, 2020 | Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.

Team Notes * Lady Dogs edge the Gators: Georgia topped Florida 65-59 on Senior Day, defeating the Gators for the sixth-straight time. Redshirt-junior Jenna Staiti paced the Lady Bulldogs in both scoring and rebounding. * Fourth-quarter comeback: The Lady Bulldogs regained their advantage in the fourth quarter for the first time since leading halfway through the third quarter. Georgia outrebounded the Gators 15 to nine in the final frame. Staiti’s seven points and senior Stephanie Paul’s four boards in the fourth period pushed the Lady Bulldogs over Florida. * For starters: The starting lineup was senior Stephanie Paul, senior Ari Henderson, redshirt-junior Jenna Staiti, junior Maya Caldwell and junior Gabby Connally. Paul now owns a career total of 62 starts. Connally has now started 58 contests, while Caldwell totals 43 starts. All of Staiti’s 29 starts have come this season. This was the first career start for Henderson. * Defense: Georgia forced a 4:39-minute long scoring drought to close the first half. After allowing 17 points in the opening frame, the Lady Bulldogs held the Gators to six points in the second period. Individual Notes * Redshirt-junior Jenna Staiti recorded her fifth double-double of the season and sixth of her career, notching 20 points and 12 rebounds. It is Staiti’s seventh-straight game registering double digit points, doing so for eight of Georgia’s last nine contests. Staiti also accounted for eight of the Lady Bulldogs’ 10 first quarter points. Her rebounds are her most since claiming 15 also against the Gators on Feb. 9. * Senior Stephanie Paul grabbed 9 rebounds, tying her second-highest career mark. Paul notched seven points in her final regular-season game as a Lady Bulldog. * Ari Henderson earned her first career start as a Lady Bulldog, stealing the ball within the first two minutes of the game. Henderson’s steal was her second of the season and third of her career. * Junior Gabby Connally registered 13 points, scoring in double digits for the 20th time this season and the 47th time of her career.

Georgia Lady Bulldogs vs. Florida Gators

Postgame Quotes March 1, 2020 | Stegeman Coliseum | Athens, Ga.

Georgia Head Coach Joni Taylor On what seniors Stephanie Paul and Ari Henderson mean to this program… “Where do you start? They are what you want Georgia basketball to be. They represent us to the highest level—on the floor, off the floor. Steph [Paul] has sacrificed her body the last two years for this team, for this program. They are both truth tellers. They are no nonsense, fun-loving players who keep it real and keep us all grounded. This is what you want everybody to be, so I certainly hope that our younger players learn from their example. Ari [Henderson] is someone who has taken the opportunity to wear that jersey and taken it to the fullest. She’s in the gym getting up extra shots. She’s a coach on the bench to our other players. She represents us well again academically and in the community. I am so proud of them. I am so happy for them. Obviously, this win today was for them.” On what this win means to her and the team as they go into the SEC Tournament… “A few things—we’re not playing on Wednesday. Georgia has never played on a Wednesday, and we took care of that. Number two, it’s Florida and you always want to win. Cam [Newbauer] has done a great job. He has them playing really well. Anytime you beat the Gators it’s a good thing. Then, it secures a winning season for us. Again, Georgia has never finished the year not having a winning season so this win takes us over the top in that area, too. I am just proud of us to finish out at home, in front of our crowd. We’ve had a rocky season in terms of injuries and youth, and we are growing up and maturing at the right time. I am happy for our players.” On what they need to improve on to put them "over the top" for the SEC Tournament… “Honestly right now it’s reps. Que Morrison going down is just still really huge for us. She is our fire, defensively. She’s our leader, offensively. She was starting to really come on and take on some responsibilities. So right now it’s making sure that those guards that are taking her minutes have the reps they need, and

having a really good understanding of what we are trying to do on both ends of the floor.” Georgia Players #3 Stephanie Paul | Sr. | Forward On Ari... “Ari means a lot. My freshman year, she came to the team and we just bonded instantly. She does a lot for the team and she helps us get ready for games like this. She gets us ready to play and you can't take that for granted. I just really appreciate Ari. I love her - she's my sister. She's on the scout team and goes through the other team's offense and she always pushes us. She always kills us on offense, getting buckets left and right. She really helps prepare us so we can win like today.” On an SEC Tournament run... “We have confidence because of the way we've been playing the past few games. I know we fell short against Kentucky and Texas A&M the last couple, but I feel like we've really been locked in lately. Especially today, everybody stepped up and we did what we had to do to get the win. It was up and down, but everybody knew their role and came in and played great minutes. If we can keep doing that and we stay locked in and take the information that the coaches give us then that will give us the confidence we need.” On the last home game... “It felt really good especially against a big rival school like Florida. My whole family is here and it was a lot of fun. I missed a lot of shots that I wish I would've made, but I just try and go out there and play with a lot of energy and I am going to miss it a lot.” #25 Ari Henderson | Sr. | Guard On if she knew she would be starting... "[Head Coach] Joni [Taylor] told me at the LSU game. She just told me to be prepared because I'm normally going against [my teammates], so I don't know all of the plays. So she told me to get in offensively and know all of our plays. In practice I started [taking reps] in the starting five, so when we were on defense I was with the starting five and on offense I was with the starting five. I knew for a while." On the experience of Senior Day... "It's been really exciting just to be a part of this team in general. Just to contribute in some way means a lot to me. I'm thankful that Joni gave me the opportunity to start in this game. I got on the stat sheet." On her experience as a Lady Bulldog...

"I didn't even think it would ever come to this. When I first got here I didn't think I would ever play basketball again. Just to be given the opportunity to be a part of this team means so much to me, and then to be put on scholarship after walking on the team made it even more worthwhile." #14 Jenna Staiti | R-Jr. | Center On the win... "This is big for us. We wanted to close this one out for our seniors, the right way. Florida played great. They exposed us in some areas, but we fought back and got the win for our seniors." On the team's confidence... "I think the confidence we have right now is because of what the coaches do. Everyday in practice if we make a mistake they encourage us to always do better on the next play. That is what everyone on the floor has; it is the mentality they have. I think we can be dangerous in the SEC tournament. Everybody can step up. Everybody can do their skill and we can expose other teams." On Ari Henderson... "I don't think she understands how big of a role she has for us. She shows up in practice on the scout team and kills us in practice. She absolutely exposes us. She does a great job. Off the court she is someone that you can have an honest conversation with if you need one. She will give you the honest answer. She is going to be successful in everything she does. I am extremely proud of her.”