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Thursday, Dec. 28 2:00pm ET
Nolan leads Georgia, despite fouls | |||||
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ATLANTA -- When Deanna Nolan picked up her second foul less than three minutes into the game, Georgia coach Andy Landers prepared to make a change. But Nolan, with a quick wave, convinced the coach to leave her in. Good thing for the Bulldogs. Nolan scored 22 points in her best performance of the season, opening up things for Kelly and Coco Miller as No. 4 Georgia routed Georgia State 107-75 Thursday. "She did a great job of breaking down their defense," said Kelly Miller, who led the Bulldogs with 24 points. "She did a great job of taking her man to the hole. That helps the rest of us out." Landers has been frustrated with Nolan's play, encouraging her to drive to the basket more to take advantage of her quickness. She finally listened against Georgia State. Nolan hit several acrobatic shots, including a scoop from the opposite side of the basket after driving along the baseline. The befuddled Panthers could only watch in amazement. "It was either turn it over or shoot," Nolan said, grinning. "I decided to shoot because I didn't want to get hollered at." Georgia (10-2) stretched its winning streak to eight games, overcoming early foul trouble. Nolan picked her second foul with 17:20 remaining, but had only one more the rest of the game. "I was taking her out, but she shook her hand like, 'I'm OK,"' Landers said. "I wouldn't believe a player if it happened all the time, but that was a first for her. So I let it go. She seemed to have a handle on the situation." The Bulldogs actually trailed 21-20 when Leslie McElrath scored for Georgia State (7-3) with 9:18 remaining in the first half. Tawana McDonald hit a pair of free throws to put Georgia ahead to stay, then Nolan reeled off eight consecutive points to spark a 31-13 run that gave the Bulldogs a commanding 51-34 lead at the break. Georgia State never got closer in the second half as the Bulldogs eclipsed 100 points for the second time in three games. Twelve players scored for Georgia. Nolan hit nine of 12 shots from the field and had six steals. Kelly Miller was 11-for-16, many on layups resulting from her six steals. The Panthers had 22 turnovers in all. Kelly Miller moved into fifth place on Georgia's career scoring list with 1,837 points. Her twin sister chipped in with 17 points. "It was an adjustment for our players to step up to that level of competition," said Georgia State coach Lea Henry. "At the 1-2-3 spots, they're as strong as any team in the country. They have three exceptional guards." Georgia didn't have 6-foot-5 freshman Christi Thomas, who missed her third consecutive game with mononucleosis. But the 6-4 McDonald was able to dominate inside against the Panthers, who rarely had anyone on the court taller than 6-1. McDonald scored 17 points and blocked five shots. She was helped by Tameika Washington, who pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds. Georgia State, which came in with a five-game winning streak against much weaker opposition, was led by McElrath with 22 points. The Panthers shot only 34 percent (21-for-62) from the field, compared with Georgia's 56 percent. The Bulldogs have won 10 consecutive meetings against Georgia State, their last defeat coming in 1983. | ALSO SEE Women's College Basketball Scoreboard
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