The Red and Black

Issue date: 11/19/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: KRISTIN BOYD Senior forward Tasha Humphrey pushes past Temple's junior forward Shenita Landry Friday night at Stegeman Coliseum. [Click to enlarge]

The Lady Bulldogs (4-0) were able to rely on offensive firepower to win their first three games of the season by a combined 95 points but needed a strong defensive performance to outlast Temple (1-2) Friday night, 57-51.

No. 8 Georgia finished its season opening homestand with an unblemished record and has won its first four games for just the second time since 2001.

Defense was a primary concern for the Bulldogs in the preseason, and head coach Andy Landers appreciates the importance of winning a game despite shooting 31 percent from the field.

"Every type of game is important this type of year," Landers said. "Being in a game where we had to depend on our defense could be beneficial to us because our defense made the plays late in the game that won the game for us."

The Lady Owls lived up to their billing as the most imposing physical challenge Georgia would face in its opening homestand, something that Landers hopes will prepare his team for the physicality of the conference season.

"It was a physical game more than anything else, and that is certainly something that is going to come back again and again," Landers said. "As we continue to play, we'll expect more physical play and it's something that we need to get accustomed to."

Despite the low score, Friday's contest was a game of runs for both teams, with Georgia closing the first half on a 6-0 run and, after trailing for the first and only time all game at 51-49, finishing on an 8-0 run to close out the game.

Relying on bursts of offense is something that Landers would like to see develop into more consistency in the future.

"What we haven't been able to do is create continuous opportunities and take advantage of them," he said. "We had some pretty good (opportunities) tonight that we missed that stopped our flow offensively and disrupted our rhythm."

The Bulldogs were able to rely on their primary offensive weapons for scoring output, as sophomore guard Ashley Houts tallied a team-high 12 points, reaching double figures in all four games this season, and senior Tasha Humphrey notched her first double-double of the year with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Georgia struggled, however, in manufacturing points from the bench, as the Bulldogs' non-starters combined for just 18 points.

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