Lady Dogs Snap Losing Streak

The Lady Dogs notched a much-needed win in Lexington on Thursday, snapping a five-game losing streak -- the longest of Andy Landers' career at UGA -- and keeping alive their fading NCAA tourney hopes. Here's the wrap-up from UGA Athletics, including notes on several end-of-season events worth considering...

Ashley Houts poured a career-high 26 points -- including 12 of Georgia's final 13 -- to lead the Lady Bulldogs to a 61-57 win over Kentucky at Memorial Coliseum on Thursday night.

"It was a gutty performance," Andy Landers said. "We needed someone to gut it out and Ashley did just that. The most impressive piece of it was that they were literally dogging her from end to end trying to keep the ball out of her hands most of the night. She had to work hard just to get the ball and then get it up the floor."

Porsha Phillips added a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Angel Robinson grabbed 11 board and chipped in nine points.

With the win, Georgia improved to 16-12 on the season and guaranteed the Lady Bulldogs will finish with a winning record for the 30th straight season under Landers. Georgia is one of only four schools in the nation to record a winning record every season since women's basketball came under the auspices of the NCAA with the 1981-82 season.

The Lady Bulldogs led the entire contest but that did not prevent a great deal of second-half drama. Kentucky pulled within two or one four times, but Georgia answered each threat to stay ahead.

After not hitting a three-pointer throughout the game, the Wildcats made consecutive threes trim the margin to 59-57 with 10 seconds left. Houts calmly sank a pair of free throws to make it a two-possession game and seal the win.

Houts hit 8-of-9 free throws in the final 61 seconds and played all 40 minutes for the ninth straight contest.

Georgia will host Florida in the regular-season finale on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at Stegeman Coliseum. Co-captain Danielle Taylor, the lone senior on the Lady Bulldogs' roster, will be honored in pre-game ceremonies.

There will be several promotions held in conjunction with the contest, including: Camper Reunion Day, all campers are invited to attend the game and parents receive free admission; UGA Student Social, the first 500 students will receive free pizza and "Beat Florida" T-shirts and students may register to win prizes throughout the games; Faith Day, fans will receive $1 admission when they present a church bulletin; and Youth League Day, there will be free admission for youth league teams wearing their uniform and registered with the Lady Bulldog Basketball Office by February 27th.