Georgia women’s basketball fends off Nicholls to improve to 3-0

Georgia women’s basketball defeated Nicholls 74-48 on Sunday to improve to 3-0 under first-year head coach Ayla Guzzardo. Nicholls opened the game with a 3-pointer before Georgia responded with a 10-point scoring run. The Colonels answered with three consecutive 3-pointers to close the first quarter with a 17-14 lead. Neither team was able to create much separation in the second quarter as both offenses struggled with turnovers. Georgia committed 11 turnovers in the first 14 minutes of the game, while Nicholls matched that total. The Bulldogs closed the half with three layups to take a 33-26 lead into the break. Defense has been a priority for Guzzardo since taking over the program. “When I took this job, [I said], ‘We are going to play defense and we are going to force a lot of turnovers,'" Guzzardo said. “Those turnovers give us extra possessions and we needed it tonight.” Georgia took control coming out of halftime, opening the third quarter with a 12-1 scoring run to extend its lead. The Bulldogs cleaned up their turnovers in the second half while continuing to capitalize on the Colonels' mistakes. Nicholls finished the game with 28 turnovers. Four Georgia players finished in double figures, led by Dakota Howard with 14 points. Ten of Howard’s points came from the free-throw line, where she was perfect. Jailyn Banks added a season-high 13 points after averaging 15.4 points per game at Belmont last season. Georgia shot an efficient 49.1% from the field but struggled from beyond the arc, making just 11.1% of its 3-point attempts, while Nicholls finished with six 3-pointers. The Bulldogs are coming off a 22-10 season that ended with a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament, but this year’s roster looks significantly different. Only two players returned from last season, with 11 newcomers joining the program. With a reimagined roster, Guzzardo said she has continued to experiment with different rotations through Georgia’s first three games. “It is eventful.” Guzzardo said. “You never know what you are going to get. But at the same time there are so many things we can do.” Georgia’s experimentation of its lineup will continue in the fourth game of the season as the Bulldogs return to Stegeman Coliseum on Wednesday to face Kennesaw State at 6:30 p.m.