Georgia women stun No. 5 Vanderbilt in Athens

Staff Reports

ATHENS, Ga. — Sophomore guard Dani Carnegie delivered another signature performance Sunday, pouring in 29 points to lift Georgia to a dramatic 76-74 victory over No. 5 Vanderbilt inside Stegeman Coliseum.

It marked Carnegie’s 12th 20-point game of the season and propelled the Lady Bulldogs to 20-6 overall — their quickest march to 20 wins since the 2017-18 campaign. More importantly, it delivered Georgia’s first victory over a top-five opponent since 2021 and its first top-five triumph in Athens since a 2010 win over Tennessee.

But inside the locker room, the focus wasn’t on rankings.

“I don’t even look at it like that,” head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson said. “They are finally listening to what I’m saying about how talented they are. We can’t use ‘we’re so young’ anymore. It’s February. Consistency is key for us.”

Georgia played with poise and purpose, leading for more than 25 minutes and building a 14-point second-quarter cushion. The Lady Bulldogs shot a blistering 56 percent from the field — their best mark against an SEC opponent this season — a testament to their execution against one of the conference’s elite teams.

When Vanderbilt surged late, Georgia responded.

Mia Woolfolk scored 11 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter, accounting for more than half of Georgia’s 20 points in the final period. Rylie Theuerkauf added 10 points, extending her streak to six straight games in double figures.

“Before the quarter all I know is I got to work,” Woolfolk said. “If we play how we can, we can do whatever we want.”

Vanderbilt’s firepower kept the game tight. SEC and National Player of the Year candidate Mikayla Blakes finished with 27 points — 19 coming at the free-throw line — as the Commodores went 20-of-22 from the stripe. Justine Pissott added 23 points, drilling five three-pointers.

Still, Georgia’s defensive discipline limited Blakes’ perimeter rhythm and forced Vanderbilt to earn points at the line rather than from beyond the arc.

“We had a really good game plan on Mikayla,” Abrahamson-Henderson said. “You have to play defense in the SEC or you’re going to lose. Any really good team in the country harps on defense.”

Carnegie echoed that theme.

“Our togetherness,” she said. “We locked in on one goal, and that was to win. We knew we had to play defense.”

The energy inside Stegeman Coliseum provided a late lift as well.

“It was amazing,” Carnegie said. “We’re a team that plays off energy. The crowd, the community — they fight for us, so we have to fight for them.”

Georgia now owns victories over three top-20 opponents this season — Ole Miss, Kentucky and Vanderbilt — and enters the stretch run with momentum and belief.

Next up is another test. The Lady Bulldogs host No. 10 Oklahoma on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network.

The message from Athens is clear: Georgia is no longer a young team learning lessons.

It’s a contender building them.