The Georgia women’s basketball team fell to the No. 10 UCLA Bruins 59-50 Thursday in Athens. This marks the second time in three games the Bulldogs were defeated by a top-10 opponent, with the other coming at Baylor.

Georgia was competitive in the first frame, trailing by just two points at its conclusion. A second quarter in which the Bulldogs could only muster four points was a crushing blow despite them outscoring UCLA in the second half.

“I thought we were in a position to win the game if we would have taken care of the second quarter,” head coach Joni Taylor said. “It is the same thing that happened at Baylor, but it was the fourth quarter.”

Junior guard Gabby Connally led the Bulldogs in scoring with 16 points, adding two assists. Redshirt sophomore Malury Bates played well off the bench, tallying 9 points and 5 rebounds. Connally led the team in rebounding, while Bates was right behind her.

UCLA outrebounded Georgia by double-digits, with the final margin at 13 (50-37). The Bruins amassed 21 offensive rebounds to Georgia’s six.

“It was not the first shot that hurt us,” Taylor said. “It was the second shot, the offensive rebound. It is something we talk about all week long. I thought in the second quarter they were tougher than us on the boards. We did not do a good job of securing rebounds, and it hurt us.”

The Bulldogs were also plagued by unforced errors. They turned the ball over 17 times — right at the season average of 17.6. Taylor has expressed all season that the number needs to come down.

A number of key contributors struggled to find any sort of rhythm. Aside from Connally, the four other starters combined for just 16 points on 7-of-22 shooting.

One of Georgia’s most consistent threats, senior forward Stephanie Paul, was unable to crack the UCLA defense. Paul only shot the ball three times. The Bruins were pressing on defense, leading to significant tension for the Bulldogs.

“I’ll speak for myself, I was a little out of sync, getting pressured,” Connally said. “I have to be able to do a better job of running the offense. That is what is expected of me being a point guard. I am a coach on the floor.”

This type of scrappy, tough game is what Georgia will see heading into SEC play. Playing top-10 benefits the Bulldogs in that aspect while also exposing aspects of their game which must be fixed.

Despite the loss, Georgia is showing it can be competitive on a national stage, and UCLA head coach Cori Close believes the Bulldogs are stiff competition.

“[Georgia] is by far our toughest opponent up to this point,” Close said. “The Pacific has five power-five transfers on their team. They were a good challenge, but this, by far, was our biggest test.”

Printed with permission from The Red & Black independent student media organization based in Athens, Georgia; redandblack.com/sports