Lady Bulldogs take down No. 13 Oklahoma in opener

If Georgia wants to return to the top half of the national polls, it needs to beat the teams ranked ahead. The No. 21 Lady Bulldogs accomplished just that as they knocked off defending Final Four semifinalist Oklahoma 62-51 in the season opener on Sunday at Stegeman Coliseum.

"Our coach was very hyped and intense and ready for us to come out and kick some tail today," Georgia forward Porsha Phillips said. "Today was a big day. We needed to come out, play well and get the win against a ranked team like them."

The No. 13-ranked Sooners (1-1) didn't have former national player of the year Courtney Paris, but they did bring back their starting backcourt and 13-year head coach Sherri Coale.

"We've been focusing all year on change and getting this program back to where we're supposed to be," Georgia guard Ashley Houts said. "We made some big steps. We're not nearly where we need to be. But this is another stepping stone toward getting this program turned around."

Phillips and freshman Jasmine James provided much of the scoring spark with 15 points apiece. Angel Robinson added 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocks and Houts had 11 points and three steals in 40 minutes.

"I was more anxious than nervous about playing my first game at Georgia," James said. "It went away pretty quickly when I got into the game and got into the flow. I'm just happy to get that first one out of the way."

Phillips hit 7 of 8 from the field and had 12 rebounds and four blocked shots. She scored 10 points and had seven rebounds in the second half.

"This is what we've been looking at all fall," Georgia coach Andy Landers said. "This is where we wanted Porsha to go to with her game, and she's there. I think you'll consistently see this from her game-in and game-out, and she might be able to bump it up from there."

Oklahoma gave Georgia problems on the boards in the first half as the Sooners outrebounded the Lady Bulldogs 27-19 in the first half, including nine o

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