A heady senior point guard, one of the most consistent and experienced performers the Lady Dogs have ever had, ignored the called play and instead launched a 25-foot prayer in the closing seconds of yesterday’s loss to LSU. This is up there with Leonard Pope deciding to freelance on the last play in 2004’s loss to Tennessee.

Down one point needing a basket to win, LSU found a way to get the ball to its All-American, Seimone Augustus. Augustus got a good look over Sherill Baker and nailed the go-ahead shot. Georgia’s All-American, Tasha Humphrey, had another monster game against LSU with 31 points, but she never got a chance to attempt the game-winning shot.

It was a classic battle, and there are many more what-ifs and plays that could be talked about than the final few seconds. Georgia missed several chances to extend a 60-55 lead and soon found themselves down 61-60 to begin the see-saw exchange of points in the final 90 seconds. Slow shooting at the beginning of each half put the Lady Dogs in holes from which they had to fight back. Overall, the feeling is one of a big missed opportunity to earn a signature SEC win.

The recent games with Tennessee and LSU show without question that Georgia, even after its devastating frontcourt losses, can play with anyone. Coach Landers had a brilliant defensive scheme to limit LSU, and it worked much as it did in last year’s SEC Tournament. Still, it would have been nice to steal one of these games. With Tennessee and LSU both on the schedule twice during the regular season, the losses put pressure on Georgia to play at a high level and win most of its other SEC games, including an upcoming road swing to South Carolina and Florida, if it hopes to finish among the top three teams in the league.