It hasn’t been the best of seasons for Andy Landers and his team, and the reasons why are a subject for another day. Georgia got a badly-needed win and confidence boost against #18 Vanderbilt last night to move to 2-2 in the SEC and show that they still have a pulse. This was as good as quality wins get; Vanderbilt had already defeated Tennessee and LSU this season.

Georgia’s formula for success centered around post play. Vandy, already undersized, lost All-SEC candidate Christina Wirth for much of the game due to foul trouble. Georgia was able to attack inside with Angel Robinson and Portia Phillips from the opening tip, and Ashley Houts added enough punch from outside to challenge the Commodore defense. The Lady Dogs held a good-shooting Vandy team to under 40% from the floor and won both the rebounding and turnover stats.

It was far from a perfect effort. Free throw shooting was atrocious (19-35). Unnecessary turnovers continue to plague the team. The offense was stagnant for much of the second half, and production from the wing continues to be lacking. Those shortcomings which had contributed to losses earlier in the season proved not to be fatal on a night where Houts, Robinson, and Phillips all clicked. That trio is going to have to carry this team in many more games this year if Georgia stands a chance of finishing in the top half of the conference.

The Lady Dogs are in action again on Sunday at Alabama. Though Bama is 0-5 in the league, the road hasn’t been especially kind to Georgia this season. An 0-5 bottom-dweller should be easy pickings for most Georgia teams, but nothing has come easy this season.

As bad as the year has been for men’s hoops in the state, Thursday night was a bright spot for the women. Both Georgia and Georgia Tech notched significant upsets over ranked opponents.