The Georgia Lady Dogs were happy to get a win Wednesday night at Stegeman Coliseum, but were even happier to have an exhibition game before the regular season begins next week.

The Peach State Elite, a traveling team of former college players, were anything but a pushover as Georgia fought hard to hold on to a 69-63 victory.

“We didn’t really know what to expect,” junior Ashley Houts said. “They give us good play, and that’s what these types of games are for and I know that we obviously need to work on a lot of things, but happy with our first outing.”

Houts led the Lady Dogs in scoring with 19 points, but the play of sophomore forward Porsha Phillips really stole the show.

Phillips, a transfer from LSU, had to sit out all of last season, but made her presence known in her first game as a Lady Dog with 16 points and 15 rebounds.

“I was just playing and jumping, and I used my jumping to my advantage,” Phillips said of her presence inside. “My teammates were also boxing out and we just tried to grab the boards.”

Georgia began the game strong, opening up a 23-6 lead following two Houts free throws. The Elite cut the lead to 30-20, but got no closer in the first half as the Lady Dogs built a 38-23 halftime lead.

The second half was a different story for Georgia. The Elite went off on a 28-10 run to start the second half and the Lady Dogs saw their lead disappear as they fell behind 51-48. But junior Christy Marshall scored seven straight points for Georgia and gave the lead back to the Lady Dogs 55-53.

The Elite tied the score at 55-all before a Houts bucket put Georgia ahead for good 57-55.

Marshall scored 15 points, joining Houts and Phillips in double-digits.

“That’s what happens when you go out and don’t guard the basketball and don’t put any pressure on the basketball,” head coach Andy Landers said of the way the second half began. “It was just a lack of intensity.

“We had some good shots up close and some good shots on the perimeter we just didn’t shoot the ball very well.”

The Lady Dogs will face Alabama State Nov. 15 at Stegeman Coliseum in the official first game for the team. The tip-off is set for noon.