After a grueling stretch of four games in eight days away from Stegeman Coliseum, the women’s basketball team returns home tonight in a game with historical importance.

If the Lady Dogs defeat East Tennessee State, it would be the program’s 750th win in 35 years as an NCAA Division I women’s basketball team.

But the team must recover from the most intense stretch of the season that began Nov. 20 in Rochester, Mich., and ended Saturday in Las Vegas.

Georgia opened the stretch with a victory over Oakland (Michigan) with a 64-61 victory behind clutch shooting from guard Angela Puleo, who notched a career-high 22 points in the victory.

It wasn’t so lucky two days later against winless Detroit Mercy. Down 10 points in the second half, the Lady Dogs fought back to tie the game but were unable to find the late-game heroics as they fell 70-66 for the team’s first loss.

Georgia rebounded strong on Nov. 26, when it crushed North Carolina Central in Stegeman Coliseum, 85-31.

Five Lady Dogs reached double-digit points and the defense only allowed six points in the first half.

This weekend, the Lady Dogs traveled to Las Vegas, for the Lady Rebel Round-up hosted by UNLV.

On Friday, after building an early lead, Georgia cruised to a 85-64 win over Cal State Fullerton behind a season-high 20 points for Ashley Houts and a career-high 18 points for Christy Marshall.

In the championship game on Saturday, Houts again lead Georgia with 22 points as the Lady Dogs defeated Eastern Washington 75-51 while continuing to play strong defense as they forced 23 turnovers.

After being held without a field goal against Oakland, Houts has not posted a total less than 17 points in any game since then. Her performance at the Lady Rebel Round-up earned her tournament MVP honors and the praise of head coach Andy Landers.

“Ashley played and scored very well out here,” Landers told georgiadogs.com. “She made terrific decisions on when to penetrate and when to take it all the way. When she go all the way to hole, she did an excellent job of finishing.”

Throughout the week, the play of Georgia’s inside players was consistent. Porsha Phillips and Angel Robinson each notched two double-doubles during the week and scored in double figures four times apiece.

Tonight’s game will provide no rest for the weary as Georgia arrived in the wee hours of Sunday morning after taking a red-eye flight from Las Vegas.