Whew.

That was the collective sigh of relief from the Georgia women’s basketball program.

Mired in the worst slump of the Hall-of-Fame coach’s career, the Lady Bulldogs (16-12, 6-7 SEC) topped the Kentucky Wildcats (14-14, 4-9 SEC) 61-57 Thursday night in Lexington, Ky. snapping a five-game losing streak.

Although the Lady Dogs never trailed throughout, it took a career-high 26 points from All-SEC junior Ashley Houts to seal the deal for Georgia.

Houts converted nine of 10 shots from the free-throw line including several late in the second half to clinch the 30th consecutive winning season for the Lady Dogs under the tutelage of Landers.

“[Houts] played very, very well. And, the thing that is most impressive is how hard Kentucky was working to keep her just from running our offense.by keeping the ball out of her hands,” Landers told 960 AM the Ref’s Jeff Dantzler after the victory.

Georgia used a 15-4 run early in the first half to establish a quick 22-8 lead as Kentucky struggled early with turnovers and missed shots.

The Wildcats were frustrated by Georgia’s defensive intensity early on, turning the ball over four times in their first six possessions and shot a meager 21 percent from the field in the first half.

Still Kentucky found themselves down by one with 5:34 to play, but a timely offensive rebound and put-back for Porsha Phillips gave Georgia a critical 48-45 lead.

Wildcat sophomore Victoria Dunlap, the leading rebounder in the SEC, kept her team close throughout the night with her rebounding prowess. Kentucky dominated Georgia 44-35 on-the-glass and pulled down 19 offensive rebounds.

“Our two top guards there didn’t rebound,” Landers said. “We got ran around and ran by and got rebounded on. They didn’t rebound, and that’s upsetting because we talked about it, we’ve been talking about it, and it’s just not happening for us.”

But, Kentucky simply could not make an open 3-point shot until late in the game.

The Wildcats, who had numerous open looks from three, were 0-15 from beyond-the-arc until Amber Smith knocked down two 3s with less than two minutes left to play. Still, Kentucky trailed by two points and could get no closer.

Now, the focus shifts to Athens for Senior Night when the Lady Dogs look to gain revenge against Florida (23-5, 9-4 SEC) in the regular season finale for both teams Sunday afternoon.

The Lady Dogs turned the ball over 15 times in the first half en route to a 61-45 loss at the hands of the Gators Jan. 18 in Gainesville, Fla. Georgia’s only senior, Danielle Taylor, will be honored before the game.

Just four weeks ago the Lady Bulldogs looked to be in control of their playoff destiny with a win over previously unbeaten Auburn Jan. 29 and a 5-2 record in the Southeastern Conference.

But, things quickly turned sour for head coach Andy Landers’ squad.

Georgia lost its last five games, with its NCAA Tournament resume not looking too great. Georgia may have to make a deep run in the SEC Tournament if it has any chances at an NCAA Tournament bid.