@GTWBB Hosts First Round WNIT Game vs. Mercer

March 16, 2016

STARTING FIVE

1. Georgia Tech hosts Mercer for the first round of the WNIT on Thursday at 7 p.m. at McCamish Pavilion. Richard Musterer will have the call on WREK 91.1.
2. This will be the 21st meeting between Georgia Tech and Mercer. The Yellow Jackets lead the all-time series 14-6 and have won 13 of the past 14 meetings, including seven-straight. The last time the Yellow Jackets faced the Bears was on Dec. 28, 2010 when Tech won 101-44 at home.
3. Senior Aaliyah Whiteside leads the ACC with her 19.4 points per game which is 35th in the nation. She is second on the Jackets in rebounding with 7.2 boards per game, which is 10th in the ACC. She has scored at least 20 points in 17 of 31 games and has five double-doubles this season. She scored her 1,000th career point against Southeastern Louisiana.
4. This is the Yellow Jackets’ second-straight appearance in the WNIT and the ninth postseason appearance under head coach MaChelle Joseph. The Yellow Jackets are 7-8 in the post season under Joseph’s direction.
5. Head coach MaChelle Joseph became the all-time winningest coach in Georgia Tech women’s basketball history last year and has a career record of 251-161 and the highest winning percentage in Yellow Jacket history at 61.0 percent. She is currently in her 13th season at the helm of the Jackets and is 95-102 in her career in ACC play.

a win would…
– Give Joseph her eighth 20 win season of her career.
– Be the third-straight win for Joseph against the Bears and give her a 3-0 record against Mercer. 
– Put the Jackets at 7-4 overall in the WNIT Tournament and give the Jackets a 2-1 record in the WNIT under Joseph,
– Put the Jackets at 14-21 overall in the postseason and give Joseph a 7-8 overall record in the postseason,
– Be the 252nd win of Coach Joseph’s career and give her a 252-161 overall record.
– Give Georgia Tech its 627th program win and put Georgia Tech at 627-588 overall over 41 years of women’s basketball.

wnit history
The Georgia Tech women’s basketball team is making its second-straight appearance in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament its sixth appearance overall. In five appearances in the WNIT, the Jackets have gone 6-4. The Yellow Jackets won the 1992 NWIT at the Cal Farley Coliseum in Amarillo, Texas, knocking off Green Bay Wisconsin, Nebraska and Hawaii. Tech hosted first round games in 2000, 2002 and 2015. The Jackets played in the WNIT in 1992, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2015. This is the second time under head coach MaChelle Joseph that the Jackets will play in the WNIT. The Jackets advanced to the second round after knocking off Elon, 69-47, in Atlanta but fell at Ole Miss, 63-48 last season.

JOSEPH IN THE POSTSEASON            
Georgia Tech’s trip to the WNIT marks head coach MaChelle Joseph’s ninth appearance in the postseason in her 13 years as a head coach. Joseph, who is the all-time winningest coach at Georgia Tech, led the Jackets to seven NCAA Tournaments, including six-straight from the years of 2007-2012. The Yellow Jackets also played in 2014 NCAA Tournament. In 2012, the Jackets made history under Joseph’s direction, advancing to the program’s first-ever Sweet 16. Joseph owns a 6-8 record in the post season and this is her second trip to the WNIT Tournament as a head coach.

SERIES vs. mercer
This will be the 21st meeting between Georgia Tech and Mercer. The Yellow Jackets lead the all-time series 14-6 and have won 13 of the past 14 meetings, including seven-straight. The last time the Yellow Jackets faced the Bears was on Dec. 28, 2010 when Tech won 101-44 at home. 

acc scoring title
If senior Aaliyah Whiteside continues to lead the ACC in scoring, she will be only the second Yellow Jacket to capture the ACC scoring title. The scoring title is determined at the conclusion of the post season after all games are played. The only other Jacket to lead the ACC in scoring at the conclusion of the season was Dolores Bootz in 1988. She averaged 20.6 ppg over 27 games.

Whiteside is currently averaging 19.4 points per game. She has 1,518 career points and ranks ninth on Tech’s all-time scoring list.

Georgia Tech’s All-Time Scoring List

1. Tyaunna Marshall (2011-14) 2,129
2. Kisha Ford (1994-97) 1,955
3. Karen Lounsbury (1989-92) 1,743
4. Dolores Bootz (1985-88) 1,723
5. Carla Munnion (1995-98) 1,671
6. Chioma Nnamaka (2005-08) 1,593
7. Alex Montgomery (2008-11) 1,565
8. Joyce Pierce (1991-93) 1,557
9. Aaliyah Whiteside (2012-pres.) 1,538
10. Janie Mitchell (2005-08) 1,422
11.  Kate Brandt (1981-84)                                1,422