Dec. 28, 2011
The Georgia Tech women’s basketball team (9-3) will host the North Carolina A&T Aggies (6-6) in its final non-conference game of the season Thursday in a 2 p.m. contest at the Arena at Gwinnett Center. The Yellow Jackets will be giving away 500 “Together We Ball” bracelets and fans can use the promotional code “HOLIDAY” to buy two tickets for $6.50.
The Yellow Jackets have won four straight games, and five of the last six, after beating SIU-Edwardsville and Central Arkansas Dec. 19 and 21, respectively, in the Bahamas Sunshine Shootout. Senior center Sasha Goodlett was named tournament MVP and ACC Co-Player of the Week after leading the Jackets in scoring (17.0 ppg) and rebounding (5.0 rpg) in the two games. In the win over UCA, Goodlett tallied a career-high 23 points and became the 25th Yellow Jacket to score 1,000 career points with a layup in the first half.
The Aggies are 6-6 and have lost four straight games, all of which have come on the road. After opening the season 0-2, the Aggies had won six straight, including a win over Clemson, before their current skid began. This will be North Carolina A&T’s fifth straight road game and sixth in their last seven outings.
Scouting The North Carolina A&T Aggies
Junior JaQuayla Berry is the Aggies’ leading scorer averaging 15.1 points per game and is tied for the team lead with 6.5 rebounds an outing. Classmate Nikia Gorham also hauls in 6.5 caroms per contest. Berry, a 2011 All-MEAC selection, had started the Aggies’ first 11 games of the year, but came off the bench in N.C. A&T’s last outing against Wofford to finish with a game-high 27 points.
Berry has led N.C. A&T in scoring five times this year and sophomore Tracy King led the Aggies three times.
Thursday’s game at Georgia Tech will be the Aggies’ fifth straight road game and sixth in their last seven contests. N.C. A&T has dropped the previous four road games.
Common Opponents:
The Aggies have played two teams this year that Georgia Tech will face in 2011-12. The Aggies defeated Tech’s ACC counterpart Clemson, 76-66, Nov. 21, in Greensboro, N.C., on the strength of 26 points from King. Amber Calvin added 18 for the N.C. A&T while Berry tossed in 12. Gorham finished with a game-high 13 rebounds. The Jackets will take on the Lady Tigers twice in ACC play.
N.C. A&T lost 71-58 at Old Dominion Dec. 18. Despite 18 from Calvin and 14 from King, the Aggies shot only 31.3 percent for the game from the field and only 20 percent from 3-point range. Tech defeated ODU 87-56 Nov. 13 at home.
Tech Against The MEAC:
Georgia Tech owns a 7-0 (1.000) all-time record against opponents from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Tech has never faced North Carolina A&T and the only MEAC team the Jackets have faced more than once is Florida A&M. Head Coach MaChelle Joseph is 3-0 against MEAC foes.
Georgia Tech is 3-2 all-time against Savannah State, which joined the MEAC following the 2009-10 season. All of the matchups between the Jackets and the Lady Tigers happened prior to SSU’s MEAC admittance on July 1, 2010. Joseph is 3-0 against Savannah State.
Bahamas Honors:
Senior center Sasha Goodlett was named Bahamas Sunshine Shootout MVP after leading Georgia Tech to a 2-0 record with 17.0 ppg and 5.0 rpg. Goodlett scored a career-high 23 points in Tech’s win over Central Arkansas and went over 1,000 career points against the Sugar Bears.
Senior point guard Metra Walthour was also named to the all-tournament team after averaging 10.0 ppg, to go with six total rebounds and six assists in two games. She finished with 16 points against UCA and her late free throws iced the GT win.
ACC-olades:
Goodlett was named ACC Co-Player of the Week Dec. 26 following her performance in the Bahamas. It was Goodlett’s first career ACC Player of the Week honor. During her freshman season on The Flats, Goodlett earned ACC Rookie of the Week once.
–RamblinWreck.com–
