Dec. 17, 2013
THE FLATS – It was a monumental night at McCamish Pavilion as Georgia Tech women’s basketball head coach MaChelle Joseph won her 200th career game with a 104-54 win against Portland State.
With the victory, Joseph is only the second Georgia Tech head coach to win 200 games on the Flats. She is 200-124 in her 11 seasons at the helm of the Jackets. She joins her predecessor, Agnus Berenato, as the only two women’s basketball coaches at Tech to finish with at least 200 wins. Berenato finished her 15-year tenure leading the Yellow Jackets with a 223-209 record.
The Yellow Jackets used a strong defensive presence to capture its fifth-straight win and preserve its 5-0 record at home. This was the first time Georgia Tech has scored 100 points in a game since its 101-44 victory against Mercer on Dec. 28, 2010. This was also the largest margin of victory, 50 points, that Tech has won by all season.
“I thought we did a really good job getting points off of our turnovers,” Joseph said. “I thought our defense got our offense going. I thought we started a little slow, which is to be expected after a 10 day layoff for finals. I really felt our defense got us going on our offensive end with easy baskets. That led to more transition.”
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Tech forced Portland State to turn the ball over 27 times and scored a season-high 46 points off of the Vikings’ turnovers. Senior Dawnn Maye lead the way with five steals. This was the sixth game this season that Maye has recorded three or more steals.
Five Yellow Jackets total scored in double-figures. Senior Tyaunna Marshall led the team with her second double-double of the season, scoring 19 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Sophomore Roddreka Rogers tied her career-high of 13 points while recording eight rebounds.
Maye added 15 points and freshman Donnaizha Fountain scored 11 for her first double-figure game of her career. Sophomore Nariah Taylor scored 10 points while notching two blocks against Portland State.
“I thought our post players, Nariah Taylor and Shayla Bivins, are really stepping up and being a presence inside,” Joseph said. “I think when you have those big bodies hitting you for 40 minutes, I think it takes a toll and wears people down. They are able to run the floor and do some things defensively that are really helping us.”
The Jackets had a slow start to the beginning of the game against the Vikings until Bivins stripped Allie Brock of the ball at center court. Davis found Bivins on the ensuing play under the basket, where the senior put in a layup to give the Jackets its first lead of the game, 3-2, four minutes in.
A 9-0 run in the first six minutes of the game, put the Jackets at a 9-2 advantage and set the pace for the rest of the nonconference contest.
The Jackets then used an offensive outburst, led by Marshall, to outscore the Vikings 16-3 over 3:24. Marshall scored nine points in that span, helping Tech to a 25-7 lead at 9:43.
Ten-straight points from the Jackets would bump up their lead to 37-9. Rogers scored 60 percent of the Jackets’ points during that run, going 4-for-4 from the foul line and adding a layup.
The Yellow Jackets went into the locker room at halftime up by 30 points, 48-18.
Tech would stretch that lead to 45 points with 15:08 on the clock. A tough Jacket defense would hold the Vikings scoreless for 4:30 in the second half while the Jackets jumped ahead, 65-20, on offense. The Jackets didn’t allow Portland State to make a field goal until 6:31 into the second half.
Halfway through the second half, Tech would outscore the Vikings 10-2 to take an 80-31 advantage. Freshman Gabrielle Holston scored five-straight points beginning at 6:24. Her layup with 5:55 remaining gave the Jackets 90 plus points for the third-straight game. The 104 points that Tech scored were the most it has scored all season.
Next up, the Jackets hit the road, traveling to San Juan, Puerto Rico for the Puerto Rico Classic. Tech faces UTEP on Friday and #13/16 Oklahoma State. Both games will begin at 6 p.m.
For an inside look at the program, follow Georgia Tech women’s basketball on Twitter, @GTWBB, Instagram, GTWBB, and like the Yellow Jackets on Facebook, GTWomensBasketball.
–RamblinWreck.com–
