May 22, 2012
Atlanta – The Georgia Tech women’s basketball team will travel to West Lafayette, Ind., to take on the Purdue Boilermakers in the sixth annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday, November 28, announced by the two conferences Tuesday.
The two-day challenge will be held Wednesday, November 28 and Thursday, November 29. Last season, the Challenge was an even-split with each league winning six games. The ACC had won the previous four challenges. Times and television coverage for the Challenge, along with the complete Georgia Tech schedule, will be released later this summer.
“We are excited about our matchup with Purdue in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge,” head coach MaChelle Joseph said. “Purdue has great tradition in women’s basketball and it will be a difficult challenge for our young team, but one we will embrace.”
Georgia Tech is a perfect 5-0 in ACC/Big Ten Challenge games after defeating Nebraska 73-57 last season in Duluth, Ga. Maryland is the only other team to be undefeated in Challenge games.
The only previous meeting between Georgia Tech and Purdue came in the 2007 NCAA Tournament. The Boilermakers defeated the Yellow Jackets 76-63 in a second round game played at Williams Arena on the campus of the University of Minnesota. The two sides met after the Yellow Jackets claimed their first NCAA Tournament win, a 55-54 victory over DePaul.
Joseph, a 1992 graduate of Purdue, was the Big Ten Player of the Year, Big Ten-Suzy Favor Female Athlete of the Year and a 1992 KODAK First Team All-American in her final season for the Boilermakers. She graduated from Purdue as the school and the conference’s all-time scoring leader, and as the only player in Big Ten history to rank in the top 10 in points and assists. Joseph was inducted into the Purdue Sports Hall of Fame in September 2010 and was named one of 12 “Legends of Mackey” in January 2012.
“I am excited to have the opportunity to go home to Indiana and have the chance to coach at my alma mater,” Joseph said. “It is a unique matchup for me and I look forward to coaching in Mackey Arena.”
Georgia Tech returns eight letterwinners from last year’s team which set a school record with 26 wins and advanced to the program’s first Sweet 16. Tyaunna Marshall is Tech’s leading returning scorer after averaging 14.4 points per game and earning All-ACC second team honors. Back for her sophomore season will be Sydney Wallace, who set Tech NCAA Tournament records multiple times for points in a game and 3-pointers made per game.
In Tech’s first-round win over Sacred Heart, Wallace set Yellow Jacket tournament records with 28 points and six threes. She added 23 points and five threes in a second-round victory over Georgetown. In a Sweet 16 loss to No. 1 Baylor, Wallace scored 32 points in 33 minutes and was 8-of-12 from 3-point range, tying the Tech single game record for threes made.
Purdue finished last season 25-9, won the Big Ten Tournament title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Boilermakers return nine players from last season, including Courtney Moses who was second on the team with 10.8 points per game.
Purdue fell to 0-5 all-time in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge after falling 64-53 at Duke last season, a game in which Moses scored 17 points.
2012 CHALLENGE SCHEDULE
Wednesday, November 28
Ohio State at North Carolina
Iowa at Florida State
Wisconsin at Virginia Tech
Duke at Michigan
Maryland at Nebraska
Georgia Tech at Purdue
Clemson at Indiana
Northwestern at Boston College
Thursday, November 29
Penn State at Miami
Michigan State at NC State
Virginia at Minnesota
Wake Forest at Illinois
Georgia Tech will host the Tennessee Lady Volunteers on Sunday, Nov. 11, to open the brand-new McCamish Pavilion. Season tickets are on sale now for $50 and can be purchased at www.RamblinWreck.com/tickets or by calling 888-TECH-TIX. More information on McCamish Pavilion can be found at www.McCamishPavilion.com.
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–RamblinWreck.com–
