@GTWBB and Miami Play Thursday at 7 p.m.

Feb. 10, 2016

STARTING FIVE

1. Georgia Tech returns to the Flats to host #19/17 Miami on Thursday at McCamish Pavilion. The game will be on ESPN3 with Nathan McCreary and Angel Gray on the call. The game can be heard on WREK 91.1 with Richard Musterer and Kurt Hoyt.
2. This is the 26th all-time meeting between Georgia Tech and Miami. Georgia Tech leads the series 13-12 and has won two of the last three meetings. This will be the first meeting between Georgia Tech and Miami in Atlanta since Feb. 24, 2013.
3. Senior Aaliyah Whiteside leads the ACC with her 20.5 points per game which also is 23rd in the nation. She is also Tech’s leading rebounder with 7.1 boards per game, which is ninth in the ACC. She has scored at least 21 points in 15 of 24 games and had four-straight double-doubles this season. She scored her 1,000th career point against Southeastern Louisiana.
4. Senior Roddreka Rogers was back to her old ways against Syracuse, tallying her fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and a team-high 13 rebounds. She has 21 career double-doubles which is second among active players in the ACC.
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 246-159 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 91-101 in her career in ACC play.

PARKING
Fans can park in the McCamish lot (E65), East O’Keefe (E63), Family Housing (ER66) and along Fowler Street for free. ADA parking is available from 10th to 8th street.  

a win would…
– Be the third win in four games against Miami. Georgia Tech currently leads the series, 13-12.
– Be the first time Tech defeats a top-25 opponent since the Yellow Jackets upset No. 16/17 Duke last season, 71-62, on Feb. 26, 2015.
– Give the Yellow Jackets an overall ACC record of 193-343 and an 92-101 record in the ACC under Coach Joseph.
– Be the 247th win of Coach Joseph’s career and give her a 247-159 overall record.
– Give Georgia Tech its 622nd program win and put Georgia Tech at 622-586 overall over 41 years of women’s basketball.

vuckovic named to allstate wbca good works team
Junior Katarina Vuckovic is one of five NCAA Division I women’s basketball student-athletes to be named to the 2016 Allstate WBCA Good Works team. In its fourth year, this prestigious award honors college basketball athletes that have dedicated themselves to bettering the lives of others through giving back to their communities. The Allstate WBCA Good Works Teams® is comprised of 10 student-athletes; five from NCAA® Division I and five from NCAA Divisions II, III and the NAIA.

The Smederevo, Serbia, native has been involved in a number of community service initiatives since her arrival on campus in 2013.  Vuckovic, who is a member of SAAB, traveled to the Dominican Republic this past summer with fellow Yellow Jackets for a service trip.

rogers back to her old ways
Senior Roddreka Rogers was back to her old ways against Syracuse, tallying her fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and a team-high 13 rebounds. She has 21 career double-doubles which is second among active players in the ACC. It was her seventh time this season tallying double-figure rebounds and her 10th time leading the Jackets on the boards. Her 7.0 rebounds per game are 11th in the ACC and her 6.9 rebounds per game in conference play is 13th. She averages 2.6 offensive rebounds per game and 4.5 defensive rebounds per game.

the last meeting vs. miami
The Yellow Jackets suffered a 64-59 loss at Miami last season. Tech led by 10 with 4:46 left in the game but the Hurricanes finished out the contest on a 15-0 run to snap a two-game losing streak to Tech. Zaire O’Neil scored a team-high 13 points while Imani Tilford led the Jackets in rebounding for the first time in her career with eight boards, despite being the shortest player on the floor. The past four games against Miami have all been close calls – the games have been decided by an average of 4.3 points.

whiteside breaks gT’s school record
Senior Aaliyah Whiteside made her 431st free throw of her career against Boston College, breaking Georgia Tech’s school record of career made free throws. Joyce Pierce (1991-93) previously held the record with 430 made free throws. Whiteside began this season ranked 10th on list with 286 but quickly catapulted up the list and currently has made 446 shots from the foul line. Whiteside ranks second in the nation in made free throws and third in attempted free throws this season. Her 446 career free throws made rank ninth among all active players in the NCAA. Whiteside is shooting 84.8 percent (28-33) from the charity stripe when fouled in the final five minutes of the game.

 “That just shows that she is someone who does the dirty work. She goes in and posts up and gets loose balls, offensive rebounds and put backs. You don’t get fouled that much just on offense. You have to make those things happen with hustle points.” – Coach Jo on Whiteside breaking the all-time free throws made record

Whiteside has also shot up the all-time scoring list. She started off this season with 936 career points. On Nov. 18 she became the 29th Yellow Jacket to score her 1,000th career point. Whiteside has gone from 29th to ninth on GT’s all-time scoring list with her 1,429 career points. She needs 129 more poinst to tie Joyce Pierce for 8th. She is also tied for 10th on Tech’s career 3-pointers made list with 101 made 3-pointers.

vuckovic re-emerges

After going scoreless for four-straight games from NC State to Virginia, Vuckovic has came roaring back, averaging 10.4 points per game over the past four games. Vuckovic was back to her old ways at Clemson, scoring 10 points, including two 3-pointers, and grabbing six rebounds. She led the Jackets in rebounding vs. #3 Notre Dame with eight rebounds and led the Yellow Jackets with a double-double (18 points, 10 rebounds) in a win against Boston College. She followed up her double-double by leading the Jackets again in scoring, tallying 15 points, including three 3-pointers, in a win at Virginia Tech. In wins, Vuckovic is averaging 9.8 points per game and 5.1 rebounds.