@GTWBB Faces St. Francis Brooklyn Sunday

Nov. 14, 2015

Georgia Tech continues nonconference play at home, hosting St. Francis Brooklyn at 2 p.m. on Sunday at McCamish Pavilion. The game can be heard on WREK 91.1/WREK.org and Sunday is Kids Day so all children 18 and under receive free admission.

STARTING FIVE

1. Georgia Tech continues nonconference play at home, hosting St. Francis Brooklyn at 2 p.m. on Sunday at McCamish Pavilion. The game can be heard on WREK 91.1/WREK.org.
2. This will be the second-straight season that St. Francis Brooklyn and Georgia Tech will meet on the hardwood. Georgia Tech won the meeting last year in Brooklyn Heights, 65-59, and the Jackets hold a 3-0 advantage in the all-time series and a 1-0 lead when playing in Atlanta.
3. The 2015-16 season marks the 13th under the direction of head coach MaChelle Joseph and the 42nd season of Georgia Tech women’s basketball. The Yellow Jackets return eight letterwinners and four starters from last year’s squad that went 19-15 overall, 7-9 in the ACC and made it to the second round of the WNIT. Coach Joseph welcomes four freshmen and two transfers to this year’s team.
4. Joseph became the all-time winningest coach in Georgia Tech women’s basketball history last year and has a career record of 233-149 and the highest winning percentage in Yellow Jacket history at 61.0 percent.
   5. The Yellow Jackets kicked off the season with an 84-77 win against Loyola Chicago on Friday night. Three Yellow Jackets scored in double-digits, led by senior Aaliyah Whiteside who recorded team-bests in points (22) and rebounds (8). Sophomore Simina Avram had a career night, starting in her first career game and recording career highs in points (9), rebounds (7) and blocks (3).

A WIN WOULD…
– Make Tech 4-0 against St. Francis Brooklyn all-time and 2-0 at home.
– Keep the Yellow Jackets undefeated in non-conference season and a home this season at 2-0.
– Be the ninth time in Coach Joseph’s 13 year career that the Yellow Jackets have started off the season 2-0.
– Be the 234th win of Coach Joseph’s career and her 383rd game at the helm of the Jackets putting her just 17 games away from hitting the 400 mark.
– Give Georgia Tech its 609th program win and put Georgia Tech at 609-575 overall over 41 years of women’s basketball.

OPENING NIGHT
After an 84-77 victory against Loyola Chicago on Friday night at home, Georgia Tech is now 31-11 (.738) all-time on opening day and 12-1 in season openers under head coach MaChelle Joseph. The Yellow Jackets scored an ACC-high 84 points on opening night while Aaliyah Whiteside scored the second-most points in the league with 22.

GTWBB WELCOMES NO. 35 RECRUITING CLASS 
Georgia Tech women’s basketball head coach MaChelle Joseph announced on Saturday, Nov. 14, that Zutorya Cook and Anne Francoise Diouf have signed National Letters of Intent to join the Yellow Jacket program beginning in the 2016-17 season. Cook, who is from nearby Marietta, Ga., is a point guard plays at Osborne High School and has been named All-State three times. Cook was a USA Basketball U16 national team trials participant in 2013.  Diouf is originally from Senegal but has lived in Bradenton, Fla., the past two years. She currently attends IMG Academy. Prospect’s Nation tabbed Georgia Tech’s recruiting class as the #35 recruiting class in the country. Blue Star Basketball ranks Georgia Tech’s recruiting class the #38 recruiting class in the nation.

APPROACHING MILESTONES
Senior Aaliyah Whiteside is set up to become the 29th Yellow Jacket to score 1,000 career points. The Memphis, Tenn., native currently has 958 career points, needing just 42 to hit the 1,000 mark. Fellow senior Roddreka Rogers is on pace to crack into the top 10 of Georgia Tech’s all-time leading rebounder. Rogers has accumulated 713 boards in her four seasons so far. She needs just 48 rebounds to surpass Sasha Goodlett for 10th place on Georgia Tech’s career list. In order to become GT’s all-time leading rebounder, Rogers needs 327 boards this season. She tallied 335 in her junior year.

CENTURY MARK
Seniors Roddreka Roger and Aaliyah Whiteside are approaching their 100th career games. Rogers has played in 96 games in her career, starting 77, and averaging 6.6 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game. Whiteside has played in 95 games in her career, starting 59 and averaging 10.1 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game.

BLOCK PARTY
The Yellow Jackets had quite a block party in the season opener against Loyola Chicago, tallying eight blocks against the Ramblers. Both Vuckovic and sophomore Simina Avram had three blocks apiece, which is currently tied for most in the ACC. The Yellow Jackets’ eight blocks were the most by an ACC team on opening night. Senior Roddreaka Rogers and freshman Chelsea Guimaraes also had a swat a piece.

SENIOR LEADERSHIP 101
With a young team that includes nine freshmen and sophomores, senior Aayliah Whiteside stepped up in the season opener showing her senior leadership. Whiteside led a game-changing run in the first period, scoring seven points in 35 seconds in the final minute of the frame. Whiteside hit double-figures before halftime, scoring 18 points in the first half. Whiteside finished with team highs in points, 22, and rebounds, eight.

It was the eighth time in the Memphis, Tenn., native’s career that she has scored at least 20 points. She also dished out three assists. Whiteside scored in double-digits for the 45th time in her career and it was the eighth time in her career that she has scored at least 20 points. It was the 12th time in Whiteside’s career that she has led the team in scoring and the 12th time that she has led the team in rebounding. Here 22 points were second-best in the ACC on opening night. Whiteside currently has 958 career points, needing just 42 to become the 29th Yellow Jacket to score 1,000 career points.

NONCONFERENCE PLAY UNDER JOSEPH
Under Coach Joseph, Georgia Tech is 129-36 in nonconference games (totals do not include post season tournaments). The Yellow Jackets are 1-0 so far this season and 1-0 at home. Tech is averaging 84.0 points per game in nonconference contests.