@GTWBB Heads to Michigan State for ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Dec. 3, 2014

The Georgia Tech women’s basketball team (5-3) travels to #16/16 Michigan State (4-1) for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Breslin Center.

#5THINGS
– Georgia Tech is 6-1 during the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, having played Michigan State in the challenge in 2008. Tech defeated the Spartans, 70-57, in Atlanta on Dec. 3, 2008.
– Sophomore Kaela Davis is averaging a team-high 18.3 points per game, which is good for fourth in the ACC. Davis was just named a nominee of the WBCA All State Good Works Team.
– Georgia Tech is averaging 77.2 ppg, which ranks sixth in the ACC.
– Head coach MaChelle Joseph has a career record of 218-137, putting her just six wins away from becoming GT’s all-time winningest coach.
– This will be the second-straight Big Ten opponent for the Jackets – Tech faced Minnesota on Sunday.

a win would…
– Be the second-straight against Michigan State
– Be the second-straight win in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge for the Jackets
– Put the Jackets ACC/Big Ten Challenge record at 7-1
– Be the 219th win of Coach Joseph’s career, putting her five wins shy of becoming the all-time winningest coach in Georgia Tech history
– Give Georgia Tech its 594th program win, putting it six wins away from reaching the 600 win milestone
– Be the 13th overall win against a team from the Big Ten and put Tech’s record against Big Ten opponents at 13-5

Tech tidbits
– Tech’s only three losses to teams receiving votes or ranked in top 25 polls
– In five wins, averaged 26.8 margin of victory
– Kaela Davis, Aaliyah Whiteside and Sydney Wallace are all averaging double-figures.
– The Jackets have won the rebounding battle in six of their eight games. 

acc/big ten challenge
The Yellow Jackets have a 6-1 record during the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, including an 4-0 record at home. Tech’s only loss in the challenge came at #14/13 Purdue in 2012-13. The Jackets have recorded wins against Nebraska, Northwestern, Penn State, Michigan State, Iowa and Illinois. 

GOOD WORK ON AND OFF THE COURT
Sophomore Kaela Davis has been tabbed as one of 251 nominees for the 2015 Allstate WBCA and NABC Good Works Team. The Good Works Team honors players at all levels of college basketball who represent the sport’s finest in the areas of leadership and charitable achievements amongst their peers. 

Davis serves as the campus leader for Georgia Tech to build a partnership between the school and the St. Jude Foundation. This involves establishing an executive board of 10-12 students at Georgia Tech, facilitating campus meetings to generate interest in community service activities with St. Jude’s, and organizing a fundraiser for St. Jude’s entitled “Up Til Dawn.”

She also actively participates in many team community service initatives including trips to the Ronald McDonald House, the Michael Isenhour Toy Drive, Jacket to Jacket Reading program, the Atlanta Girls on the Run, the Atlanta 2 Day Walk for Breast Cancer and the 2014 Alzheimer’s Walk.

miss. double-double
Junior Roddreka Rogers opened up the 2014-15 season with back-to-back double-doubles, scoring 10 points and pulling down a team-high 13 rebounds at Loyola, and tying her career-high 17 points and grabbing a career-high 17 rebounds vs. Morgan State. She then recorded her third double-double of the season against Grambling State, grabbing a team-high 15 rebounds and scoring 10 points. Rogers’ three double-doubles is tied for second in the ACC and her eight career double-doubles ranks seventh among all active ACC players. 

When asked about her goals in the beginning of the season, Rogers stated that she wanted to average a double-double as a junior. Rogers is averaging close to a double-double, with 8.8 ppg and 10.1 rpg. Her 10.1 rebounds per game rank third in the ACC and 50th in the NCAA. She has led the Jackets in rebounding in six games.

davis’ scoring streak
Sophomore Kaela Davis extended her double-figure scoring streak to 20-straight games. Davis has scored at least 20 points in three of the past five games. Her 24 points against Villanova marked her18th 20-point game. Against Villanova, Davis led Tech with 24 points, her 21st time in her career and sixth time this season that she has led the Jackets in scoring. Davis has scored in double-figures in all eight games this season and has four 20-point games. Davis has scored in double-figures in 37 games in her 40-game career.

Davis’ 18.3 points per game ranks fourth in the ACC and first on the Jackets. Her 6.0 rebounds
per game is second-best on the team.

spread out scoring
In every game so far this year, at least three Yellow Jackets have scored in double-figures. Five Jackets have hit the double-figure marks in three games (Loyola, Morgan State and Grambling State) while four achieved the feat against Kennesaw State. Georgia Tech has three players averaging double-figures – Kaela Davis (18.3), Sydney Wallace (13.1) and Aaliyah Whiteside (11.9). Davis, Wallace and Whiteside all rank in the top-26 in scoring in the ACC. 

Davis leads the Jackets with eight double-figure games this season with Wallace checking in with seven. Whiteside has hit the double-figures mark in five games.
 
board room
The Yellow Jackets have continued their dominance in rebounding with a +12.7 rebounding margin, which is fourth in the ACC and 16th in the NCAA. Rogers leads the way with a 10.1 rpg average. She ranks third in the ACC and is tied for fifth in offensive rebounds with 4.0 rebounds per game. 

Tech has won the rebounding battle in six out of eight games. Against Grambling State, outrebounding the Tigers, 45-18, grabbing more offensive rebounds (24), than Gramblings total rebounds.