@GTWBB On the Road at Clemson Sunday

Jan. 22, 2016

STARTING FIVE

1. Georgia Tech hits the road this weekend, traveling to Clemson on Sunday at 2 p.m. on ESPN3. The game can also be heard on WREK 91.1 with Richard Musterer and Kurt Hoyt.
2. Clemson is Georgia Tech’s most frequently played opponent. The two teams will meet for the 76th time in school history on Sunday and the Tigers lead the all-time series, 43-32. Georgia Tech has won 19 of the past 21 meetings against Clemson and three-straight. The Jackets won all three meetings against the Tigers in 2015.
3. Senior Aaliyah Whiteside leads the ACC with her 20.9 points per game which also is 15th in the nation. She is also Tech’s leading rebounder with 7.4 boards per game, which is 9th in the ACC. She has scored at least 21 points in 14 of 19 games and had four-straight double-doubles this season. She scored her 1,000th career point against Southeastern Louisiana.
4. The Yellow Jackets are shooting a league-high 74.4 percent from the free throw line. Whiteside leads the team in free throw percentage with 82.6 percent (128-155). Whiteside’s 128 made free throws are second in the nation and her 155 free throw attempts are third in the NCAA. Whiteside is shooting 84 percent (21-25) from the charity stripe when fouled in the final five minutes of the game.
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 243-157 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 88-98 in her career in ACC play.

a win would…
– Be the fourth-straight win against Clemson and the 20th win out of the past 22 meetings. 
– Be the first ACC road victory for the Yellow Jackets this season.
– Put the overall record between the two teams at 43-33 in favor of Clemson.
– Give the Yellow Jackets an overall ACC record of 190-341 and an 89-98 record in the ACC under Coach Joseph.
– Be the 244th win of Coach Joseph’s career and give her a 244-157 overall record.
– Give Georgia Tech its 619th program win and put Georgia Tech at 619-584 overall over 41 years of women’s basketball.

rogers vs. the tigers
Senior Roddreka Rogers has had some of her best games in a Yellow Jacket uniform against Clemson. Over the past three seasons and in seven games, Rogers has averaged 12.1 points per game and 13.6 rebounds per game against Clemson. In the three times the Jackets faced the Tigers in 2015, Rogers averaged an impressive 16.7 points per game and 17.0 rebounds per game. Rogers has recorded a double-double against Clemson in five-straight meetings.

the last meeting vs. CLEMSON
The Yellow Jackets went 3-0 last year against Clemson, meeting the Tigers twice in the regular season and then again in the first round of the ACC Tournament. The Yellow Jackets averaged a +15.7 margin of victory against the Tigers in 2015. In the first victory at home, the Jackets had four players score in double figures led by Whiteside’s 17 points. Rogers added 16 points and 18 rebounds while O’Neil scored 14 and had nine boards. Whiteside and Rogers also scored in double figures in the road win. Rogers scored 14 and grabbed 19 rebounds in the win. In the ACC Tournament victory, Whiteside scored a team-high 23 points while Rogers scored 20 points and grabbed 14 boards. O’Neil tallied 10 points and six rebounds. Vuckovic matched her eight points with eight rebounds.

Miss do-it-all
Senior Aaliyah Whiteside has proved night in and night out that she is an all-around team player. Whiteside scored a career-high 31 points at NC State while leading the Jackets in rebounding with nine boards and in assists with three. She is one of six players in the ACC to score at least 30 points in a game this season. The last game a Yellow Jacket scored at least 30 points was against Virginia on Jan. 25, 2015. This season, she has hit the double digit mark before half time in 12 out of 19 games and has scored in double-figures in every game besides one.

Whiteside leads the Jackets in three stat categories – points (21.3), rebounds (7.4) and assists (3.2). She leads the ACC in scoring and has a league-high 14 20+ point games. Her 7.4 rebounds per game rank ninth in the ACC. Whiteside is also leading the conference in scoring in just ACC games with 23.8 points per game. She is also grabbing 7.0 rebounds per game against ACC opponents which is 14th in the conference.

most played opponents
This season, the Yellow Jackets will face seven of their eight most played opponents. Clemson is Tech’s most frequently played opponent.

Georgia Tech’s Most Played Opponents
Team              # of Games    Series Record
Clemson            75               Clemson leads 43-32
North Carolina   74               North Carolina leads 55-19
Virginia               70                Virginia leads 54-16
NC State            68                NC State leads 45-23
Duke                  67                Duke leads 59-8
Maryland            67                Maryland leads 49-18
Wake Forest       64                Georgia Tech leads 40-24

Georgia              38             Georgia leads 34-4