@GTWBB Opens Up Gulf Coast Showcase Friday

Nov. 27, 2014

NAPLES, Fla. – The Georgia Tech women’s basketball team (4-1) opens up the Gulf Coast Showcase with Green Bay (3-1) on Friday at noon at Germain Arena in Naples, Fla. 

#5THINGS
– Dating back to the 2012-13 season, Tech has won 14 out of its 17 home non-conference games. Tech’s loss to Georgia was its first nonconference home loss since Dec. 2, 2012 against UGA.
– Junior Roddreka Rogers is averaging a double-double with 11.2 ppg and 12.2 rpg.
– Five Yellow Jackets are averaging double figures while Davis’ 18.8 ppg ranks fifth in the ACC.
– Georgia Tech is averaging 85.6 ppg, which ranks 4th in the ACC and 25th in the NCAA.
– This is the 3rd meeting against Green Bay. The Jackets are 1-1 against Green Bay overall.
– Head coach MaChelle Joseph has a career record of 217-135, putting her just seven wins away from becoming GT’s all-time winningest coach.

a win would…
– Be the 218th win of Coach Joseph’s career, putting her six wins shy of becoming the all-time winningest coach in Georgia Tech history
– Be the second-ever against Green Bay for the Jackets and first for Joseph.
– Give Georgia Tech its 593rd program win, putting it seven wins away from reaching the 600 win milestone.
– Be the first neutral win this season for Tech.

Scouting the PHOENIX
The Green Bay Phoenix head to Naples on a two-game winning streak. Green Bay recently upset No. 24 Purdue before defeating Duquesne at home. The last time these two teams met was at the San Juan Shootout in 2011. The Phoenix took the matchup in overtime, 67-62. 

Leading Green Bay on offense is sophomore Tesha Buck, who is averating 13.3 points per game and has made a team-high eight 3-pointers. Mariah Monke is grabbing a team-high 6.0 boards per game.

The first matchup of the Gulf Coast Showcase between the Jackets and the Phoenix should be a high scoring one, with Tech averaging 85.6 points per game and Green Bay averaging 80.8 points per game.

gulf coast showcase
The field at the 2014 Gul Coast Showcase is an impressive one. Georgia Tech will be joined by defending national champions Connecticut, Arizona State, College of Charleston, Green Bay, Minnesota, Villanova and Vanderbilt. Tech along with Connecticut, Arizona State and Vanderbilt all made the 2014 NCAA Tournament.  Tech’s first game of the tournament will be against Green Bay with its next potential opponent being either Villanova or Arizona State.

Tech will play a total of three games in Naples. Five of the teams are featured in this week’s AP and coaches polls – #3/3 UConn, rv/rv Green Bay, rv/rv Arizona State, rv/rv Vanderbilt and rv/– Minnesota.

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 the lead in the ACC and her eight career double-doubles ranks seventh amont 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 a double-double, with 11.2 ppg and 12.2 rpg. Her 12.2 rebounds per game rank third in the ACC and 20th in the NCAA.

davis’ scoring streak
Sophomore Kaela Davis extended her double-figure scoring streak to 17-straight games after leading the Yellow Jackets with back-to-back 20 point games against Grambling State and #24 Georgia. Her 20 points marked her 17th time in her career that she has hit the 20-point mark and was 19th time in her career and fourth time this season that she has led the Jackets in scoring. Davis has scored in double-figures in all five games this season and has three 20-point games including the 22 points she scored gainst Morgan State. Davis has scored in double-figures in 34 games in her 37-game career.

Davis’ 18.8 points per game ranks fifth in the ACC and first on the Yellow Jackets. Her 6.6 rebounds per game is third-best on the team.

davis named to wooden top-30
Sophomore Kaela Davis was named to the John R. Wooden Preseason Top 30 watch list. Davis is one of six ACC student-athletes on the list for one of the nation’s most prestigious college basketball awards. She is also one of six sophomores that were recognized. 

The Wooden Award preseason list is comprised of 30 student-athletes who, based on last year’s individual performance and team records, are the early front-runners for college basketball’s most prestigious honor. The list is chosen by a preseason poll of national college women’s basketball media members.

home sweet home
The Yellow Jackets have won 14 of their past 17 home nonconference games, dating back to the 2012-13 season. All three of their losses in that span have been to top-25 opponents – #16 Tennessee, #8 Georgia and #24 Georgia. Georgia Tech is averaging 84.0 points per game while playing at McCamish Pavilion this season. 

whiteside’s 20,000 shots
This offseason, Whiteside made it a goal to put up 20,000 shots and dial into her training before her junior season and her extra hard work has paid off. The junior recorded her second career double-double against Kennesaw State, tying her career-high 11 rebounds and scoring 14 points. In the contest prior to Kennesaw State against Morgan State, Whiteside led the Jackets in scoring for the sixth time in her career with a career-high 26 points. She scored 12 points against UGA and her fourth double-figure scoring game against Grambling State with 11 points. 

Whiteside is averaging 14.4 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game, which both rank second on the Jackets. Whiteside’s 14.4 ppg ties her for 15th in the ACC.

consistency is key
There have been some reoccurring themes throughout the Yellow Jackets’ first four victories. One Yellow Jacket has had a double-double in each game, with junior Roddreka Rogers recording three against Loyola, Morgan State and Grambling State and junior Aaliyah Whiteside tallying one against Kennesaw State. In all three wins, Georgia Tech has had double-figure margin of victories, with its largest being 35 in a 92-57 win at Loyola Chicago. 

Four different Jackets have led Tech in scoring in three games. Sophomores Kaela Davis and Katarina Vuckovic each scored a team-high 17 points at Loyola Chicago, while Davis led Tech against Kennesaw State with 15 points and Grambling State with 20 points. Whiteside was the top scorer against Morgan State.

Three Yellow Jackets have scored in double figures in all four wins – Davis, senior Sydney Wallace and freshman Zaire O’Neil.

NEXT UP
The Yellow Jackets will play either Villanova or Arizona State on Saturday.