@GTWBB Plays Host to Syracuse Sunday

Feb. 6, 2015

The Georgia Tech women’s basketball team (14-9, 4-5 ACC), hosts #25 Syracuse (16-7, 6-4) on National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Sunday at 2 p.m. at McCamish Pavilion.

During National Girls and Women in Sports Day, fans can meet the Georgia Tech volleyball and swimming and diving teams on the concourse in the Kids Zone. There will be a halftime performance by the Georgia Tech cheerleading team, and fans can get autographs from the Yellow Jacket sophomores, Kaela Davis and Katarina Vuckovic, following the game.

As always, Sunday is Kids Day so children 18 and under get in free and can enjoy a pre-game Kids Zone that features a DJ, inflatables and more. Also at the game, Girls on the Run will be collecting used shoes. Anyone that donates a pair of shoes will receive $3 admission. 

#5THINGS
– Sophomore Kaela Davis’ 20.7 ppg rank second in the ACC and she leads all ACC players in scoring in conference games with 19.9 ppg.
– Davis became the fastest GT player to score 1,000 career points after scoring 24 pts at Notre Dame. She broke the record of 55 games, scoring 1,000 points in 52 games.
– Junior Roddreka Rogers has a team-best six double-doubles after recording back-to-back double-doubles at UNC and against Pittsburgh.
– Head coach MaChelle Joseph became GT’s all-time winningest coach after the Jackets defeated Clemson on Jan. 4. She has a career record of 227-143.
– This is the third meeting in school history vs. Syracuse. The Orange has won both meetings

a win would…
– Be the 227th win of Coach Joseph’s career, making her 227-142 overall
– Be the first ever win against Syracuse in program history
– Give Joseph a 1-2 record against Syracuse
– Give Georgia Tech its 603rd program win and put Georgia Tech at 603-568 overall over 40 years of women’s basketball
– Be the first win against a top-25 opponent since the Jackets defeated No. 13/11 North Carolina, 94-91, last season on Feb. 6, 2014
– Be the first win against a top-25 opponent at home since the Jackets defeated No. 13/11 North Carolina, 94-91, last season on Feb. 6, 2014

#SWARMSTATS
– Sophomore Kaela Davis became the 28th Yellow Jacket and fastest player at Tech to reach 1,000 points after scoring 24 points at Notre Dame. She played in 52 game – the previous record was 55 games
– Senior Sydney Wallace became the 27th Yellow Jacket to score 1,000 career points after recording 10 points against Lipscomb
– Tech’s nine losses were to teams receiving votes or ranked in top 25 polls at the time
– In 14 wins, Tech has averaged a 18.6 margin of victory
– In 14 of Tech’s 23 games, at least one player has scored 20 points or more. In four games, two Yellow Jackets reached the 20 point mark in the same game
– Kaela Davis, Aaliyah Whiteside, Zaire O’Neil and Sydney Wallace are all averaging double-figures
– Davis ranks second in the ACC with her 20.7 ppg average and 20thin the NCAA.
– Davis’ 19.9 ppg in ACC play leads the conference while Roddreka Rogers’ 9.3 rebounds per game is seventh in ACC play.
– The Jackets have won the rebounding battle in 16 of their 23 games and tied their opponents in rebounding in one game
– The Jackets are averaging 79.6 points per game when playing at home this season.
– The Yellow Jackets have scored first in 18 of their 23 games. Georgia Tech is 13-5 when they score the first points of the game.  
– Dating back to the 2012-13 season, Tech has won 18 out of its 21 home non-conference games. Tech’s loss to Georgia was its first nonconference home loss since Dec. 2, 2012 against UGA.
– The Yellow Jackets are averaging 32.4 points per game in the paint, which is 43 percent of their overall points average (75.1).

ACC LEADERS
Sophomore Kaela Davis is currently leading all ACC players in points per game in conference play with 19.9 ppg. The Yellow Jackets are just one of two teams, joining Notre Dame, to have two players in the top 10 of scoring in conference games. Davis checks in at number one, while junior Aaliyah Whiteside is ninth with her 16.4 points per game average. In reounding, junior Roddreka Rogers is averaging 9.3 boards per game against conference opponents, which is sixth. 

THROWBACK to the last time they met
Georgia Tech fell on the road at Syracuse last year, 76-70. The game was a battle from start to finish between the two teams in their second overall meeting. The game featured 12 lead changes and six tied scores. With the score tied at 67-67, the Orange used a 3-pointer from Brianna Butler, who made a total of seven in the game, and perfect 6-for-6 free throw shooting to secure the win. Tyaunna Marshall led the way for the Yellow Jackets on offense, scoring 24 points and grabbing a team-high seven rebounds and dishing out a team-high five assists. 

SPREAD OUT SCORING
In every game so far this year, at least two Yellow Jackets have scored in double-figures. Five Jackets have hit the double-figure mark in three games (Loyola, Morgan State and Grambling State) while four achieved the feat against Kennesaw State, Lipscomb, Clemson, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech. Georgia Tech has four players averaging double-figures – Kaela Davis (20.7), Sydney Wallace (13.1), Aaliyah Whiteside (13.0) and Zaire O’Neil (11.3) Davis leads the Jackets with 22 double-figure games this season with Whiteside scoring in double-figures in 15 games and O’Neil in 15.

RAINING THREE’S
Georgia Tech made 11 3-point shots in two games, at Loyola Chicago and Lipscomb which ranks third in the Georgia Tech record books for 3-pointers made in a game. The Jackets have made at least nine 3-pointers in sevent games- Loyola, Morgan State, Grambling State, Minnesota, Michigan State, Alabama State and Virginia Tech. Georgia Tech is seventh in the ACC with 6.2 3-pointers made per game.

WELCOME TO THE BIG LEAGUES
Freshman Zaire O’Neil has three double-doubles so far this season. The Jackets are 3-0 when O’Neil records a double-double, Most recently, O’Neil recorded one against Virginia Tech, scoring 15 points and leading the Jackets with 10 rebounds. She also notched one at Virginia with 16 points and 11 rebounds. O’Neil had a career day against Central Arkansas, leading the team in both points and rebounds with her first career double-double. She scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds while handingout three assists and grabbing two steals. O’Neil is averaging 11.3 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game which rank fourth and third on the Jackets, respecitvely. Her 11.3 ppg rank ninth among freshmen in the ACC. 

PERESSON FOR THREE
Freshman Antonia Peresson sank five 3-pointers on the way to a career-high 17 points against Virginia Tech. The point guard, who is averaging 3.6 points per game, has taken 77 shots this season. Sixty of those shots have been from behind the 3-point line. Peresson is averaging 2.2 assists per game for Tech. 

fast track to 1,000 points
Sophomore Kaela Davis became the 28th Yellow Jacket to reach 1,000 career points after scoring 24 at Notre Dame. Davis scored 1,000 points in 52 career games which makes her the fastest player in GT women’s basketball history to reach the 1,000 point milestone. Dolores Bootz (1985-88) and Joyce Pierce (1991-93) both reached the milestone in 55 games. Davis is the second Yellow Jacket to achieve the feat this year for senior Sydney Wallace became the 27th Yellow Jacket to score 1,000 career points against Lipscomb on Dec. 29, 2014.  Davis currently has 1,070 points. 

NEXT UP
The Yellow Jackets wrap up a four-game homestand on Thursday when they host NC State at 7 p.m. at McCamish Pavilion.

–TogetherWeSwarm–