Dec. 21, 2002
ATLANTA — Led by a career-best 25 points from junior guard Megan Isom, who hit a career-best seven three pointers, the Georgia Tech women’s basketball team rallied in the second half to claim a 69-53 win over visiting Fordham on Saturday night at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.The win was the seventh straight for the Yellow Jackets.
“It wasn’t easy, but it was a win,” said Tech head coach Agnus Berenato. “Jim Lewis is a great coach and he had his team very well prepared. I thought we showed great character and resiliency. Tonight we proved we’ve grown up. We struggled in the first half, but came out in the second half and took care of business. We’ve worked very hard to be 8-1 right now.”
The Yellow Jackets (8-1) struggled from the field in the first half, shooting just 10-for-28 (.357) from the field. In the second half, Tech found its shooting touch against the Rams (6-3) and got its comeback started midway through the period. With the score knotted at 45-45 with 10:32 to play, layups by both Fallon Stokes and Alex Stewart started a 20-5 run by the Jackets to put the game out of reach and give Tech a 65-50 lead with 2:48 to play. Stewart led the spurt with seven points, while Isom added five over the span. In the second half, the Jackets shot a solid 65.2 percent from the floor on a 15-of-23 performance, while holding Fordham to 8-for-21 (.381) shooting from the field.
Tech found itself in a 31-29 hole at the intermission, after the Rams got 11 points from both Mobolaji Akiode and Beth Ann Dickinson, who combined for four threes in the period, to take the early lead in the contest. Fordham jumped out to a 16-8 lead with 11:57 to play in the opening half, as Akiode and Dickinson combined to hit three treys in the span. Isom then got hot from beyond the arc for the Jackets, hitting a trio of threes of her own down the stretch in the period to close the Fordham advantage to just two, including one with just under a minute remaining.
“Megan Isom was phenomenal tonight,” said Berenato. “She really keys up defensively and tonight she was stroking it. Sonja Mallory was struggling a little on the inside, but she kicked it out and Megan knocked them down.”
Isom led all scorers in the game with her 25 points, as her seven threes were the most by a Tech player since Danielle Donehew also hit seven against Florida State on Jan. 31, 1999. She added nine rebounds and three assists in the contest as well. Alex Stewart recorded her first double-double of the year, as she scored a season-high 13 points and dished out a career-high-tying 11 assists in the game, while also recording four steals. Senior center Sonja Mallory was the third Yellow Jacket in double figures, as she finished with 13 point to go along with a career-best-tying four steals.
Akiode was the leading scorer for the Rams, as she finished the game with 21 points. Dickinson joined her in double figures with 11 points.
Georgia Tech will now take a break for the Christmas holiday before returning to action on Dec. 27, when it takes on in-state rival Georgia in a game that will tip off at 3 p.m. as part of the Russell Athletic Shootout at Philips Arena. The game will be broadcast on the ACC’s regional sports network, which includes Fox Sports Net South and the Sunshine Network.
-GT-
