Nov. 14, 2008
ATLANTA – Alex Montgomery scored 20 points to lead the Georgia Tech women’s basketball team past Troy, 73-49, in the Yellow Jackets season opener at Alexander Memorial Coliseum Friday evening.
Montgomery, a sophomore from Tacoma, Wash., finished seven-of-13 from the field and grabbed seven rebounds. Sophomore Iasia Hemingway added 15 points and four boards for the Jackets. Senior Jacqua Williams registered five steals, extending her personal streak to 40 straight games with at least one.
“Alex showed she is just a very special player on the offensive end,” head coach MaChelle Joseph said. “She really led her team early by making her shots and is playing with a lot of confidence. I believe Jacqua, with her five steals, was a difference-maker for us. When we couldn’t get our offense going, she was able to make something happen on the defensive end.”
The Yellow Jackets received some big contributions from freshmen. Mo Bennett finished with eight points and seven boards, while Sasha Goodlett scored seven points and grabbed five rebounds from the starting lineup.
Tech put the game away in the first 10 minutes of the second half, extending its lead to 21 points on a Hemingway lay-up. The Jackets finished the game with 40 points in the paint compared to Troy’s 12. Tech also blocked 10 shots and finished with 53 rebounds on the night.
“I was just very pleased with our defensive effort and our rebounding effort,” Joseph said. “I saw different player’s step up at difference times. It is going to be a game-by-game effort where we will see different player’s lift their games.”
The Trojans were led Brittnie Davis and Larelle Roper, who scored 10 points apiece. Davis grabbed six rebounds and had two assists.
Tech shot 39 percent (13-33) from the field in the first half en route to a 34-24 halftime lead. The Jackets used a suffocating defense to force 13 Troy turnovers while blocking seven shots. Montgomery led all scorers with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field, including 3-for-4 from three-point range. Tech’s bench also out-scored the Troy bench 13-0 and 18 of the Jackets’ 34 points were scored in the paint.
The Yellow Jackets will now hit the road for the first time this season as they head north to face No. 1 Connecticut. Tip-off from Storrs, Conn., is set for 2:00 p.m. and the game can be seen in the Metro Atlanta are on Comcast Digital channel 499.
– RamblinWreck.com –
