Jackets Host Duke in ACC-Opener

Jan. 4, 2014

The Georgia Tech women’s basketball team hosts #3/#3 Duke at McCamish Pavilion on Sunday at 2 p.m. The game can be seen on ESPN3 with Mike DeGeorge (pxp) and Kurt Hoyt (color) on the call. Fans can also listen to the game on 91.1 WREK.

Every Sunday women’s basketball game is Kids Day where every child 18 and under will have free admission. Children in attendance can enjoy inflatables, a DJ and much more pregame, make a Tunnel of Luck on the court for the Yellow Jackets and can get autographs of the team following the game. This Sunday, the freshman will be signing autographs following the game.

The Blue Devils will be the fourth top-25 ranked team the rv/rv Yellow Jackets will face so far this season and the first at home. The Jackets are 7-0 at home and have averaged 92 points per game during the non-conference season at McCamish.

The Jackets wrapped up the non-conference season by winning the Georgia Tech Holiday Tournament.

TECH TIDBITS
– Senior Tyaunna Marshall is in third place on the Georgia Tech career scoring list with 1,726 career points. Marshall is 230 points away from breaking Kisha Ford’s all-time record of 1,955 and 18 points away from besting Karen Lounsbury (1989-92) 1,743 career points for second place.
– The Yellow Jackets averaged an impressive 92 points per game at home during its non-conference portion of its schedule on its way to a 7-0 record at McCamish.
– Against Portland State, Tech scored 104 points, it’s highest offensive output all season. Prior to the game against the Vikings, the last time the Jackets scored 100+ points since their 101-44 victory against Mercer on Dec. 28, 2010
– Marshall’s 4.1 assist-to-turnover ration leads the ACC and ranks 4th in the NCAA
– With her 2.5 made 3-pointers a game, freshman Kaela Davis ranks 47th in the nation and fifth in the ACC. She leads the Jackets with 33 made 3-pointers.
– Out of the Jackets’ 10 wins so far this season, eight games have been won by 20 or more points with its biggest margin of victory being 50 points against Portland State.
– In nine out of Tech’s 13 games, one Jacket has scored 20 points or more. Davis notched 20+ in each of the first three games and against Alabama A&M while Marshall recorded 20+ points in each game of the LIU Turkey Classic and 27 against Illinois. Both Marshall and Davis scored more than 20 against UTEP and Marshall added 22 against Hampton
– The Jackets set a new school record, making 13 3-pointers against Western Carolina
– Prior to the game against Western Carolina, the Jackets’ school record was 12 3-point baskets made, which was against Mercer exactly 7 years prior, on Nov. 10, 2006
– Sophomore Nariah Taylor scored a career 14 points against Coppin State while redshirt senior Shayla Bivins scored a career-high eight against Illinois

A WIN WOULD…
– Make the Jackets undefeated at home this season at 8-0
– Be the first win against Duke for Coach Joseph in her career
– Be the first win against Duke since the Jackets defeated the Blue Devils, 61-56 at home on Feb. 27, 1994.
– Give the Jackets its first win against a top-5 opponent since a 66-62 win against #2/3 North Carolina on Jan. 22, 2009
– Give the Jackets its first win against a top-10 opponent since a 71-70 win against #8/8 North Carolina on Jan. 6, 2011
– Give the Jackets its first win against a top-25 opponent since a 76-64 win against #17/16 Georgetown on March 20, 2012

HOME SWEET HOME
Tech finished the non-conference season with a 10-3 record and went 7-0 at home. Georgia Tech averaged 92 points per game during home nonconference games this season. The Jackets scored more than 90 points in five games this season, with four of those games being at home.

A LOOK AT THE BLUE DEVILS
Duke heads to Atlanta on a three-game winning streak, most recently defeating Old Dominion, 87-63. The Blue Devils are lead on offense by Tricia Liston, who is averaging 17.4 ppg. Haley Peters averages a team-high 7.6 rebounds per game while Chelsea Gray is averaging an ACC-high 7.4 assists per game.

Duke’s only loss this season was to No. 1 Connecticut on Dec. 17, 83-61.

ACC-OPENERS
Under coach Joseph, the Yellow Jackets are 4-6 in ACC opening games. The Jackets opened up last year’s portion of the ACC schedule with Duke as well, falling, 85-52, in Durham.

The matchup with Duke gives Tech an ACC-opening foe from the Old North State for the seventh time in the last eight years. The only year in that stretch the Jackets didn’t face a team from the State of North Carolina was in 2008-09 when Tech hosted Boston College to open league play.

Tech does not travel to the state of North Carolina at all this season except to play in the ACC tournament in March.

100 POINT PERFORMANCES > The Jackets accomplished a rare feat during their victories against UTEP, 102-77, and Portland State, 104-54. It was the first time Tech has scored 100 points in back-to-back games since the 1992-1993 season. This was also the first time since the 1994-95 season that the Jackets have defeated two opponents by more than 100 points in the same season.

ONE-TWO PUNCH
Both Davis and Marshall have proven to be a dangerous duo – both on offense and defense – for the Yellow Jackets. Together, the two account for an average of 34.3 ppg for the Jackets and an average of 13.6 rebounds. The two hold the top two scoring averages on the team, Davis with 18.5 ppg and Marshall with 17.2. While Davis poses a threat from behind the 3-point line with her 33.0 3-point shooting percentage, Marshall leads Tech with an average of 2.9 steals per game.

Davis ranks fifth in the ACC in scoring, while Marshall checks in at number 11. Either Davis or Marshall has led the Jackets in scoring in every game this season. Davis has led the charge in seven games, Marshall six.

PICK POCKETS
Both Tyaunna Marshall and Dawnn Maye rank in the top-10 of the ACC in steals. Marshall checks in at second with her 2.9 spg average while Maye’s 2.5 spg has her in fifth in the ACC. Tech also ranks third in the ACC in steals per game with its 11.5 spg average.

The two are also featured on the Yellow Jackets’ career steals list. Marshall is currently in fifth with 233 career steals while Maye is in sixth with 222.

Marshall leads the ACC with her 4.1 assist/turnover ratio, which also ranks fourth in the nation.

–RamblinWreck.com–