Dec. 17, 2006
Evanston, Ill. – Georgia Tech (5-3) did not play last week allowing players to focus on their final exams, but with the fall semester completed, the Jackets return to the court Monday for a 1 p.m. match up against Northwestern (6-5) at the Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill.
Tech is coming off a Dec. 10, 22-point win over Jacksonville University while Northwestern suffered their fifth loss of the season Saturday in Nebraska. The Jackets are looking for their first win away from home, since dropping two straight on the road; a 62-76 loss at Temple and a 59-62 loss at San Diego. Monday’s game will be the first road contest for Tech since that Nov. 25 loss to San Diego. The Jackets have one road win this season, defeating Appalachian State in Boone, N.C. in their first road game of the season.
The Jackets will be facing a battle-tested Northwestern squad that will be playing their fourth game in eight days and their second in only three days. The Wildcats enter Monday’s game on a four-game losing skid with their last win coming against Princeton on Dec. 1.
Georgia Tech is playing in the state of Illinois for the first time since March 17, 1993 when they last faced Northwestern. That was the only other time the two teams have played and resulted in a 90-62 Wildcat win.
Tech is 3-and-2 all time against Big Ten opponents and has not faced a member of the conference since 1995 when they defeated Illinois, 70-60. Tech’s head coach, MaChelle Joseph, played her college ball as one of the Big Ten’s best at Purdue University where she earned Big Ten Freshman and Player of the Year honors and was a three-time Big Ten All Conference First Team selection. Monday’s game against Northwestern will be Joseph’s head coaching debut against a Big Ten opponent.
The game will tip off at 1 p.m. ET, Noon CT and will be broadcast on ISP Radio network WREK 91.1 FM and on www.WREK.org with Rich Musterer doing play-by-play.
