Jackets Travel to Pittsburgh for Monday Night Matchup

Feb. 2, 2014

The Georgia Tech women’s basketball team (13-8, 3-5 ACC) head to Pittsburgh (10-11, 2-5 ACC) for a Monday night matchup. The Yellow Jackets and Panthers will play at 7 p.m. at the Peterson Events Center and the game will be broadcast on ESPN3. Fans can also listen to Richard Musterer and LaQuananisha Adams call the game on WREK 91.1.

This is the first trip to Pittsburgh for the Yellow Jackets in the history of the program. The two teams have only met once before, on December 30, 1999 with the Panthers winning, 75-69, in Atlanta.

The Jackets will look to rebound after losing two-straight ACC games to #23/24 NC State, 80-73, and to Clemson in an overtime battle, 80-79. Against Clemson, freshman Kaela Davis scored a season-high 31 points. This is the second time this season that a Yellow Jacket has hit the 30-point mark. Senior Tyaunna Marshall scored 30 points at Virginia Tech a week prior to Davis’ 31 point outing. Marshall leads the Jackets with an average of 19.1 ppg and Davis is averaging 18.2 ppg.

TECH TIDBITS
– Senior Tyaunna Marshall is in second place on the Georgia Tech career scoring list with 1,901 career points. Marshall is 55 points away from breaking Kisha Ford’s all-time record of 1,955. To break the record by the last game of the regular season against Boston College, Marshall needs to average 6.9 ppg. She is currently averaging 19.1 ppg.
– In the last five of seven games, Marshall has scored at least 20 points. She has averaged 22.4 ppg over that stretch.
– Out of the Jackets’ 13 wins so far this season, 10 games have been won by 20 or more points with its biggest margin of victory being 50 points against Portland State.
– In 10 out of 21 games, the Jackets have scored at least 80 points.
– In 16 out of Tech’s 21 games, at least one Jacket has scored 20 points or more. Davis has scored 20+ in nine games while Marshall has scored at least 20 in 10. Both Marshall and Davis scored more than 20 against UTEP, Clemson and #6 Maryland.
-The Jackets were on a 15-game streak of outrebounding their opponents, until Virginia Tech edged the Jackets by one rebound. Tech has won the rebounding battle in 18 out of 21 games this season and average 45.3 rpg.
– With her 2.6 made 3-pointers a game, freshman Kaela Davis ranks 65th in the nation and fifth in the ACC. She leads the Jackets with 54e made 3-pointers.
– 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, its 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
– 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

A WIN WOULD…
– Be the first ever against Pittsburgh in the history of the program
– Snap a two-game ACC losing streak for the Jackets
– Make the Jackets 1-1 against the Panthers overall
– Make Coach Joseph 207-130 overall

BY THE NUMBERS
An inside look at the statistical differences in the Yellow Jackets’ wins and losses:
– In wins, Tech is averaging 87.8 ppg. In losses, the Jackets have averaged 67.8 ppg.
– In wins, Tech allows only 60.8 ppg. In losses, opponents have tallied 76.2 ppg.
– In wins, opponents are shooting only 35.1 percent from the field. In losses, opponents are shooting at 43.3 percent.
– In wins, Tech is out-rebounding opponents by 12.0 boards per game. In losses, Tech is out-rebounding opponents by 0.3 per game.
– In wins, Tech is averaging 28 free throw attempts per game. In losses, the Jackets are only getting 18 attempts from the stripe.
– In wins, Marshall is averaging 19.8 ppg and Davis is averaging 19.2 ppg. Marshall averages 18.0 ppg and Davis averages 16.5 ppg in losses.

A LOOK AT THE PANTHERS
Pittsburgh (10-11, 2-5 ACC) most recently defeated Boston College, 67-65. Brianna Kiesel hit the game winning shot with 3.1 seconds left in the game to give the Panthers their second ACC win of the season. The Panthers’ first ACC win came against Virginia.

Brianna Kiesel is Pittsburgh’s leader on offense, averaging 17.9 ppg. Kiesel also averages a team-high 4.2 apg and 1.7 spg. Asia Logan is the leaders on the boards, grabbing 6.5 rp.

HITTING THE 30 MARK
Davis has a season-high 31 points against Clemson, marking the second time this season that a Yellow Jacket has scored 31 points. Davis’ 31 points led Tech in the overtime loss against Clemson, 80-79. Davis scored six of the Jackets eight points in overtime.

Marshall led the Jackets against Virginia Tech, scoring 30 points against the Hokies. This was the second time that Marshall scored 30 points in her career. The first was against Miami last season, where she scored a career-high 37.

Marshall also led the Jackets in rebounds, seven, and assists, five, marking the second time this season that she led the Jackets in all three columns. In the last five of seven games, Marshall has scored at least 20 points. She has averaged 22.4 ppg over that stretch. Her 23 point performance against #23/24 NC State marked her 100th career game scoring in double figures.

STEPPING UP IN CONFERENCE PLAY
Marshall is averaging a team-high 21.9 ppg and 7.4 rpg in ACC games. She has scored at least 20 points in five of eigh conference games this season. Davis has been averaging 17.8 ppg against conference opponents and averages 2.6 made 3-pointers in ACC play. Sophomore Nariah Taylor has emerged as a force against ACC opponents, averaging 8.0 ppg and 3.4 rpg. She is shooting 49 percent from the floor in conference games (28-for-57).

The Jackets rank fifth in scoring in conference play with 73.9 ppg. Tech is in 10th in scoring defense, allowing 71.9 ppg in conference play. Four of the Jackets’ five conference losses have come to teams ranked in the top-25 or receiving votes in this week’s AP poll.

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 36.3 ppg for the Jackets and an average of 12.9 rebounds. The two hold the top two scoring averages on the team, Marshall with 19.1 and Davis with 18.2 ppg. While Davis poses a threat from behind the 3-point line with her 34.2 3-point shooting percentage, Marshall leads Tech with an average of 2.6 steals per game.

Marshall ranks third in the ACC in scoring while Davis checks in at seventh. The Jackets join Wake Forest as the only other team in the ACC to have two players rank in the top-10 in scoring from the same team.

Either Davis or Marshall has led the Jackets in scoring in every game this season, with Davis leading the way in 11 games and Marshall in 10.

NEXT UP
The Yellow Jackets return home to host UNC on Thursday at 7 p.m. Thursday’s game against the Tar Heels will be on ESPN3 and it is also National Girls and Women in Sports Day.