Jan. 30, 2010
ATLANTA – The 25th-ranked Georgia Tech Women’s Basketball team (17-5, 3-3 ACC) continues its two-game homestand Sunday against Virginia Tech (12-8, 2-4). The game at Alexander Memorial Coliseum is slated to begin at 2 p.m.
Gameday CentralGame #23 Date: Sunday, January 31, 2010Opponent: Virginia Tech HokiesTip-Off: 2:00 p.m. ETSite: Alexander Memorial Coliseum (9,191)Radio: WREK 91.1 FM/www.WREK.orgTalent: Richard Musterer (pbp) and Kyle Tait (analyst)Live Stats: www.RamblinWreck.com.com via GametrackerTickets: $7 adults, $5 children, seniors Sunday Family Funday - 4 tickets, 4 food vouchers, 4 t-shirts for $25
GEORGIA TECH VS. VIRGINIA TECH
• Virginia Tech leads the all-time series, 4-2 (3-2 since joining the ACC).
• Tech has won the last two games against the Hokies including last year’s 73-68 OT win in Blacksburg, Va.
• The Jackets are 1-1 against Virginia Tech in Atlanta.
• The Yellow Jackets are 146-328 (.308) all-time against ACC opponents.
ACC HERE WE COME
The Yellow Jackets, who finished the last year’s conference scheduled with an 8-6 record, are 3-3 over the first six games of the ACC portion of their schedule. The Jackets are 27-21 (.563) over the last three-plus seasons against ACC teams during the regular season. Tech will next travel to Maryland next Friday, Feb. 5.
COUNTDOWN TO 1,000
Alex Montgomery, an All-ACC third team member a year ago, is only 51 points shy of becoming the 23rd player in Yellow Jacket history to reach this milestone. Montgomery, who has scored 204 points this season, finished with 335 points her freshman season and added 410 as a sophomore.
MONTGOMERY KNOCKS THEM DOWN FROM LONG RANGE
Alex Montgomery has become one of the most prolific three-point shooters in Georgia Tech history. She has knocked down 149 in her career, which is good for fifth all-time. She is shooting .352 (8th all-time) from three-point range for her career. In her first 17 games this season, Montgomery has shot 45-128 (.352) from beyond the arc. Montgomery ranks third in the ACC in 3-pointers made this season with 2.6 per game. Her five three-point baskets vs. Wake Forest tied a career-high.
SENIOR CLASS WINNINGEST CLASS IN GEORGIA TECH HISTORY
The 2009-10 senior class, Brigitte Ardossi and Tiffany Blackmon, have been part of 82 wins in their three plus seasons on the Flats, which is the all-time class record. The Jackets seniors have topped last year’s senior class, who had 79 wins between them, to become the winningest senior class in the history of the women’s basketball program.
ARDOSSI THE AUSSIE
Senior Brigitte Ardossi, if nothing else, has been extremely consistent over her three-plus seasons on the Flats. The Melbourne, Australia native has played in all 119 games since she came to Tech and has started 71 of them. She ranks seventh all-time in Tech history in field-goal percentage by shooting .492 (294-598) from the field. As a junior, she averaged 7.7 points and 4.5 rebounds, while shooting a team-best 81.9 percent from the free-throw line.
This season, coach Joseph is seeing a big return from her senior “enforcer”. She is putting up 14.9 points and 7.3 boards per game so far and has connected on an ACC leading 88-107 (.822) free-throw attempts in a career-high 29.0 minutes a game. Ardossi has scored in double figures in 15 straight games and 20 of the Yellow Jackets 22 contests this season. She has also recorded four double-doubles on the year, including her 29 point, 17 rebound outburst in the Jackets 80-73 overtime victory over Miami on Jan. 27, 2010.
DEJA VU – FOSTER SHOWING IMPROVEMENT ON PREVIOUS SEASON
Just like 2008-09, junior Deja Foster has shown improvements on her previous season. Though her scoring average has not jumped eight point like the previous season, she has put up career-highs in points (9.8), rebounds (6.7) and assists (3.8) over the first 22 games of the season. Foster has notched three double-doubles this season and grabbed a career-best 14 rebounds in win over Army.
Foster has played so well this season, she is currently one of only two players (Shenise Johnson, Miami) in the ACC to rank in the top 30 of scoring, top 20 of rebounding and top 10 of assists.
CONSISTENTLY GOODLETT
Sophomore center Sasha Goodlett continues to grow into one of the best bigs in Georgia Tech history. Goodlett has scored in double-figures eight times in 2009-10, including a career-high 21 points at Oklahoma State. In ACC play, Goodlett is averaging 11.7 points a game and is shooting .474 (27-57) in those contests. She notched her second career double-double in the overtime win over Miami.
THE `MO’TER IS RUNNING
While junior Alex Montgomery was out with an injury, sophomore Mo Bennett filled in admirably for the All-ACC wing. Bennett has shown her ability to score (career-high 21 points vs. Winthrop) and the ability to rebound (career-high 13 rebounds vs. FGCU). Bennett put it all together in a win at Kennesaw State with her first career double-double (23 pts, 11 reb). She is scoring 7.8 a game and is grabbing 5.0 rebounds a game. She also has recorded 42 steals and 44 assists in 22 games. Bennett, who is only 5-10, has registered at least seven rebounds in six games this season.
94 FEET WITH THE JACKETS
Over the past two seasons, Georgia Tech has led the NCAA in steals per game. This has to be credited to Coach Joseph’s pressing defense. Joseph will press for 40 minutes with numerous pressing schemes to keep the offense off-balance. Joseph wants her team to “be an impressive running defensive team that creates opportunities for the offense.” The team has totaled 890 steals the past two years, good for 13.9 per game. Under Coach Joseph, the Yellow Jackets have registered the three top seasons for steals in school history.
The Yellow Jackets have started 2009-10 with 244 steals (11.1 spg) in 22 games.
TURNING TURNOVERS INTO POINTS
The Yellow Jackets not only take the ball away from their opponents, they also put the ball in the basket after those turnovers. Through 22 games, Georgia Tech has scored 459 points off turnovers (20.9 per game) this season.
HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE
Since Joseph began her tenure, Georgia Tech is 79-22 (.782) at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Last season, Tech finished with a 13-2 mark on the Coliseum floor. Tech has won its first 10 games at home in 2009-10 and is scheduled to play 14 games during the season.
TECH ENTERS SEVENTH SEASON UNDER COACH JO
Coach MaChelle Joseph, who is entering her seventh season at Georgia Tech, has already recorded the second-most wins in Tech history. Joseph has registered a 123-81 (.603) record and is the fastest coach in school history to win 100. She has led Tech to its three straight 20-win seasons and three straight NCAA Tournaments, both firsts for the Yellow Jacket program. Joseph registered her 100th victory on Feb. 1, 2009 against Clemson.
MARCH TO WIN No. 500
The Georgia Tech women’s basketball program is two wins shy of the programs 500th all-time victory. Over the 35-plus seasons of women’s basketball on The Flats, Tech is 498-508 (.495) in 1,006 games. Since the 2000-01 season, Georgia Tech has won 172 games (34.5 percent of all wins).
