March 4, 2004
Greensboro, NC – The eighth-seeded Yellow Jackets (14-14, 5-11 ACC) will face the No. 9 Demon Deacons (11-16, 4-12) for the second time in a week and third time this season when they meet in the first-round game of the ACC Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum Friday at 11 a.m. Beth Mowins and Jenny Boucek will call the contest, which will be broadcast live over the league’s Regional Sports Network: Fox Sports Net South, Sunshine Network and Comcast Sports Southeast. The game will be also be aired in Atlanta via Georgia Tech’s student station, WREK-Radio 91.1 FM, and online at www.wrek.org, with Richard Musterer and Kurt Hoyt, while Wake Forest’s Cory Provus and Roper Halverson provide the play-by-play and color in the Winston-Salem area, on the Wake flagship station of WBRF 98.1 FM. Livestats for all games of the tournament will be available at www.theacc.org.
Jackets in the ACC Tournament
* This season marks the 25th ACC Tournament that the Jackets have been a part of, with Tech owning a 5-24 record in tournament play.
* The Jackets have entered tournament play as the No. 8 seed in seven previous tournaments and have advanced to the next round once, defeating Wake Forest, 78-67, in 1998. That matchup marked the only time that the Jackets have faced the Deacs in ACC Tournament action. Georgia Tech was the No. 8 seed in four tournaments prior to Florida State joining the league, playing top-seeded NC State in 1980 and ’85, and Virginia in ’84 and ’86 in first-round action. Since the Seminoles joined the league, Tech has played ninth-seeded Florida State in ’96, No. 9 Wake in ’98, and the seventh seed, North Carolina, in 2001.
* Following its only first-round win as the No. 8 seed, Tech faced Duke in quarterfinal action in 1998, losing 100-56 in Charlotte, NC.
* Georgia Tech is 2-4 in ACC Tournament contests played in Greensboro, defeating No. 3 NC State, 69-52 in 2000 and No. 4 Florida State, 64-59 last season.
* The Yellow Jackets have advanced to the finals of the ACC Tournament on one occasion, marching to the championship game as the seventh seed in 1992, knocking off a pair of top-20 teams in the process. That still marks the only time in history that the No. 7 seed has reached the final.
Tech Vets Leading the Way
Georgia Tech seniors Fallon Stokes, Alex Stewart, and Megan Isom are leading the Jackets on and off the court this season, and the underclassmen have followed in their footsteps. All three are scheduled to receive their bachelor’s degree this coming May; Stokes will be graduating with a degree in public policy, Stewart in international affairs, and Isom in business management. Stokes currently leads the team in scoring (16.4 ppg), rebounding (6.5 rpg), field goals made (172), free throws made (87) and defensive rebounds (118). She has recorded eight games this season scoring 20 or more points in the game and has scored double-figure points in 24 of 28 games this season. Leading the way in minutes (34.1), assists (160) and steals (48) for the Jackets is the point guard Stewart, while Isom leads Tech with 47 made three-pointers on the season. Stewart and Stokes are also the more experienced players as Yellow Jackets, as both have played at least 100 games in a Tech uniform. The Norcross, Ga. native Stewart has participated in 120 games in her career as a Yellow Jacket, while Stokes has played in 116. Isom stands third on this year’s roster with 88 games in her career at Tech. She also played in 32 games at Tennessee Tech before transferring following her freshman year.
Tech Tidbits
Tech’s last victory came against NC State in the final home game of the season, when the Jackets honored seniors Megan Isom, Jasmina Pacariz, Alex Stewart and Fallon Stokes . . . Isom, Stewart, and Stokes have come on strong of late, as each are averaging more than 10 points per game in the last three contests . . . Stewart has averaged 12.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.3 steals per game during that time . . . Megan Harpring has been consistent from the charity stripe for the Jackets this season, converting on 33-of-37 free throws . . . Kasha Terry has blocked nine shots in the last four games, including five against Wake Forest last Sunday . . . Stephanie Higgs set a career-high with 15 points in the Jackets’ last outing . . . Stokes is averaging 8.5 rebounds in the last two games, while Terry has pulled down a total of 14 during that time . . . Pacariz scored her first points in two years against NC State on senior night . . . Jessica Williams leads Tech with an average of 2.8 offensive rebounds per game in 2004.
Wake Forest Series Notes
* Georgia Tech leads the series with the Demon Deacons by a 27-21 margin, including a 2-0 record at neutral sites. The last neutral site game between these two teams was at the ACC Tournament in 1998.
* The first game between Tech and Wake occurred on November 25, 1979, with the Jackets winning, 94-67. That victory marked the only series-opener win that Georgia Tech has had against an ACC opponent as well as the Jackets’ first ACC victory ever.
* Tech won four of the first five games against Wake Forest, and its longest winning streak versus the Demon Deacons was from February, 1996 through February, 1998, when the Jackets won six consecutive games.
* The Yellow Jackets’ first road ACC victory came against the Demon Deacons on January 31, 1982, 64-53 in Winston-Salem.
* With the Deacons’ win against the Jackets last Sunday, Wake Forest swept the regular-season series from Tech for the first time since 1990 and only the fifth time overall. That was also the last time the Jackets dropped three games in a row to the Demon Deacons, as they lost the first game in 1991 before earning a seven-point victory in the final game that season.
* The most points that the Jackets ever scored in a contest versus the Demon Deacons was in 1987, when Tech earned a 95-82 victory over Wake Forest in Winston-Salem. The fewest number of points in the series for the Jackets occurred in a 54-49 loss to the Deacs in Winston Salem on January 5, 1985.
Jackets vs. Demon Deacons: This Season
FIRST GAME: Cotelia Bond-Young hit a three, making the score 55-53 with 1:10 left in overtime and then put the game out of reach with a pair of free throws with nine seconds remaining to give Wake Forest a 57-55 victory over Georgia Tech. The Jackets pulled within two on a fast-break layup by Alex Stewart with five seconds remaining in overtime and she was fouled on the play, giving Tech a chance to pull within one. Stewart missed the free throw to give the Jackets a chance to win the game, but Tech missed a pair of layups, giving the Demon Deacons their first back-to-back conference victories since the 2001-02 season. Georgia Tech missed four of five free throws in overtime, and made only 4-of-11 in the game, while the Demon Deacons converted on 10-of-15 from the charity stripe. The Jackets had a couple of chances to win the game with less than a minute remaining, but neither a three-pointer by Isom or a jumper by Jessica Williams would fall in. Williams led the Jackets with career-highs in points (21) and rebounds (14) while recording the first double-double of her career. Stewart followed Williams in the scoring column, with 13 points, while pulling down nine rebounds and dishing out six assists. The Jackets shot 44.6 percent from the field, including scoring 40 points in the paint, but Wake Forest hit nine three-pointers and held the Jackets to just one in the entire game. The Demon Deacons had four players score in double-figures, led by Liz Strunk with 14 and Tonia Brown who had 13, including four from beyond the three-point arc. Bond-Young and Bianca Brown added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
LAST GAME: Cotelia Bond-Young nailed a jumper with less than a second remaining to give Wake Forest a 63-61 win over Georgia Tech Sunday. Fallon Stokes led the Jackets on the afternoon, scoring 16 points and pulling down eight rebounds while registering a pair of blocks in the game. Stephanie Higgs and Kasha Terry also finished the contest in double-figures, as Higgs scored 15 while recording six rebounds and two steals and Terry had 14, including 12 in the second half, seven rebounds, and five blocks in the game. After Wake Forest pulled ahead by five with 7:58 remaining in the contest, the Jackets went on a 6-1 run, tying the game at 55-55 with 6:17 on the clock. Jennifer Johnson put the Deacs ahead by three at 5:09 but the Jackets pulled within one with 4:50 on the clock. Neither team would score again until Terry hit a jumper, her fifth in the half, with 2:53 remaining in the contest to put the Jackets ahead, 59-58. Jennifer Johnson answered with a three-pointer at 1:27 for Wake Forest before the Jackets’ Jessica Williams hit a layup with 53.6 seconds remaining to tie the contest. Williams had a chance to put Tech up by one when she was fouled on the play, but she failed to convert on the free throw. The Jackets outrebounded the Deacons 44-39, but shot just 58.3 percent from the free throw line, while Wake Forest connected on 10-of-12 from the charity stripe. Tech blocked seven Wake shots on the afternoon but turned the ball over 17 times. Wake Forest was led in the scoring column by Ferrell, with 17 points, while Strunk and Bond-Young added 12 apiece for the Deacons.
Tech Record Book Versus Wake Forest
* Georgia Tech’s .947 free throw percentage against the Demon Deacons in February of 1998 marked the highest free throw percentage in a game in Yellow Jackets history.
* The highest point total that a Georgia Tech player ever scored against the Demon Deacons occurred in 1997, when Kisha Ford scored 31.
* LeeAnn Woodhull’s 21 rebounds against Wake Forest is tied for third for most rebounds by a Georgia Tech player in a game.
* Fallon Stokes’ four steals and two blocks against Wake Forest in March of last year remain career highs for her.
* Jessica Williams’ 21 points on 10 field goals and 14 attempts and her 14 rebounds in 35 minutes of play in the first game between these two teams this season were all career highs.
* Stephanie Higgs set career highs in points (15), field goals (7), rebounds (5) and assists (2) last Sunday against the Demon Deacons.
The Tech-Wake Pipeline
Georgia Tech women’s basketball employs three Wake Forest graduates, including two that played women’s basketball for the Deacs.
Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick, a four-time member of the ACC Honor Roll and Academic All-America selection, played from 1997-2001 for the Demon Deacons and remains fifth in the Wake annals with a .481 field goal percentage, tied for ninth with 111 career games, and 10th in career rebounds, with 568. An 2001 graduate of Wake and assistant coach in her second season with Georgia Tech, Kirkpatrick was the MVP of the Demon Deacon team in 2001, named the Most Improved Player of the 2000 team, received the Wake women’s basketball Academic Award in both 2000 and 2001 and was named “Iron Deac” in 1998, 99 and 2001. The same year, she was recognized as a National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) All-American Athlete and was named to the Honorable Mention all-ACC team.
LaChina Robinson, a 2002 graduate of Wake Forest, began her first year as the administrative coordinator for Georgia Tech women’s basketball this season following an internship with the Atlantic Coast Conference. In her four years at Wake, Robinson was named to the ACC Honor Roll three times, earned the 2002 Academic Award and was named to the 1999 ACC All-Freshman team. She stands third in Wake History with 77 career blocks, tied for third with the most rebounds in a single game (20 vs. Radford), tied for seventh with 112 games in her career, and 15th with 475 rebounds in her four years as a Deac.
Rounding out the graduates from Wake Forest is the Georgia Tech Director of Women’s Basketball Operations Kyle Snipes. A four-year manager of the Wake Forest men’s basketball team, Snipes graduated in 1995 with a communications degree.
Looking at the Deacs
Leading the Demon Deacons this season is sophomore Liz Strunk, as she is tops on the team in scoring (13.6 ppg), rebounding (5.2 rpg), field goal percentage (.485) and field goals made (133). Joining Strunk in double figures in scoring are Erin Ferrell and Cotelia Bond-Young. Ferrell is averaging 11.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, is shooitng 72 percent from the charity stripe, and has made 44 percent of her field goals, including 42 percent from the three-point arc. Bond-Young leads Wake with 90 assists and 40 steals this season, and is averaging 10.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. She also has a team-high 38 three-pointers in 2004.
Yellow Jacket Injury Update
Georgia Tech senior guard Nina B?rlin has been sidelined indefinitely as she continues to recover from her second knee surgery in two years to repair a torn ACL. B?rlin missed the final 12 games of the 2002 season with a torn ligament in the same left knee and suffered the second tear just two minutes into the season-opener with Charlotte in November, 2002. She underwent a successful surgery and continues to recover at this time.
On February 10, freshman Kentrina Wilson became the second player to be sidelined due to knee injury this year as she suffered a torn ACL in a morning practice. She had played in all 22 games of the season leading up to the injury and had earned two starts for her play. She underwent a successful surgery on February 19 and has begun rehabilitating the knee for her return next season.
Two days before the final home game of the 2003-04 season, redshirt freshman April Johnson suffered the second knee injury of her career. She earned a medical redshirt last season after tearing her ACL before the seventh game of the season, and this time she tore the ACL and bruised the MCL on the opposite knee. She is currently in rehab prior to her surgery in mid-March.
