Jan. 2, 2011
ATLANTA – The Georgia Tech women’s basketball team opened the 2011 calendar year and closed out the non-conference portion of its slate with an 81-52 win over Jacksonville State Sunday afternoon at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.
The Jackets extended their winning streak to nine, the longest winning streak since head coach MaChelle Joseph took over the program prior to the 2003-04 season and the longest since the Jackets won 10 straight from Nov. 26, 2002, to Dec. 31, 2002.
“I was really pleased with our overall effort, what you saw on the defensive end and in our transition defense,” head coach MaChelle Joseph said. “Ty Marshall continues to impress me, tonight she had 25 points in 23 minutes. For a freshman to do that back-to-back is really difficult. I think she continues to show why she is the best freshman in the ACC. “
Freshman Tyaunna Marshall capped an outstanding and incredibly efficient week by tying her career-high with 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting in only 23 minutes of action. For the week, Marshall had more points, 66, than minutes played, 60. Against the Gamecocks, Marshall grabbed a career-best four steals, added three assists and two steals.
Marshall got the scoring going quick again for the Jackets as she corralled the opening tip and hit a jumper just 17 seconds in. Her layup at the 16:01 mark capped a 12-0 Tech run to open the game. By the time the two sides headed into the lockerroom for the halftime break, Marshall had already tallied her 11th career double-digit scoring game and she would go on to finish with her fourth outing with at least 20 points.
“I think Ty Marshall is the best freshman to play here, and that’s saying a lot considering Alex Montgomery is probably the best player to play here” Joseph added. “She’s been the most consistent, she has the best stats, and she’s scored the most points to date. At the end of the year, I honestly believe Ty will be one of the best, if not the best, freshman in the league.”
Tech opened the game dominating Jacksonville State at both ends of the floor, building a 28-8 lead with a Marshall layup at the 9:43 mark. However, the Gamecocks fought back, pulling within six, 30-24, on a Danielle Vaughn jumper in the paint with just over two minutes remaining in the half. A quick Tech five-point run – a Marshall fastbreak layup and a Frida Fogdemark three with two seconds left – pushed the Jackets’ lead to 11, 35-24. It was the 11th time this year the Jackets have held an advantage at intermission and improved to 10-1 in those games.
“At halftime we talked about our defensive intensity,” Joseph said. “I challenged them to not let up. I felt like we came out in the second half and turned it around. We really used our defense to build a 30-point lead five minutes into the half. I was really pleased with the way they responded and was pleased with our defensive effort in the second half.”
The Jackets responded to Coach Joseph’s challenge and opened the final 20 minutes on a 21-2 run, building a 56-26 on a Marshall three-point play at the 15:18 mark of the second half. Joseph began rotating through her reserves, with all 15 student-athletes seeing game action, and the bench maintained the intensity on both ends of the floor, as Tech’s lead didn’t fall below 27 points the rest of the way.
In addition to Marshall, senior Alex Montgomery tallied her sixth double-double of the season and 15th of her career with 20 points and 10 rebounds. She grabbed a game-high six steals, setting a new season-high. It is the first time since Feb. 22, 2009, at Clemson that two Georgia Tech players finished with at least 20 points. In the game against the Tigers, Montgomery and Deja Foster each finished with 24.
Junior Chelsea Regins came off the bench for another solid outing to finish with eight points and four rebounds. Point guard Metra Walthour added seven points, three assists, two steals and two rebounds, while center Sasha Goodlett added six points and six rebounds.
Tech will open ACC play on Thursday, Jan. 6, when the 10th ranked North Carolina Tar Heels bring their unblemished 13-0 record to Alexander Memorial Coliseum, with tip-off 7 p.m. Fans can listen live at WREK.org, follow live stats through RamblinWreck.com or on Twitter @GTWBB. For more information or to buy tickets, please visit RamblinWreck.com.
–RamblinWreck.com–
