Jan. 21, 2003
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech returns home for its final non-conference game of the regular season, hosting Elon at 7 p.m. Wednesday night. The Yellow Jackets are coming off a 73-66 loss at No. 19 Wake Forest Sunday night, which snapped a three-game winning streak (Cornell, NC State and Florida State).
There is no television coverage of the game, which can be heard over the Georgia Tech-ISP Radio Network. In Atlanta, the game will air on WQXI-AM (790), WMGP-FM (98.1) and WSNY-FM (100.1).
Tech (8-6 overall) is off to its best ACC start since 2001, when it also began the conference slate at 2-2. Tech was 7-7 overall through 14 games last year, then lost six straight. The Jackets are 6-4 in non-ACC games thus far, 5-0 at home, 0-3 on the road and 1-1 in neutral court games. The Yellow Jackets were 8-7 out of the league last year, and 9-5 in Paul Hewitt’s first season at Tech.
Tech also remains unbeaten at home this season at 7-0, including a pair of conference wins over NC State and Florida State, and has won nine in a row at Alexander Memorial Coliseum dating back to last season. Three of Tech’s next four games are at home.
Elon is 5-10 overall, 1-4 in the Big South, having lost its last two games an nine of 10 after a 4-1 start this season.
Georgia Tech’s starting five for the last six games has been 6-3 freshman Jarrett Jack, 6-4 junior Marvin Lewis, 6-4 sophomore B.J. Elder, 6-10 freshman Chris Bosh and 7-1 sophomore Luke Schenscher, and the Yellow Jackets are 3-3 with that group on the floor for the opening tip. Tech has used four different starting lineups this season, with Jack and Bosh the only two players to start every game.
Elder ranks ninth in the ACC in scoring at 16.5 points while hitting 48.4 percent of his field goal attempts (6th in the ACC) and 46.8 percent of his three-point tries (1st in the ACC). Bosh, who scored 19 against Florida State and 22 at Wake Forest in his last two games, averages 16.0 points (10th in the ACC), leads the ACC in field goal percentage (58.5) and is second in rebounding at 10.0 per game.
Lewis, a sharpshooting junior averaging 12.9 points a game, had a career night a week ago against Florida State with 33 points (11-13 FG, 6-8 from three), and is hitting 42.7 percent of his three-point attempts (4th in the ACC). Jack, who had eight assists against FSU, averages 7.9 points and 6.2 assists (fifth in the ACC).
Schenscher, who has started the last six games for Tech, averages 5.7 points and 4.3 rebounds for the season and is hitting 53.4 percent of his field goal tries.
Tech gets help off the bench from 6-8 sophomore Ed Nelson, who averages 7.6 points and 6.3 rebounds (second on the team, 8th in the ACC), and 6-6 sophomore forward Isma’il Muhammad, who averages 7.0 points and 4.3 rebounds. Anthony McHenry, a 6-7 sophomore averaging 2.2 points and 1.5 rebounds, provides excellent defense on the wing.
The young Phoenix, who have only two seniors who play regular minutes, have struggled offensively in shooting just 40.8 percent from the floor and 31.2 percent from three-point range. They are led by 6-4 freshman guard Scottie Rice, averaging 10.3 points a game. The rest of the Elon lineup includes 6-6 sophomore forward Gary Marsh (9.3), 6-9 freshman forward Rasmi Gamble (8.5), 5-11 sophomore guard Steven Harvin (6.8). Five other players have started games for the Phoenix.
TECH SERIES VS. ELON
Georgia Tech and Elon are meeting for the first time in men’s basketball. The two schools’ women’s teams have met once, with the Yellow Jackets winning.
Tech has a 14-1 record all-time against members of the Big South Conference. The only loss occurred against Charleston Southern on Feb. 14, 1981 in Atlanta by a score of 74-51.
THE COMFORTS OF HOME
Georgia Tech’s performance in its last three home games has only accentuated the statistical disparity between the Yellow Jackets at home and on the road this season.
Tech has not lost at home in seven tries this season, including a win over then-No. 17 Georgia in the second game of the campaign on Nov. 27 and ACC wins over NC State and Florida State in the last week. The Yellow Jackets have won eight straight home games and 10 of 11 since last season (only loss was to Duke in that stretch). The Yellow Jackets have averaged 86.6 points per game at home this season and outscored their guests by an average of 20.7 points. Tech has shot 48.9 percent from the floor and 47.7 percent from three-point range at Alexander Memorial Coliseum, while holding its guests to 39.1 percent overall.
