Nov. 19, 2008
ATLANTA – Sophomore Iasia Hemingway scored 13 of her 16 points in the second half to lead the Georgia Tech women’s basketball team to a 77-49 win over Kennesaw State at Alexander Memorial Coliseum Wednesday evening.
Hemingway was one of four Yellow Jackets (2-1) to score in double figures against the Owls. Sophomore Alex Montgomery finished with a team-high 17 points and senior Jacqua Williams added 10 points, six steals and five assists in the win. Freshman Sasha Goodlett scored 13 points and swatted two shots.
“I thought we started the game really well,” head coach MaChelle Joseph said. “I was afraid of an emotional letdown but we really stood our ground tonight. Their zone was different than anything we have played against all year.”
Kennesaw State (0-3) scored the first two baskets of the second half cutting a five-point Georgia Tech lead to one at 31-30, but a Hemingway three-point play at the 16:54 mark ignited the Yellow Jackets offense. Tech reeled off 12 straight points in the next 1:09 to take its largest lead of the game at 43-30 and force the Owls to use a time-out. The close game quickly became a rout with the Jackets stretching its lead to 28 points before the final buzzer.
“I just thought Iasia’s intensity level and passion in the second half just really separated us,” Joseph said. “She had a few big three-point plays and came up with some big offensive rebounds. I believe she was the difference for us against their zone.”
Britteny Henderson led the Owls with 13 points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes. Gia Lockett added 11 points off the bench for Kennesaw State.
Georgia Tech started the game off on fire as an Montgomery three-pointer at the 15:07 mark, her third of the game, gave the Jackets a 15-5 lead but it was a defensive struggle after that. A Williams free throw two minutes later made it a 16-7 game, but it was 5:53 before the Jackets scored again. Sasha Goodlett made 1-of-2 free throws to end the Jackets scoring skid, but they were able to maintain a three-point lead with as their suffocating defense frustrated the Owls.
A lay-up by Goodlett with just over four and a half minutes remaining snapped a 10:29 period without a field goal for the Yellow Jackets.
Tech finished the first half with 15 turnovers and shot just 33 percent from the field, but held a 31-26 advantage at intermission. Kennesaw State shot 39 percent, but had 21 turnovers as the Jackets had 12 steals. Montgomery led all scorers with nine points, which she did in the first five minutes.
The Yellow Jackets continue their three-game homestand on Saturday as Mississippi Valley State invades Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m.
– RamblinWreck.com –
