Nov. 10, 2006
Atlanta – The Georgia Tech women’s basketball team beat the Bears of Mercer, 87-48 in their regular season opener Friday at the Alexander Memorial Coliseum in the first half of a women’s and men’s basketball double header.
As a team, the Jackets hit 12 of their attempted 17 shots behind the arc, which is a school record, giving them a 66.7 three-point shooting percentage for the night. Junior co-captain Chioma Nnamaka led the three-point effort, nailing five of seven from distance, and seven of 11 from the field. Nnamaka finished the night with 19 points and six rebounds.
Senior guard Stephanie Higgs led hear team in points with 21, shooting seven for 16 from the field and three of five from behind the arc. Higgs pulled down seven boards and grabbed three steals on the night, capping off a tremendous defensive effort by the Jackets. Tech held Mercer to just a 34.7 field goal percentage.
Tiffany Blackmon exploded on the college basketball scene Friday, missing only two shots from the field and using her length and wingspan to grab seven rebounds. The six-foot-two center exhibited the toughness and composure of her upper-class teammates, looking more like a seasoned veteran than the freshman that she is.
“She’s got all the offensive skills you could possibly want,” said head coach MaChelle Joseph of Blackmon. “She finishes inside better than any other post player we’ve had since I’ve been at Georgia Tech.”
Joseph also touted the play of fellow freshman Brigitte Ardossi, who only saw 12 minutes of court time, but pulled down three defensive rebounds, came up with a steal, and was perfect from the charity stripe, exhibiting her sound fundamentals.
The Jackets hit the road for their second game of the season, taking on Appalachian State Tuesday, November 14 in Boone, N.C. Tech leads the series with the Mountaineers, 5-1, winning last year’s match-up 68-45 and the last loss coming in the team’s first ever meeting in 1988.
