Tech Women Face NC State Sunday

Jan. 31, 2004

–

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Jackets Travel to Raleigh

Georgia Tech will hit the road again to face NC State Sunday at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh for a 2 p.m. contest. The Jackets are coming off a 57-55 overtime loss to Wake Forest on Thursday while the Wolfpack suffered a 75-56 defeat at the hands of the conference leader Duke Friday. The game will be broadcast live on WREK-Radio 91.1 FM in Atlanta and online at www.wrek.org, while NC State will broadcast on WNKC-FM 88.1 in Raleigh, WFAY-AM 1230 in Fayetteville, and on WRBZ 850 The Buzz. Richard Musterer will provide the play-by-play call for the Jackets’ broadcast while Patrick Kinas and Que Tucker call the game for the Wolfpack. Livestats for the basketball game will also be available at ramblinwreck.com.

Series Notes

* NC State leads the series with Georgia Tech by a 36-14 margin. The Wolfpack have won 18 of 23 contests on their homecourt against the Yellow Jackets, 15 of 23 at the home of the Jackets, and three of four at a neutral site.

* Georgia Tech lost the first 16 games it played against NC State, dating back to the first game in the series on January 12, 1980, when the Wolfpack dropped the Jackets, 97-38, in Raleigh. The Jackets’ 38 points in that contest still stands today as the fewest points Georgia Tech has ever scored in a women’s basketball game.

* The Jackets have won the last three contests and three of the last five games in Raleigh.

* Tech’s longest winning streak in the series has been three games, and it has now occurred twice in series history. The first time was from January, 1993 through January, ’94.

* There has only been one overtime game in the history of the series, with the Jackets winning the double-overtime thriller, 92-89, at Alexander Memorial Coliseum on February 19, 1993. That contest was also the last time that Georgia Tech has played in a double-overtime game.

* Georgia Tech scored 94 points against NC State in its first victory over the Wolfpack (1/9/88), and that point total stands as the highest Tech has ever scored against State.

* Two games later, in January, 1989, the Jackets allowed State 100 points, which is the most points ever scored by the Wolfpack in the series.

* In February, 2000, the Jackets held the Wolfpack to just 52 points, a minimum for NC State in the series. That total also stands as the sixth-lowest point total in NC State history in a conference game and eight-lowest overall.

* Although neither team is ranked this week, Georgia Tech has won 23 contests against ranked teams, with the most wins coming against NC State teams. The Jackets’ first victory over a ranked NC State team came in 1990 and the most recent win occurred in 2000.

Jackets vs. Pack: Last Time Out

In the Jackets’ final regular-season game of 2003, Georgia Tech defeated NC State, 78-60 at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh. The Jackets were led by Fallon Stokes, with 25 points, and Megan Harpring, who had 16. Stokes made 12-of-18 shot from the floor while Harpring converted on 4-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc. Georgia Tech shot over 50 percent from three-point range and overall in the contest, while converting on 10-of-11 from the charity stripe. NC State was led by senior Carisse Moody and junior Kaayla Chones, with 16 and 13 points, respectively, while Nanna Rivers added 10 points for the Wolfpack. After leading by eight at the half, the Jackets pulled away in the second frame, outscoring the Wolfpack 48-38 en route to an 18-point victory. State shot 48 percent from the field, but made just 9-of-17 free throws. Tech outrebounded the Pack, 32-28, and had three fewer turnovers in the contest.

Tech Record Book Versus NC State

* The 1988 Tech team set the record for most three-pointers in a contest when they hit 10 against the Wolfpack. Exactly one year later, the Jackets tied the record and it held until 1995 when Tech hit 11 threes against Maryland.

* Tech hit 34 of 44 free throws against NC State in 1993, which is still stands fourth in most free throws in a game for the Yellow Jackets.

* In 1988, the Jackets set the record for the fewest free throws in a contest, with six against NC State on January 12. The mark stands tied for fourth for fewest free throws attempted in a contest today.

* On February 15, 2001, the Jackets turned the ball over just seven times in the entire game against State, which was just one off the Tech record for fewest turnovers in a game.

* Georgia Tech has had two players to score at least 30 points in a single contest versus the Wolfpack. Marielle Walker had 34 points against State on January 9, 1988 while Karen Lounsbury had an even 30 on February 18, 1989.

* Betsy Foy’s 10-for-10 performance from the charity stripe against State in 1998 tied the record for best free throw percentage in a game Georgia Tech player in a game. She shares the honor with Joyce Pierce, who hit 17-of-17 against Hawaii in 1992, and Alex Stewart, with 10 against St. John’s in 2002.

* Three NC State opponents have recorded 30-point games against the Jackets, including 31 by current Wolfpack player Kaayla Chones, 31 by Chasity Melvin, and 37 by Andrea Stinson.

Looking at the Wolfpack

After leading by two at the half, NC State gave up 41 second-half points to second-ranked Duke in Durham to drop its 11th game of the season by a score of 75-56. The Wolfpack was led by Kaayla Chones, with 16 points and nine rebounds while Sasha Reaves came off the bench to score 10 points and pull down six rebounds. State gave the ball up 22 times in the contest, but could only force 10 Duke turnovers, which made a difference in the second half, as the Blue Devils outscored the Pack, 41-20 in the frame. State owns a 2-6 conference record and stands tied for eighth with the Yellow Jackets in the ACC standings. The Pack has won conference games against Florida State and Maryland. This season, the Pack is led by Chones, who is averaging 14.7 points per game, including 15 per ACC game. Chones also leads the team in rebounding, with 7.6 per game, and blocked shots, with 21 on the year. Nanna Rivers leads the squad with 65 assists this season while Kendra Bell has added 59 for the Pack.

Last Time Out for the Jackets

Despite career-highs in points (21) and rebounds (14) by Jessica Williams, Georgia Tech was not able to overcome a late push by the Demon Deacons and fell to 2-6 in the conference with a 57-55 overtime loss at Alexander Memorial Coliseum Thursday. The Jackets led by as many as nine points in the contest, but Wake Forest got back in the game with late steals and free throws, tying the game at 48-48 at the end of regulation. The Jackets had a couple of chances to win the game with less than 10 seconds remaining in the second half, but a three-point attempt by Megan Isom and a layup by Williams wouldn’t fall in. Tech fell behind by four points with less than 15 seconds remaining in overtime, but cut the lead to two on a fast break layup by Alex Stewart. After being fouled on the play, Stewart missed the free throw to give Tech a chance to win the game, but jumpers by Williams and freshman Kentrina Wilson again wouldn’t fall for the Jackets. The Jackets outrebounded the Deacs, 38-27, but were unable to make the late free throws, missing 7-of-11 in the game. The Jackets also turned the ball over 21 times, which led to 16 points for Wake Forest. The Deacons made nine three-pointers in the game, but were still held to just 57 points in the contest, thanks to the defensive play of Tech’s post players: Williams, Wilson, Kasha Terry and April Johnson.