Nov. 20, 2010
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
In the final game of their current three-game homestand, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets’ women’s basketball team will face an extremely tough test when the top-ranked Connecticut Huskies and Lawrenceville, Ga., native Maya Moore come to Alexander Memorial Coliseum.
The Huskies are the two-time defending national champions and began their current 80-game winning streak against Tech on Nov. 16, 2008, with an 82-71 win in Storrs.
The Yellow Jackets have never beaten a top-ranked team and this will mark the first time a No. 1 ranked squad has come to the AMC since the North Carolina Tar Heels came to Atlanta on Feb. 5, 2006. The highest ranked team the Yellow Jackets have ever beaten was the Tar Heels, when Tech claimed a 66-62 win over #2/3 UNC on Jan. 22, 2009. The then sophomore, Alex Montgomery, led Tech to the victory with 17 points and 10 rebounds. She also grabbed four steals and dished out three assists against UNC. Of the 10 Tech players who saw action in that game, five are active against the Huskies.
Last Time Out vs. Connecticut…
Storrs, Conn. – Maya Moore had 20 points and 14 rebounds to help top-ranked Connecticut pull away from Georgia Tech and come away with a 82-71 season-opening win.
Renee Montgomery and Tina Charles each added 15 points for the Huskies.
Georgia Tech kept the game close by hitting 10-of-15 3-point shots. Mo Bennett, who had three of those, scored 19 points to lead the Yellow Jackets. Jacqua Williams had 14 and Alex Montgomery added 12.
The teams were tied at 34 at the half, and it was 65-62 before UConn closed the game on a 17-9 run.
Two consecutive steals by Montgomery in the final two minutes led to easy layups for Moore and Caroline Doty that put the game out of reach. Doty had 13 points in her first collegiate game.
The Huskies could not shake the Yellow Jackets, who pressed on defense and hit 4-of-5 from behind the arc before intermission. UConn hit just 4-of-19 from 3-point range, just 2-of-12 in the first half.
The Huskies had built a 59-46 lead midway through the second half, before the Yellow Jackets came roaring back with a 16-6 run. A Bennett layup cut the lead to 65-62, but the Yellow Jackets could not get any closer.
TOY DRIVE
The Georgia Tech Athlete Advisory Board is sponsoring the 11th Annual Michael Isenhour Toy Drive. Student-Athletes will be collecting new unwrapped toys and money at the Georgia Tech Women’s Basketball game against UConn Sunday, Nov. 21.
LOOKING BACK
Last season at this point, Tech was 1-1 after suffering a 70-64 loss at Oklahoma State on Nov. 15.
TECH VERSUS THE BIG EAST CONFERENCE
Georgia Tech is 7-11 all-time against teams from the BIG EAST Conference. This season, Tech will face two BIG EAST foes and will square off with them in consecutive outings. After the Huskies, the Yellow Jackets will meet the Georgetown Hoyas in the opener of the Paradise Jam in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.
TECH’S ROLE IN “THE STREAK”
When Connecticut defeated the Yellow Jackets to open the Huskies’ 2008-09 season, it marked win number one in what is now an 80-game winning streak. However, Tech’s performance against the Huskies was one of the best against UConn over the past two years. The 11 point margin of victory is the fifth lowest and was the third lowest prior to the 2010 National Championship game and UConn’s victory over Baylor Nov. 16. The 71 points the Jackets scored against the Huskies are tied for the second most that UConn has allowed during its winning streak.
TECH’S WINS AGAINST RANKED FOES
All-time, Tech has notched 28 wins against ranked foes. The highest ranked squad the Yellow Jackets have defeated was when North Carolina was ranked #2/3 and left Alexander Memorial Coliseum with a 66-62 loss on Jan. 22, 2009.
Of the 10 Tech players who saw action in that game, five are active against the Huskies. On the bench for that game was current head coach MaChelle Joseph.
The then-sophomore Alex Montgomery led the Yellow Jackets to victory with 17 points and 10 rebounds. She also grabbed four steals and dished out three assists against the Tar Heels.
CONFERENCE CONNECTION
Former Tech standout Danielle Donehew, Class of `00, is now the Associate Commissioner for Women’s Basketball at the BIG EAST. Upon completion of her tenure on the Flats, Donehew held the school record for three-pointers in a career with 241 and still holds the school record for threes in a season with 86 during the 1998-99 campaign.
JOSEPH KNOWS HOW TO TAKE DOWN THE RANKED
Since head coach MaChelle Joseph took the reins of the Tech program prior to the 2003-04 season, the Yellow Jackets have beaten five ranked foes. During her playing days at Purdue, Joseph helped the Boilermakers to 13 wins over ranked opponents in four years, including an 89-87 overtime win over #23 Connecticut and sixth year head coach Geno Auriemma.
WELCOME TO THE THRILLERDOME
The Yellow Jackets are expecting a full house – possibily a record-size crowd – for the contest with the Huskies. As of midday Friday, Nov. 19, about 6,300 tickets had been distributed. The largest crowd to ever see a women’s game at Alexander Memorial Coliseum came on Feb. 8, 1995, when 6,621 fans packed the AMC to see Tech take on the #11/11 North Carolina Tar Heels.
On two other occasions has the AMC hosted more than 6,000 faithful for a Yellow Jacket contest. On Dec. 5, 2008, 6,212 fans saw Tech down in-state rival Georgia, 57-42. On Feb. 7, 1999, 6,058 fans crowded into the Thrillerdome as the #9/11 Duke Blue Devils downed the Yellow Jackets 74-73.
