Feb. 8, 2009
Box Score | Quotes | Notes | Photo Gallery | Box Score
ATLANTA – On Sunday, in almost every sense, the Georgia Tech women’s basketball team was in the pink. Especially Sasha Goodlett. The 6-foot-5 freshman center had her best game as a Yellow Jacket, leading all scorers with 20 points and leading Tech to a 67-54 victory over North Carolina State (9-14, 1-7 ACC).
The win, Tech’s third in its last four games, improves the Jackets to 17-6 overall, 5-4 in the ACC. But as coach MaChelle Joseph told an Alexander Memorial Coliseum crowd of 2,132 afterward, “This game was about more than winning and losing. It’s about a battle against something much bigger than basketball.”
As part of the WBCA Pink Zone initiative, Tech wore pink uniforms to honor the late Kay Yow and support the fight against breast cancer. The long-time N.C. State coach and Basketball Hall of Famer died Jan. 24 after a long battle against the disease. On Sunday, Tech raised $4,031.50 for the WBCA/Kay Yow Cancer Fund. That included $2,000 from the ACC’s Chow 4 Yow; $1,730 in donations and purchases of pink hats, visors and ribbons; and $301.50 in pledges per Tech point in the “Score 4 the Cure”.
For the second consecutive game, Goodlett had a career high. The freshman from Bolton, Miss., scored 12 of her 20 points in the second half. Dominating inside, she shot 9-for-14 from the floor, hit double-figures for the fourth straight game and narrowly missed her first double-double. Four of Goodlett’s eight rebounds were on the offensive glass, part of Tech’s 47-33 rebounding advantage.
“We started all freshmen and sophomores and I thought their determination the first five minutes of the game really set the tone,” said Joseph, whose team jumped out to an 8-2 lead, then increased it to 15-4. “I thought we had some huge contributions from a few freshmen. Sasha Goodlett just continues to get better and better. Metra Walthour, who hasn’t played many minutes all year, really did a great job of running our team.”
Walthour, the 5-foot-6 Georgian from Hinesville, had played just 90 minutes this season. While she missed her lone field goal attempt and scored one point, Walthour had four assists in 34 minutes.
“We have been in search of a point guard for two years now,” said Joseph, “and she seemed to really step up and lead the way for us.”
Sophomores Alex Montgomery (11 points, seven rebounds) and Iasia Hemingway (12 points, six rebounds) joined Goodlett in double-figures.
Georgia Tech goes on the road Wednesday at Savannah State and next Sunday at North Carolina before returning home Feb. 19 against Maryland.
– RamblinWreck.com –
