Nov. 26, 2011
San Juan, P.R. – The 25th-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (4-2) dropped an overtime thriller to the No. 18 Green Bay Phoenix (5-0), 67-62 in the finale of the 2011 San Juan Shootout in San Juan, Puerto Rico Saturday night.
Senior Sasha Goodlett was 7-of-8 from the field to finish with a game-high 20 points and sophomore Tyaunna Marshall added 19 points, nine rebounds and five steals. Marshall was named to the All-Tournament Team after scoring 15.5 ppg and grabbing 6.5 rpg in two games.
After struggling from the field in their first game in San Juan, the Jackets found their comfort zone in game number two, burning the iron for 29 first half points on 52.2 percent shooting.
Green Bay struck with the first basket of the game, but sophomore Dawnn Maye made a nifty move and converted the finger roll in the lane to get Tech on the board and tie the game 2-2 barely a minute into the contest.
The first half was tight with five ties and five lead changes, but the Jackets were able to extend their lead to seven late in the first half and took a 29-22 lead into the break. Keying Tech’s success in the first half was the ability of its pressure defense to force Green Bay turnovers – the Phoenix had 17 miscues in the first half – and convert on the offensive end, scoring 15 points off turnovers in the opening frame.
Georgia Tech continued its hot shooting in the second half, converting on 56 percent of its field goals, but faltered in the extra period, making only 2-of-7 attempts in the final five minutes.
Tech grabbed its largest lead of the game, nine, 31-22, after senior Metra Walthour’s jumper one minute into the second half. Green Bay whittled the Tech lead to four, 35-31, on a Julie Wojta jumper with 14:09 to play in the game.
The Jackets turned their defensive pressure back up and built their lead back to nine, 41-32 with 11:13 to play. The Phoenix continued to fight back and forced a tie, 55-55, with a 3-pointer by Adrian Ritchie with 0.7 seconds left.
Tech jumped out quick to begin the extra five minutes, taking a 62-57 lead not even two minutes in, but the Jackets wouldn’t get another point and the Phoenix would make their free throws down the stretch to ice the game.
Georgia Tech will return home to the Arena at Gwinnett Center to host the Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-0) in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Tech is a perfect 4-0 in the Challenge, one of only three teams between the two conferences to have not lost, and the Huskers will be the fifth different squad the Jackets will have faced. Nebraska will play at Florida State on Sunday, Nov. 27, before traveling to Atlanta.
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— RamblinWreck.com –
