Dec. 20, 2015
Box Score (PDF)
INDIANAPOLIS – Seniors Aaliyah Whiteside and Roddreka Rogers combined to score 48 points in the Georgia Tech women’s basketball team’s (10-3) 60-50 victory at IUPUI (8-4) on Sunday afternoon at the Jungle. It was the Yellow Jackets fifth straight win and fourth game in eight days.
“I thought that was a hard fought battle,” head MaChelle Joseph said. “I was really proud of our kids. Our two seniors really stepped up. They led us throughout the course of the game. Aaliyah Whiteside came up big at the end with a career-high 28 points. I always say you’re as good as your seniors and I thought today, down the stretch, we grew up and we learned how to close out a game on the road. This is a great game to get us ready for ACC play.”
How it Happened
Whiteside and Rogers showed their leadership in the first half, teaming up to score 25 of Tech’s 33 points in the first 20 minutes and help the Jackets to a 33-32 lead at halftime. Whiteside hit 14 points before the half leading Tech on offense while Rogers shot 5-for-6 from the floor in the first 20 minutes, scoring 14 points and grabbing six rebounds.
After back and forth play in the opening minutes of the game, Georgia Tech took the lead with 1:10 left in the first period, 14-12. The Yellow Jackets held on to the lead until halftime but the Jaguars stayed on Tech’s heels, never letting the Jackets take more than an five point lead.
The third period was tight, with IUPUI and Georgia Tech trading the lead until Whiteside hit a jumper with 27 seconds left in the third period to give the Jackets a 46-44 advantage heading into the fourth period. The jumper gave her 20 points marking her 10th 20 point game of the season.
Both teams struggled to score a field goal in the fourth period until Rogers laid one in at 5:34 to give Tech the 48-45 advantage. Whiteside would blow past her defender at the 3:06 mark and lay it in to give Georgia Tech its largest lead, 52-47, since the 4:41 mark in the second period.
Whiteside and Rogers continued to shine in the final minutes of the game with Whiteside going 4-for-4 from the charity stripe and Rogers sinking both her free throw attempts to cement Georgia Tech’s fifth-straight double digit victory, 60-50.
Back to Normal
Senior Aaliyah Whiteside rebounded quickly after scoring a season-low eight points last game, scoring a career high 28 points against IUPUI. Her previous career high was 26 points which she recorded against Morgan State on Nov. 16, 2014. Whiteside has scored at least 21 points in 10 out of 13 games this season and in double figures in 18 out of the past 19 games.
Double-Double for Drek
Senior Roddreka Rogers tallied her third double-double of the season, scoring 20 points and grabbing a team-best 11 rebounds. Rogers has pulled down at least 11 rebounds in four games this season and has led the Jackets on the boards in five games. This was Rogers’ second game this season scoring at least 20 points.
With her 11 rebounds, Rogers moved into seventh on Tech’s all-time rebounding list. Rogers has 802 career rebounds and she is just three boards away from moving into sixth.
Tech Tidbits
- This was the first meeting against IUPUI and Georgia Tech now leads the series 1-0.
- The Yellow Jackets wrapped up the nonconference season with a 10-3 record.
- Tonight’s victory was the 242nd of Coach Joseph’s career. She is now 242-152 in her 13 seasons at the helm of the Yellow Jackets.
- Georgia Tech shot 62.5 percent (15-24) from the floor in the first half which was the best first half shooting percentage for the Yellow Jackets this season.
- The Yellow Jackets failed to make a 3-pointer against the Jaguars, marking the first time Tech did not make a 3-pointer in 181 games. The last time the Yellow Jackets did not make 3-pointer was against NC State on Feb. 28, 2010.
- Whiteside is 20th on Georgia Tech’s all-time scoring list with 1,197 career points. She is 33 points away from tying Marielle Walker for 19th.
- Whiteside scored in double-figures against the Jaguars, marking her 18th game in the past 19 hitting double digits, dating back to last season. Whiteside has scored in double figures in every game this season besides last game when she scored only eight points after recovering from illness.
Next Up
The Yellow Jackets return to the court on Dec. 30, traveling to Notre Dame to kick off the ACC season at 7 p.m. on ESPN3.
