Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Georgia Tech
Yellow Jackets Sting 'Cats, 55-46
11/21/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 21, 2007
Box Score
ATLANTA, Ga. -- Ellen Jaeschke (Cary, Ill./Cary-Grove/Air Force) turned in a career-best performance, leading the 'Cats with a game-high 24 points and 14 rebounds, but Georgia Tech proved why they are worthy of votes in both Top 25 polls, outlasting Northwestern, 55-46, Wednesday evening at Atlanta Memorial Coliseum.
"I'm pleased with our effort tonight," head coach Beth Combs said. "We laid it on the line for 40 minutes in a very tough environment and I think that says something about our program. We are looking forward to playing at home for the next few weeks and getting it done on our home court."
Throughout the first half, the game remained tight, but not pretty on the offensive side. The two teams combined to go 17-of-54 (31 percent) from the field while turning the ball over on 22 occasions. Jaeschke spearheaded the Wildcats' offensive attack, notching eight points on 3-of-5 from the field to accompany eight rebounds. Northwestern's defense caused 10 Tech turnovers but the Yellow Jackets held a narrow 24-20 lead at the break.
Jaeschke opened the second frame with a three-point conversion to put NU within one. And less than a minute later, a bucket by Kaitlin McInerney (Oak Brook, Ill./Benet), gave the Wildcats a one-point advantage four minutes into the half. Overall, there were 10 lead changes and six ties.
Georgia Tech extended its lead to eight, 37-29, at the 12:17 juncture, before a trey by Jenny Eckhart (Libertyville, Ill./Carmel/Syracuse) put the Wildcats within five points. But Georgia Tech surged again, rattling off five unanswered points before a Jaeschke bucket with 7:50 remaining stopped the run. Erin Dickerson (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young) followed Jaeschke's lead and hit a short-range jumper to cut the lead to six with just over seven minutes remaining.
Georgia Tech had an answer for every Northwestern basket and as a result, the Ramblin' Wreck found themselves up by ten after a three-pointer from their leading scorer, Chioma Nnamaka. Nnamaka knocked down six three-pointers on 6-of-12 from downtown on the night.
An Eckhart trifecta with a little over 2:00 remaining pulled the score to 49-42. But following suit, Georgia Tech responded. Two buckets by Jaeschke would pull the score to within six on two occasions, but the Yellow Jackets converted on 4/7 free throws and made buckets when they counted over the next two minutes to secure the victory.
Jaeschke finished the evening 13-of17 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. Nadia Bibbs (Chicago, Ill./Hillcrest) dished out a season-best seven assists and Eckhart chipped in eight points, including two key treys. Northwestern held a slight edge over the Ramblin' Wreck in field goal percentage and second-chance points, but held a commanding 24-14 lead in points in the paint.
The Wildcats are next in action against Loyola (Chicago) at 2 p.m. Sunday in the home opener.
