Coatney's Call: Georgia Tech Game Preview

Nebraska (6-0) at Georgia Tech (4-2)
Wednesday, Nov. 30, 6 p.m. (central)
Arena at Gwinnett Center (Gwinnett, Ga.)
Radio: 25-Station Husker Sports Network (Matt Coatney-PBP; Jeff Griesch-Analyst)
B107.3 FM-KBBK (Lincoln); Twister 93.3 FM-KTWI (Omaha)
Internet: Free live audio on Huskers.com
Live Premium Video: RamblinWreck All-Access (ramblinwreck.com)

Sunday afternoon's come-from-behind victory over No. 24 Florida State was one of the most exciting Husker women's basketball games I've ever described. Trailing by 13 points, this young, talented Nebraska team rallied to defeat FSU 66-63, handing the Seminoles only their 10th non-conference loss at home in the last 15 years. 

Junior point guard Lindsey Moore scored 11 of her team-high 15 points in the second half.  Freshman guard Brandi Jeffery matched her career high with 12 points and hit two huge three-pointers in the second period.  Freshman Emily Cady had a career-high 14 points, including a layup to give the Huskers a 62-60 lead they would not relinquish.

Nebraska's 6-0 start to the season has garnered attention around the country as NU is just outside the AP Top 25 poll this week. Their 55 votes are good for 27th place.  The Huskers will look for a three-game sweep on their nine-day road trip when they face Georgia Tech Wednesday evening as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Georgia Tech is a veteran team that has five seniors and returns three starters and 12 letterwinners from a 2010-11 squad that won a school-record 24 games and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Yellow Jackets are 4-2 on the young season and are receiving votes in the AP Poll (34th). After starting the season with convincing wins over Alabama State, Old Dominion, at Marquette and Kennesaw State, Tech lost back-to-back games to ranked teams at the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico.  No. 11 Rutgers defeated the Ramblin' Wreck 59-40 last Friday and No. 23 Green Bay bested Georgia Tech 67-62 in overtime on Saturday.

The Yellow Jackets have a solid backcourt.  Tyaunna (Ty-on-uh) Marshall, a 5-11 sophomore, tallied five ACC Rookie-of-the-Week and All-Freshman team honors last year.  She leads the team in scoring (14.8 ppg), and rebounds (6.0 rpg) this season.  Senior Metra 'Me-Me' Walthour (Mee-tra Wall-th-our), a 5-6 point guard, was second in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio a year ago with nearly twice as many assists as turnovers, and is the ACC leader among returnees in that category.  She currently leads the team in minutes per game (30.5 mpg), three pointers (nine) and is third on the team in scoring (9.3 ppg).  Sasha Goodlett, a 6-5 senior center, has started in 99 of 105 career games for Georgia Tech. She is second on the team in scoring (10.3 ppg) and averages 5.2 rebounds per game. 

Dawnn Maye, a 5-8 sophomore guard, has started five of the six games this season and leads the team in steals (18) and averages 8.6 points per game. Senior Chelsea Regins, a 6-2 forward, rounds out Georgia Tech's probable starting lineup. She averages 4.7 points per contest.

MaChelle Joseph is in her ninth year as head coach of the Yellow Jackets.  She has led Georgia Tech to five straight 20-win seasons and five straight NCAA Tournaments. 

The Yellow Jackets have attempted 49 fewer three-pointers than their opponents.  Aside from Walthour's team-leading 9-25 from beyond the arc, Tech's other three regular guards are only 3-33 from long range. However, Tech has outscored their opponents by 27 points at the free throw line and in their last five games, the Ramblin' Wreck has outscored their opponents in points in the paint by an astounding margin of plus-92 (210-118).  They also are plus-23 (67-44) in second-chance points over the same period.  Obviously Georgia Tech wants to control the game on the inside.

Georgia Tech is a perfect 4-0 in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Maryland and Michigan are the only other teams to sport spotless records in the series. The Yellow Jackets won the only previous meeting with Nebraska.  In their first postseason appearance in school history, Georgia Tech defeated the Huskers 73-68 in the semifinals of the National Women's Invitational Tournament in Amarillo, Texas on March 27, 1992.

Georgia Tech's regular arena, Alexander Memorial Coliseum, is undergoing a $45 million renovation.  This has forced their men and women's basketball teams to relocate to Gwinnett Arena in Duluth, Ga., and will be the site of Wednesday night's game with the Huskers.

I cordially invite you to join Jeff Griesch and me for Nebraska Women's Basketball on the Husker Sports Network.  Our radio broadcast Wednesday evening beings with the Husker Courtside pre-game show at 5:45 p.m. (central) with the tip-off scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on the Husker Sports Network, including our new Lincoln affiliate KBBK 107.3 FM (B-107.3) and KTWI 93.3 FM (Twister 93.3) in Omaha, KNEB 960 in Scottsbluff, KCOW 1400 in Alliance and available to our entire 25 network stations.  All Husker Women's Basketball broadcasts are also available for free worldwide on the internet at www.huskers.com.  I hope you can join us.

There are a number of ways to get enhanced information about our broadcast and Husker Women's Basketball via social media.  You can learn more about the team on the Nebraska Women's Basketball Facebook page or follow the team on their official Twitter  page @huskerswbb.  I also invite you to friend me on Facebook (Matt Coatney) or follow me on Twitter @coatman1.

Go Big Red! 

Matt