Nov. 29, 2009

Foster Leads Jackets Past Long Island, 73-56
Junior Deja Foster scored 12 points on her way to being named Most Valuable Player of the 2009 LIU Turkey Classic as the Georgia Tech women's basketball team (4-1) defeated host Long Island (3-3), 73-56, to capture the tournament title Saturday.

Foster, who shot six-of-seven from the field, also registered five rebounds and five assists for the Yellow Jackets. Ardossi, who earned a spot on the All-Tournament team, scored 10 points and finished with six boards. Montgomery added 13 points off the bench.

The Yellow Jackets hit four three-point field goals and shot 52 percent from the field to open a 38-28 halftime lead over the Blackbirds. Montgomery led all first half scorers with nine points. 

Elon no match for Hokies as Tech wins 82-46
Lindsay Biggs' 18 points paced four Hokies in double figures as the Virginia Tech women's basketball team rolled to an 82-46 victory over the Elon Phoenix on Saturday afternoon at Cassell Coliseum.

The matchup - the first ever between Tech and Elon - opened a four-game home stand for the Hokies, who improved to 4-2 with the win. Elon dropped to 2-2 on the season.

Biggs continued her hot shooting by draining 6-of-11 from the field, including 4-of-7 from 3-point land, to score at least 18 points for the third time this season. The senior has now hit 17 of 30 3-point attempts over the past four games and is closing in on second place on Tech's all-time list for 3-pointers made in a career.

Boston Colege Wins Hoops For Cure Tournament
Senior Mickel Picco scored 20 of her 25 points in the second half to lead Boston College past Southern Methodist University, 69-68, in the final of the Hoops For Cure Tournament at the Moody Coliseum on the campus of SMU. The Eagles improved to 3-3 on the season and handed the Mustangs their first loss of the season (5-1).

Picco, who hit 5-of-6 three-pointers in the second half, earned a spot on the all-tournament team, while teammate Carolyn Swords, who notched 20 points and 13 rebounds, was named the tournament MVP. BC senior Ayla Brown had eight points and 10 rebounds, while junior forward Stefanie Murphy added six points and eight rebounds.

SMU was led by senior Brittany Gilliam with 22 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, while Christine Elliott added 17 points.

Freshman Keyrra Gillespie Sinks Hofstra, 69-68, in Final Seconds
Clemson women's basketball hung on against Hofstra for a 69-68 victory on Saturday at the WBCA Classic in Storrs, CT. Freshman Keyrra Gillespie made two pivotal plays down the stretch, and Clemson (4-2) held the Pride (3-2) scoreless for nearly four minutes at the end of the game to erase a late seven-point deficit and hung on for a win.

Lele Hardy led the Tigers with 19 points, while Gillespie added 12 points and six rebounds. Shaniqua Pauldo hit double-figures for the six consecutive game, notching ten.

The Tigers shot only 33.8 percent, but were effective defensively and took care of the ball, forcing Hofstra into 23 turnovers, while only committing 14.

Hurricane Women Victorious in Wyndham Miami Championship
The University of Miami women's basketball team improved to 7-0 on the season with a 63-57 win over the Massachusetts Minutewomen (3-3) in the Wyndham Miami Thanksgiving Tournament Championship Game, Saturday night at the BankUnited Center.

For the second straight year, Shenise Johnson was named the tournament's most valuable player and the Hurricanes won the fifth annual tournament for the fourth time. Johnson is known for ability to do a little bit of everything for the `Canes and that's what she did against UMass. The Henrietta, N.Y. native scored 15 points and added four assists and four steals.

Riquna Williams recorded a game-high 17 points and a team-high five assists on the night. She hit two threes in the second half, but her biggest contribution was her three made free-throws with just 3:10 remaining - giving Miami a 57-53 lead. In fact the `Canes hit 7-of-9 free-throws in the games' final minutes to help seal the win.

NC State Falls 77-71 at No. 21 Vanderbilt
Meredith Marsh hit her first five 3-pointers and finished with 25 points. leading No. 21 Vanderbilt to a 77-71 win over North Carolina State on Saturday in the championship of the Vanderbilt Thanksgiving Tournament.

Marsh hit a trio of 3-pointers to get the Commodores (6-0) off to a quick start, and Vanderbilt held the Wolfpack (5-2) scoreless for nearly 8 minutes while building a 13-0 lead.

Nikkitta Gartrell scored 15 points for N.C. State, while Lucy Ellison had 14 points and 12 rebounds and Bonae Holston 11 points and 11 rebounds.