THE FLATS – Five Yellow Jackets scored in double-figures led by Francesca Pan with 26 points as Georgia Tech defeated Virginia Tech, 76-68, Sunday afternoon in McCamish Pavilion. Pan tied her career-high in scoring hitting a season-best five three-pointers in the contest. Winning their third straight game, the Jackets improved to 16-9 overall and 6-6 in league play.
“I’m really proud of the effort we made on the defensive end,” commented head coach MaChelle Joseph. “When you’re playing freshman against fifth-year seniors, it is a tough task for anybody. So I tip my hat off to Virginia Tech. I thought their kids stepped up and did what they had to do to try and win that game. I look at our stat line and it was a total team effort. I think this game was won on the defensive glass. Obviously Francesca Pan put us on her back, carried us and did so many things for us today on the offensive end. But we had contributions across the board.”
How It Happened
Knotted at 13-apiece, the Hokies scored nine unanswered points before Francesca Pan sank a three-pointer at the buzzer to leave the score at 19-16 in favor of the Hokies at the quarter break. Georgia Tech outscored VT, 25-12, in the second frame to gain a double-digit lead at halftime. Using a 13-2 run to open the stanza, the Jackets pulled out with a 29-21 advantage and the Hokies burned their first timeout at 5:13. VT would close the gap to within three points, but the Jackets closed the quarter on a 7-0 run to lead 41-31 at intermission.
Ignited by six points from Elizabeth Dixon, GT opened the second half with a 10-4 spurt, forcing VT to use their second timeout, trailing 51-35. After pushing out to its largest lead of 17 points, the Jackets were held to one field goal over the final three minutes of the frame as VT closed with a 10-2 run to cut the score to single digits, 58-49. Turnovers plagued the Jackets opening the final stanza as GT committed five in the first five minutes, while VT put together a 14-8 run, setting up a 66-63 ballgame with 3:11 to play. The Hokies were held scoreless over the next three minutes and the Jackets closed the game outscoring VT, 10-5, to seal the 76-68 victory.
Tech Tidbits
* Georgia Tech won the second quarter, 25-12, shooting 55.6 percent (10-18) from the field to lead at the halftime break
* For the game, GT shot 42.9 percent (27-63) to VT’s 34.8 percent (23-66) efficiency
* Both teams hit eight three-pointers, 14 free throws, committed 18 turnovers and swiped nine steals
* After trailing at halftime on the boards, 19-17, the Jackets won the rebounding battle in the second half, 24-18
* For the game, GT won the battle on the glass, 41-37, led by nine rebounds from Chanin Scott
* Pan tied her career-high in scoring (26 points) and three-pointers (five) on the afternoon
* Dixon finished with 13 points, followed by Lorela Cubaj, Elizabeth Balogun and Scott all with 10 points each
* Taylor Emery led VT with 27 points followed by Regan Magarity with 19 points
Next Up
Georgia Tech closes out this two-game homestand on Thursday, Feb. 21 welcoming Clemson to conclude the home-and-home series against the Tigers. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
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