CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Elizabeth Balogun and Elizabeth Dixon combined for 30 points and 27 rebounds, and both finished with double-doubles as Georgia Tech defeated Boston College on the road, 81-76, to open ACC play Thursday night. Balogun collected her first collegiate double-double behind an astounding 18-point, 17-rebound performance, while classmate Dixon finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds. With the road victory, Tech improved to 11-3 overall and 1-0 in ACC play.
“Coming into the game, one of the things we talked about was our rebounding and being able to compete with Boston College on the boards,” said head coach MaChelle Joseph. “I was really proud of the way we came to play today. Getting 55 rebounds on the road, and 23 offensive, was the difference in the game.”
How It Happened
Taking control of the boards in the first half, Georgia Tech carried a 39-31 lead over Boston College into halftime. Balogun was one rebound shy of a double-double through the first 20 minutes, posting 11 points and nine rebounds to lead the Jackets. Leading by five points at the 2:21 mark in the first quarter, Francesca Pan and Lorela Cubaj scored consecutively to hand Tech a 22-13 edge. Tech opened a double-digit lead in the second quarter and led by 10 points, 34-24, following a D’asia Gregg bucket with 4:17 to play. But Boston College used a 7-0 run to close within three points before Kierra Fletcher and Balogun returned an eight-point lead to Tech at intermission.
Tech pushed its lead out to 12 points in the third quarter, but the Eagles kept it close and setup a 57-52 ballgame after a three-pointer early in the fourth quarter. The Jackets answered the triple with a 7-0 spurt to take a 64-52 lead with 7:08 to play. Draining a three-pointer with just over a minute to go, Boston College made it a two possession game, but Tech finished 8-for-8 from the free throw line over the final minute to secure the win.
Tech Tidbits
* Tech dominated on the glass, out-rebounding Boston College, 55-30, including a 23-10 edge on the offensive glass
* Balogun and Fletcher both posted 18 points on the night to lead the Jackets offensively
* Dixon added 12 points and Pan finished with 10
* Balogun set a personal-best with 17 rebounds and Dixon added 10 rebounds to Tech’s dominating performance
* The Jackets finished 19-for-24 from the charity stripe, while BC was 5-of-7
* For the game, Tech shot 42.0 percent (29-69)
* Boston College converted 23 Tech turnovers into 24 points
* BC was led by Georgia Pineau with 22 points
Next Up
Georgia Tech returns home to host defending National Champion and No. 2 Notre Dame on Sunday, Jan. 6. Tip is slated for 3 p.m. on RSN (locally on Fox Sports South).
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