CLEMSON, S.C. – Four Yellow Jackets finished in double-figures led by 16 points from Sarah Bates as No. 14 Georgia Tech picked up a 69-62 victory at Clemson Sunday evening. Lorela Cubaj recorded her eighth double-double of the season in the win.
Behind a hot-shooting Bates, who connected on four three-pointers in the first half, the Yellow Jackets (17-4, 8-2 ACC) led 29-22 at halftime. Clemson (7-14, 1-9 ACC) put on the pressure in the first quarter and gained a five-point lead midway through the period. But Eylia Love snapped the 6-0 Clemson spurt and a three-pointer from Lotta-Maj Lahtinen knotted it at 12-all. Bates hit her first triple of the game to close the first and give the Jackets a narrow 17-15 lead before erupting for three treys in the second frame. Tech limited Clemson to three field goals in the second quarter for a 23.1 percent shooting clip to lead by as many as nine points in the period.
Clemson cut it to one point late in the third quarter and kept it close through the frame, but Cubaj hit a layup with two seconds left to give the Jackets a 48-43 lead entering the final 10 minutes. Tech continued to hold strong in the final period and shot 87.5 percent (7-for-8) from the field and 63.6 percent from the free throw line to seal the win. Nerea Hermosa led the Jackets in the final 10 minutes, posting eight points to help Tech lead by as many as 15 points in the frame.
Bates posted a season-high 16 points on the night, followed by 14 points from Lahtinen and 12 points each from Cubaj and Hermosa. Cubaj led the Jackets with 10 rebounds as both teams finished with 29 rebounds.
Kionna Gaines led the Tigers with 18 points and Delicia Washington added 14 points.
The Jackets face a quick turnaround and visit Duke on Tuesday, Feb. 1. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. inside Cameron Indoor Stadium and will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on Twitter (@GTWBB), Instagram (GTWBB), Facebook (Georgia Tech Women’s Basketball) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
