WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Tonie Morgan and Kayla Blackshear combined to score 40 points on Sunday, helping lift Georgia Tech to a 58-55 victory at Wake Forest in the LJVM Coliseum. Morgan logged her fourth game scoring 20 or more points this season, finishing with a team-high 22 points.
Blackshear led all scorers at half with 12 points as the Yellow Jackets (14-9, 5-6 ACC) jumped out with the lead and never looked back. The Jackets kept the Demon Deacons (4-18, 0-10 ACC) to a 34.6 percent shooting efficiency in the first half and built its lead out to as many as eight points off a Morgan jumper early in the second quarter. Tech opened the third frame with a 6-0 spurt to extend its lead to 11, but Wake Forest began to rally back and closed the frame on a 14-5 run to cut the score to 38-36 in favor of the Jackets.
Kara Dunn hit a jumper to open the final period, but the Demon Deacons answered with a triple and free throw to tie the score at 40-40 with 8:10 to play. After Wake Forest took its only lead of the game with a bucket from Elise Williams, the teams worked through another tie before Morgan took over the game, scoring 13 points in the final quarter. She jumpstarted it converting an and one possession to return the lead to Tech for the final time. Sydney Johnson hit a jumper to put the Jackets up by eight with 2:01 to go, but Wake Forest forced Tech to the free throw line down the stretch. Morgan went to the line each time, converting 4-of-8 attempts to seal the road win for Georgia Tech.
In the final 10 minutes, Morgan was 4-for-5 from the field and 5-of-9 at the charity stripe to drop in 13 points. The Jackets shot 50.0 percent (6-12) in the period and 61.5 percent (8-13) from the free throw line. Wake Forest did not go lightly, hitting 53.8 percent in the final 10 minutes, led by Williams with 13 points.
For the game, Morgan finished with 22 points, followed by Blackshear with 18. Blackshear just missed a double-double with nine rebounds. The Jackets outscored the Demon Deacons in the paint, 36-20, and converted 20 Wake Forest turnovers into 23 points. Wake Forest was led by Williams with 23 points and 11 rebounds, who helped the Deacons to a 36-30 win on the boards.
Georgia Tech returns to action on Thursday, Feb. 8, making the trip to Syracuse. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. in the JMA Wireless Dome 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 Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of the development of Yellow Jackets that thrive academically at the Institute and 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.
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