THE FLATS – Elizabeth Dixon posted 21 points and was one of four Yellow Jackets to finish in double-figures as Georgia Tech defeated Pittsburgh, 67-55, Thursday night in McCamish Pavilion. The Jackets won the rebounding battle to improve to 14-9 overall and 4-6 in ACC play.
“It feels good to get back on the winning side of things,” commented head coach MaChelle Joseph. “I think we were a little rusty at times tonight, but it was good to be at home and work out some of those kinks. I thought Elizabeth Dixon had a big game for us and scored for us inside.”
How It Happened
In a first half that witnessed six lead changes and six ties, Georgia Tech headed into the locker room with a 32-38 halftime lead. Tied a 7-apiece, Pitt notched its first lead of the contest on its second three-pointer of the half, but Tech worked its way back into the lead, 17-15, at the quarter break fueled by six points from Elizabeth Dixon. The Panthers opened the second quarter with a 9-3 spurt to grab its largest lead of 25-20 with 5:31 to play before Francesca Pan hit Tech’s lone triple in the half to snap the streak. The Jackets closed the half on a 7-2 run to lead by four at intermission.
Tech outscored Pitt in the third frame, 24-16, to build a double-digit lead fueled by 12 points from Dixon. Following two free throws from Dixon and a field goal from Elizabeth Balogun, the Jackets gained a 47-40 edge at the media break and Dixon continued the run with a layup out of the break. The Memphis, Tenn., native would connect on an old-fashioned three-point play with 3:15 to go before Chanin Scott and Kierra Fletcher ended the stanza with a pair of buckets for a 56-44 Tech lead entering the final quarter. Tech continued its second half push with a strong start to the fourth quarter, opening a 17-point lead before Pitt answered with a 9-1 run to come within nine at 64-55. The Jackets finished 3-of-4 from the free throw line for the final 67-55 score.
Tech Tidbits
* Dixon finished with a game-high 21 points followed by Balogun, Pan and Fletcher all with 10 points
* Tech won the rebounding battle, 42-38, paced by 10 rebounds from Lorela Cubaj and eight from Dixon and Fletcher
* Tech scored 20 points off 18 Pitt turnovers and outscored the Panthers, 32-18, in the paint
* The Jackets hit 81.8 percent from the free throw line with an 18-of-22 showing – Pitt was limited to a 6-for-15 effort
* For the game, Tech shot 35.4 percent (23-65) to Pitt’s 38.2 percent (21-55)
* Pitt hit seven three-pointers in the contest and was led in scoring by Danielle Garven with 14 points
* Chanin Scott posted four steals to go along with eight points
Next Up
Georgia Tech makes a visit to Wake Forest for a Sunday matinee at 1 p.m. in Winston-Salem on ACC Network Extra.
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