THE FLATS – Georgia Tech women’s basketball ended up on the wrong side of a gritty, back-and-forth Sunday showdown against the Princeton Tigers, 67-61, inside McCamish Pavilion.
The Tech defense kept the Tigers 0-for-9 from beyond the arc to start the game and out-rebounded 2025 NCAA Tournament participant Princeton, 23-11, but a 24-point fourth-quarter surge from Ivy League’s preseason favorite (1-0, 0-0 Ivy League) proved to be the difference.
“Really proud of our team and the way we battled today,” head coach Karen Blair said postgame. “I think we showed some consistency on the defensive end and on the defensive rebounds. We withheld some runs a little bit early and that’s something we’ll get better at as we continued to go forward.”
Seniors Catherine Alben and Inés Noguero led the Yellow Jackets (1-1, 0-0 ACC) offensively with 15 and 13 points, respectively. Noguero started 3-for-3 from the floor and finished 6-for-9. Alben posted her second-straight double-digit scoring game to start the season Sunday. Fellow senior Brianna Turnage once again led Tech in rebounds (10), recording her second-straight game in double figures in that category.
FIRST HALF
Noguero collected the game’s opening points on a last-second three to beat the shot clock. Noguero scored each of Tech’s first seven points, helping the Jackets get to a quick 7-2 advantage. Princeton started 2-for-7 from the floor as Tech led 9-4 going into the first media timeout with 4:53 left in the first. Erica Moon derailed a Princeton drive to the basket with a steal-and-score to put Tech up 15-6. Princeton managed one more bucket in the first as Georgia Tech led 15-8 after one.
A three-point play caused by D’Asia Thomas-Harris marked the first Tech points of the second, answering a period-opening bucket from Princeton. The Tigers crept closer to the Jackets in the first half of the second quarter and evened the game at 20 with five minutes left. After Princeton got ahead 23-20, Alben drilled a three to even the game with 4:16 left. Jada Crawshaw made a midrange jumper to even the game again at 0:59, now at 28 apiece, after a Princeton trey. Noguero retook the lead for the Yellow Jackets with a jumper of her own at 0:27 and was followed with a make from Alben to put Tech ahead 32-28 at the break. Georgia Tech ended the half on a 7-0 run and was led by Noguero in both points (9) and rebounds (5) for the period.
SECOND HALF
The third stanza for Tech offensively was started by Ariadna Termis, who answered a Tiger layup to get the home team back up by four, 34-30. Noguero reached double digits on a layup to put Tech ahead 38-34 with seven minutes left in the third. Four free throws by Tech allowed the lead to get up to six, with the Yellow Jackets leading 44-38 with under four left in the third. Alben sank two of those free throws to get into double figures for the second-straight game. Turnage made a jumper with 0:44, adding to a 6-0 Tech run that made it a 50-43 game – the largest Yellow Jacket lead since the first quarter – to end the third.
Alben scored the first Yellow Jacket points of the fourth to put Tech up by eight, 52-44. Princeton made back-to-back treys to get with two, 52-50, before Savannah Samuel answered with a jumper to make it 54-50, with 6:24 left. Princeton managed to take a 60-56 lead with under four left before Alben drilled a trey to get back within one for Tech, 60-59. Princeton held on to take the victory, 67-61.
UP NEXT
Georgia Tech is back inside McCamish Pavilion Thursday, Nov. 13 for a 7 p.m. tip-off against Charleston Southern. Fans can catch the action on ACC Network Extra or by tuning in via the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets app.
Fans can purchase tickets here.
PURCHASE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2025-26 Georgia Tech women’s basketball season remain on sale. Season tickets begin at just $50 for general admission and $65 for reserved seats. Fans won’t want to miss any of the action in McCamish Pavilion this upcoming season, which features a challenging nine-game Atlantic Coast Conference schedule in addition to a competitive non-conference slate. To purchase tickets, or for more information, please visit RamblinWreck.com.
Single-game tickets also remain on sale, as well as a Mini Plan for patrons wishing to attend multiple games this season. A Mini Plan includes tickets to four games, anchored by Tech’s marquee matchup against Notre Dame on Jan. 1 plus the choice of three additional Atlantic Coast Conference games.
Group tickets are also on sale now. For groups interested in purchasing tickets to a Georgia Tech athletics event, please fill out this form linked.
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, follow us on X (@GTWBB), Instagram (GTWBB), Facebook (Georgia Tech Women’s Basketball) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
