March 7, 2013
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Georgia Tech dropped an 86-67 ACC Tournament first round decision to Wake Forest Thursday night at the Greensboro Coliseum. Tech was led by Tyaunna Marshall’s 22 points and 11 rebounds.
It was the ninth double-double of the year for Marshall and the 14th of her career. It was the 10th time this season she has scored at least 20 points and the 24th time in her three years for the Yellow Jackets she has scored at least 20 points. Sydney Wallace was the only other Yellow Jacket in double digits with 10 points.
“Obviously we’re disappointed in the outcome of this game today,” head coach MaChelle Joseph said. “I want to give Wake Forest a lot of credit. It’s hard to beat a team three times in one season. I think they learned a lot from their first two games against us and were able to attack our press and do some things that hurt us on the offensive end. It’s a tough atmosphere to come into when you have six freshmen and are relying on four freshmen to be go-to players for you. Ty Marshall has led the way for us all year long. I’m really proud of the season she has had and carried us on her back.
“I’m proud of these freshmen, the way they’ve stepped up and fought down the stretch,” Joseph continued. “We won four of our last six games and the perseverance they’ve had throughout the season. Obviously we’re not pleased with our record but it’s definitely the toughest schedule we’ve ever played at Georgia Tech. We can only grow from here. We lose three seniors and so we basically return everyone. We signed a great recruiting class and we’re really excited about the future of Georgia Tech basketball.”
For the second straight game against Wake Forest, Marshall started out hot and was in double figures by halftime. Marshall made Tech’s first three field goals and had assists on the next two.
There were four ties and two lead changes over the opening 20 minutes, and Tech took a 43-36 lead into intermission led by Marshall’s 16 points.
After extending the Jacket lead to six on a Dawnn Maye jumper at the 14:38 mark, Wake Forest went on a 23-2 run that Tech couldn’t recover from.
The Demon Deacons shot 55.6 percent in the second half while Tech went cold, shooting just 22.5 percent in the final period.
Fans are encouraged to follow Georgia Tech women’s basketball on Twitter, @GTWBB, and like the Yellow Jackets on Facebook, GTWomensBasketball, for an inside look at the program.
–RamblinWreck.com–
