Dec. 3, 2004
By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer
ATLANTA (AP) – Stephanie Higgs scored 16 points to lead Georgia Tech to a 55-49 upset of No. 6 Georgia, which shot just 29 percent Friday night and lost for the second time in a week.
Georgia Tech (4-0) now holds the upper hand in a series it still trails 25-2. The Yellow Jackets have beaten Georgia two of the last three years after losing the first 24 meetings between the state rivals.
The Lady Bulldogs (5-2), who beat then No. 2-ranked Texas, have now lost twice against unranked opponents. Last Saturday, they fell 64-63 to Texas Christian in Hawaii, though TCU has now moved into the Top 25.
Georgia Tech defeated the Lady Bulldogs for the first time in 2002, winning 65-61 at nearby Philips Arena. Last season, Georgia cruised to a 78-62 victory.
The Lady Bulldogs had no chance of winning with shooting like this: 20-of-69 from the field, including just 2-of-16 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Georgia’s freshman star, Tasha Humphrey, was hampered by an ankle injury and didn’t start for the first time. She managed only six points – nine below her average – on 2-of-7 shooting.
The Yellow Jackets collapsed on Humphrey when she touched the ball. She was constantly harassed by two players, and sometimes a third would drop back on the freshman.
Rebecca Rowsey scored 12 points, the only Georgia player in double figures.
Janese Hardrick, also slowed by an ankle injury, didn’t play at all for the Lady Bulldogs.
Georgia coach Andy Landers tried all sort of tactics to spark his team. He yelled and stomped his feet. At one point, he flopped down in his chair, feigning indifference to what was happening in front of him.
Georgia Tech scored the final seven points of the first half for a 27-23 lead at the break. Janie Mitchell hit a 3-pointer, Higgs scored on a baseline drive and Daphne Mitchell beat the buzzer with a 10-footer jumper.
The Yellow Jackets charged off the court, pumping fists defiantly as they headed to the locker room with the momentum clearly on their side.
It carried over to the second half. Georgia Tech scored the first three baskets to lead 33-23. Cori Chambers finally broke through, scoring Georgia’s first basket on a jumper nearly 3 minutes in.
Georgia Tech built the lead to 13 points and Georgia never seriously challenged.
The Lady Bulldogs were playing on the Georgia Tech campus for the first time since 1988. The teams have played once in Athens and eight times at neutral sites over the past 16 years.
