TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Georgia Tech cut it to a two-possession game in the final quarter, but couldn’t overcome No. 24 Florida State, falling 80-66 Sunday afternoon in the Donald L. Tucker Center.
Three Yellow Jackets posted double-figure scoring numbers led by Cameron Swartz with 17 points. Kara Dunn followed with 16 points for her third-straight game in double-figures, and Kayla Blackshear added 10 points. Tonie Morgan led the Jackets on the glass with a game-high 11 rebounds as both teams pulled down 37 boards.
Both teams shot 50.0 percent or better in the first half, but three-pointers were the difference at intermission as Florida State hit five in the first two quarters, while keeping the Jackets scoreless from long distance. Both teams connected on 16 field goals in an offensive battle in the opening 20 minutes that saw 13 lead changes and four tied scores. Neither team led by more than five points through the first 18 minutes with Tech holding the 26-21 advantage off a Nerea Hermosa bucket to jumpstart the second quarter. Florida State quickly erased its deficit and took the permanent lead off a three-pointer by O’Mariah Gordon at the 5:23 mark.
Florida State held a 45-37 halftime lead and extended its advantage to 63-51 with just under two minutes to play in the third quarter before Tech strung together an 8-0 run fueled by four points from Dunn, cutting the score to 65-61 with 9:07 to play. It would be the closest the Jackets would come the remainder of the game with Tech being limited to one three-pointer from Bianca Jackson over the final nine minutes for the final 80-66 score.
Tech finished the game shooting 42.4 percent (25-59) from the field and Florida State shot 45.9 percent (28-61). Tech converted 13-of-16 free throws and dished out 15 assists led by Morgan with five.
The Seminoles were paced in scoring by Ta’Niya Latson with 31 points. FSU was 8-for-15 from three-point range and 16-for-27 from the charity stripe.
The Yellow Jackets play their final regular season road game on Thursday, Feb. 23, visiting No. 10 Notre Dame. Tip is slated for 6 p.m. on RSN.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets 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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