THE FLATS – Four Yellow Jackets poured in double-figures offensively as Georgia Tech women’s basketball knocked off Pittsburgh 71-57 Sunday afternoon in McCamish Pavilion. The Jackets were led by Francesca Pan with 20 points.
“I was really pleased to see Imani Tilford step up and make her free throws down the stretch,” commented head coach MaChelle Joseph. “I thought Elo Edeferioka had a great game defensively and made some key plays down the stretch when we were struggling to score. She also kept us in it with her rebounding. Francesca Pan came out in the first half and was really phenomenal and carried us. We’ve been struggling to close out games, so it was good to see those players step up today. And we got some great play out of Antonia Peresson at the point guard position when Imani Tilford got into foul trouble.”
How It Happened
Georgia Tech used five treys in the first half to led 34-32 at halftime, shooting 62.5 percent from three-point distance and 41.0 percent overall in the half. Francesca Pan led the Jackets with 16 first half points as only four Jackets contributed offensively in the half. Tech led by as many as nine points in the second quarter, but the Panthers were able to slowly chip at their deficit and used a 7-1 spurt to come within 24-21 at the second quarter media timeout. The Jackets pushed back out to six points three times, but Pitt closed the frame with a 9-5 edge to close the gap within two points.
The Jackets held a comfortable lead in the third quarter, but a two minute scoring drought from both teams late in the period and a late run from the Panthers setup a 49-47 game in favor of Tech heading into the final period. Pitt immediately knotted the score out of the game, but the Jackets answered with an 8-0 run before the Panthers snapped the streak. Antonia Peresson hit a crucial three-pointer as the shot clock expired at the 2:48 mark. Pitt would answer with a triple of its own at 2:27, but would not score again until a three-pointer from Kauai Bradley with 26 seconds left as Tech finished 11-of-12 from the free throw line over the final two minutes to secure the win.
Tech Tidbits
* Georgia Tech snapped a three-game skid with the win and improved to 15-12 overall and 4-10 in the ACC
* Francesca Pan picked up her fourth game scoring 20+ points, leading all scorers with 20 this afternoon
* Zaire O’Neil finished with 14 points, while Imani Tilford added 13 points for her seventh straight game in double-figures
* Elo Edeferioka rounded out the double-figure scoring, contributing 11 points
* Tech nearly won the battle on the glass 34-31 pace by Edeferioka with seven
* The Jackets finished 19-of-23 from the charity stripe with Tilford going 11-for-12
* Pittsburgh was 8-for-8 at the free throw line
* Tech committed only nine turnovers in the game, marking the second lowest total of the season – the Jackets had eight against Mizzou in November
* The Jackets forced 17 Pitt turnovers, converting the miscues into 20 points
Next Up
Georgia Tech plays its final regular season home game and honors its seniors on Thursday, Feb. 23 hosting Clemson at 7 p.m. Prior to tipoff, the Jackets will recognize seniors Katarina Vuckovic and Cha’Ron Sweeney before they play their final home game.
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