THE FLATS – Georgia Tech women’s basketball secured its first Atlantic Coast Conference win in the final seconds on Thursday night, defeating Virginia, 63-60. It was a one-point ballgame with less than a minute to play as Tech improved to 10-4 overall and 1-1 in ACC action.
It all came down to the final minutes when the teams traded scores to setup a one-point tally. Tonie Morgan hit a pair of free throws at the fourth quarter 1:58 mark to hand Georgia Tech a 60-56 advantage before the teams traded points over the next minute. Virginia’s Kaydan Lawson connected on a pair at the charity stripe to move the score to 61-60 with 54.1 seconds to play before Kara Dunn drew a foul with 20.6 to go and sank both free throws, proving to be the final difference, 63-60. In all, the game saw nine lead changes and 11 ties in Tech’s ACC home-opener.
Dunn led all scorers with a game-high 24 points. She was followed by Morgan, who notched her third double-double of the season behind 18 points and 12 rebounds. Morgan went to the free throw line for a career-high 15 attempts and converted 10, including 2-of-3 in the fourth quarter. Overall, Tech was 21-for-33 at the free throw line, while Virginia was 15-of-23.
It was a back-and-forth battle in the first half as Georgia Tech held the largest lead of the opening 20 minutes at 14-8 in the first quarter. But a combined 21 turnovers plagued both teams in the first half as the lead changed five times and stood tied six times. Dunn led all scorers with 12 points at halftime and capped the second quarter with a bucket to give Tech a 27-24 lead at intermission.
Back-to-back buckets from Dunn in the third quarter gave Tech it’s largest lead of the game, 35-28, but the Cavaliers did not go lightly and chipped away at their deficit to create a 48-48 score entering the fourth quarter.
Camryn Taylor led Virginia with 19 points. Paris Clark added 13 points and 12 rebounds, leading the Cavaliers to the rebounding advantage, 46-42. Both teams shot under 35 percent from the field as Virginia was held to one three-pointer and 17 turnovers in the game.
The Yellow Jackets are back on the road this weekend with a trip to Pitt on Sunday, Jan. 7. Tip is slated for 2 p.m. on the ACC Network inside the Petersen Events Center.
Head coach Nell Fortner speaks with media postgame
Sophomore guard Kara Dunn speaks with media postgame
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of the development of Yellow Jackets that thrive academically at the Institute and 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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