Feb. 7, 2008
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – A three-pointer by Epiphany Woodson with a second remaining gave Miami (9-14, 2-6 ACC) a 54-52 win over visiting Georgia Tech (18-5, 5-4) Thursday night at the BankUnited Center.
Woodson’s three mirrored the Yellow Jackets win over Miami in Atlanta last month when Alex Montgomery knocked down a three at the buzzer to defeat the Hurricanes.
“This is a very disappointing loss for our team,” head coach MaChelle Joseph said. “We feel like we beat ourselves. But we are experienced and we just have to bounce back and get back after it against North Carolina.”
The second half went back-and-forth as the two schools played through 11 lead changes including playing with the score tied four times. Janie Mitchell dropped in lay-up with 46 second remaining to give Tech a 52-51 lead. Miami’s Albrey Grimsley then turned the ball over on the `Canes next possession but Mitchell tossed the ball out-of-bounds trying to get it down-court to Chioma Nnamaka, giving Miami 18 seconds to work with and they were able to capitalize on the Jackets error.
Mitchell finished with a game-high 19 points and six rebounds for the Jackets. Nnamaka scored 16 points and in the process became the Georgia Tech all-time three-pointers made leader with 242 in her storied career on the Flats.
The Hurricanes were led by Woodson, who finished with 16 points and Charmaine Clark, who netted 12.
The Hurricanes opened the game on an 11-2 run, sparked by a pair of three-pointers from Woodson. After falling behind by as much as 11 with 10:30 remaining, Tech awoke and went on a 15-4 run to close out the first half tied with Miami at 24. The Jackets shot only 32 percent from the field but went to the free-throw line 10 times and held the Canes to zero free-throws in the half.
Tech returns to Atlanta for a Sunday, Feb. 10 meeting with No. 3/3 North Carolina. The Jackets will “Think Pink” as they debut their pink uniforms in support of the fight against breast cancer. Tip-off is slated for 12:30 p.m.
– RamblinWreck.com
