DURHAM, N.C. — Georgia Tech cut the score to four points in the fourth quarter, but No. 19 Duke held on and secured a 77-59 win with a late run inside Cameron Indoor Stadium. Three Jackets finished in double-figures led by Antonia Peresson with 17 points, hitting five treys.
“Well obviously we’ve struggled all season to score and you can see tonight against the zone it was no different,” commented head coach MaChelle Joseph. “I thought Lexie Brown and Rebecca Greenwell showed why they are two of the best guards in the ACC. They hit big shots when we were making a run at them and every time they answered and were able to stop our runs with their tough shots. I thought they did a tremendous job for their team.”
How It Happened
The Jackets came out battling in the first quarter, pushing Duke and tying the score twice before grabbing their first lead on a Chanin Scott jumper with 3:28 to play in the frame, 11-10. After Rebecca Greenwell returned the edge to the Blue Devils on the next possession, Francesca Pan ignited a 7-2 Tech run to close the frame and give the Jackets an 18-14 lead entering the second quarter. Duke used a strong second stanza to gain a double-digit lead, outscoring Tech 26-10 in the period. After the teams traded the lead out of the break, Erin Mathias sparked a 10-0 Duke run that put the Blue Devils in front, 28-20, with 5:55 on the clock. Antonia Peresson snapped the run, but Duke built its lead out to as many as 13 points in the frame shooting 64.7 percent (11-17) in the quarter and led 40-28 at halftime.
Tech won the third quarter, 15-14, after closing the frame with an 11-5 run fueled by a trio of three pointers to set the score at 54-43 entering the final frame in favor of Duke. The Jackets cut the score to single digits in the third stanza as Peresson started Tech’s final run, slicing the score to 51-43 with 40 seconds to play before Faith Suggs completed the three-point play for the tally.
The Jackets opened the final frame with a 9-2 run that pulled Tech within four points, 56-52, with 5:56 to play. Duke responded by holding the Jackets to seven points the remainder of the game, while posting 21 of its own to seal the win.
Tech Tidbits
* Duke shot 64.7 percent (11-17) in the second frame to Tech’s 30.8 percent clip (4-13)
* The Blue Devils won the rebounding battle in the first half, 18-13, and finished with a 39-32 edge
* For the game, Duke shot 56.9 percent to Tech’s 32.3 percent
* Peresson led the Jackets with 17 points, three points shy of matching her career-high
* Kaylan Pugh finished with 16 points, followed by Pan with 14 points
* Four Blue Devils finished in double-figure scoring numbers led by Lexie Brown with 24 points
Next Up
The Jackets close out this road swing visiting Clemson for a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
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