LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Georgia Tech closed the score to single digits in the second half, but wasn’t able to rally closer, falling at No. 2 Louisville Sunday afternoon, 61-44. Elizabeth Balogun finished with a double-double and was one of two Yellow Jackets to record double-figure rebounds.
“I thought in the first half, Louisville showed why they are one of the best teams in the country,” commented head coach MaChelle Joseph. “I thought we played well defensively and I thought they played well defensively. I thought they did a great job hitting shots. Their seniors stepped up and hit shots and our freshmen weren’t able to convert.”
How It Happened
Louisville came out of the gate with a 15-2 lead, forcing Georgia Tech to burn a timeout in the first quarter. The Jackets fought back within nine points, 20-11, off an Elizabeth Dixon old-fashioned three-point play with 1:07 left in the first, but Louisville hit six three-pointers in the first half and converted 13 Tech turnovers into 20 points, to lead 36-23 at intermission. Tech kept a close hold on Louisville in the second quarter as the Cardinals narrowly took the frame, 12-9.
Louisville was held to a 28.6 percent shooting clip in the third quarter and Tech capitalized, closing the gap to nine points using a 6-0 spurt following the media break to setup a 42-33 tally with 2:01 to play. Neither team scored over a nearly two-minute period to follow, allowing Asia Durr to hit the final field goal of the frame for a 44-33 score entering the final quarter. The Cardinals used a strong final frame to seal the win.
Tech Tidbits
* Balogun finished with a double-double behind 13 points and 10 rebounds and Lorela Cubaj added 10 rebounds as Tech won the battle on the glass, 46-32
* Anne Francoise Diouf and Elizabeth Dixon each pulled down six rebounds
* Tech dominated on the offensive glass, 21-4, led by five each from Balogun and Cubaj
* For the game, Tech shot 26.2 percent (17-65) to Louisville’s 43.4 percent (23-53)
* After hitting six three-pointers in the first half, Louisville was held to one triple in the second half to finish 7-of-20 from three-point range
* Asia Durr finished with 21 points and was one of three Cardinals to post double-figure scoring numbers
Next Up
Georgia Tech continues this road swing visiting Clemson for a Thursday night tilt at 7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
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