NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Francesca Pan scored 24 points, but Georgia Tech could not overcome a tough No. 7 Notre Dame squad, dropping a 90-69 decision in Notre Dame Sunday afternoon.
“You can see the balance that Notre Dame has and that is one of the reasons they are one of the top teams in the country,” stated head coach MaChelle Joseph. “I have a lot of respect for their ability to make shots — tough shots — and consistently from all over the floor. I think Lindsay Allen is the best point guard in the ACC and by far one of the top two or three point guards in the country. I was really impressed with her overall floor game tonight. Brianna Turner obviously came to play and was outstanding, along with Marina Mabrey.”
How It Happened
Notre Dame held the Jackets scoreless over the final 3:35 of the first quarter to reverse a five-point Tech lead into a 22-19 Fighting Irish edge at the end of the first frame. ND continued its scoring streak into the second quarter, opening a double-digit lead with 6:25 to play in the half. The Fighting Irish would push its advantage to 15 points in the period, but Francesca Pan drained two three-pointers to close the period for a 48-39 halftime score. Pan led the Jackets with 18 points at the halftime break, going 4-of-6 from beyond the arch.
Tech opened the third quarter with a 4-0 spurt to slice the score to a five-point ballgame, but Notre Dame answered hitting their next six field goals to push out to a 60-47 lead at the media timeout with 4:10 on the clock. Notre Dame continued its strong offense and finished the frame shooting 58.8 percent (10-17) to hold a 71-56 edge at the final intermission.
The Jackets cut the score to single digits for the final time out of the break, using a 6-0 spurt to come within nine points. It would be the closest Tech would come the remainder of the game as the Irish continued to hold a comfortable lead.
Tech Tidbits
* With the loss, the Jackets drop to 14-11 on the season and 3-9 in the ACC
* Pan was one point shy of matching her career-high, leading the Jackets with 24 points on 10-of-23 shooting and hit four triples
* For the game, the Jackets shot 40.0 percent (25-65) from the field and 57.9 percent (11-19) from the free throw line
* Notre Dame shot 53.5 percent (38-71) from the floor and 71.4 percent (10-14) from the charity stripe
* The Fighting Irish won the rebounding battle 43-33 and outscored the Jackets in the paint, 58-28
* The Irish were led by four players in double-figures, paced by 25 points from Marina Mabrey
* Arike Ogunbowale posted a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds
Next Up
Georgia Tech visits North Carolina next, traveling to Chapel Hill for a 7 p.m. tip on Thursday, Feb. 16 on ACC Network Extra.
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