GREENSBORO, N.C. – Georgia Tech led for over 20 minutes, holding as large a lead as 10 points, but North Carolina finished with a strong fourth quarter to capture an 80-73 win Thursday in the second round of the ACC Tournament. Chanin Scott posted a double-double and was one of three players to finish with double-figure scoring numbers.
“I thought our kids competed,” commented assistant coach Mark Simons. “We got great play off the bench – we had some kids come in and play great minutes for us. I think it hurt us that Elizabeth [Balogun] got in early foul trouble. We had to limit her minutes in the first half and she wasn’t herself when she came back. For the most part, I thought we competed.”
How It Happened
All 10 players that took the floor in the first half contributed offensively for the Yellow Jackets and finished with a 55.2 percent shooting clip to carry a 40-35 lead into halftime. UNC came out with the early lead, but it was short-lived as Tech shot 63.6 percent in the first quarter to open a double-digit lead following a Lotta-Maj Lahtinen jumper with 1:11 to play. UNC was held to 28.6 percent shooting in the first 10 minutes.
The Jackets called a quick timeout after the Tar Heels opened the second frame with a 4-0 spurt, answering with a 6-0 run fueled by four points from Kondalia Montgomery to reopen a 30-20 lead with 6:00 to play. UNC worked its way back, staging a 13-3 run over the next 2:50 of play to knot the game at 33-33. Lahtinen snapped the run with a triple as Lorela Cubaj and Daijah Jefferson hit back-to-back layups to close the half with Tech leading 40-35.
It all came down to the fourth quarter as UNC outscored Tech in the third, 22-17, to leave the teams tied at 57-57 entering the final frame. The conference foes kept it tight early in the final frame before UNC opened a six-point lead with 2:42 to play. The Jackets would come within four points on a pair of free throws from Lahtinen, but the Tar Heels held for the 80-73 win.
Tech Tidbits
* Lahtinen reached double-figures in the first half, posting 10 points in the opening two frames
* The Jackets scored 14 points off their bench in the first half and finished with 21 for the game
* Tech hit five three-pointers, paced by two from Lahtinen, in the first half, while UNC hit four – all from Leah Church
* Tech finished 7-of-25 from the three-point line, while UNC was 8-for-24
* Chanin Scott posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds
* Dixon added 12 points along with Lahtinen
* Tech won the rebounding battle, 42-39, paced by Scott and Cubaj with 10 and nine rebounds, respectively
* The Tar Heels went to the charity stripe for 18 attempts, converting 14, while Tech was limited to an 8-of-9 showing
* GT finished with 15 turnovers to UNC’s five, allowing the Tar Heels to convert for 15 points
* UNC pulled down 17 offensive rebounds, converting the boards for 19 second chance points
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