THE FLATS – Behind a trio of players in double figures, Georgia Tech captured a thrilling victory Wednesday night, defeating Mississippi State in McCamish Pavilion, 78-75. It all came down to the final 10 minutes as the Yellow Jackets and Bulldogs worked through 17 lead changes and five tied scores in the 2024 edition of the SEC/ACC Challenge. Kara Dunn led Georgia Tech with 23 points as Tech remained undefeated on the season, improving to 8-0.
Mississippi State, who suffered its first loss of the season, dominated in the paint in the first half, outscoring the Yellow Jackets, 26-16, and used the advantage to lead at halftime, 39-34. But Tech hit five three-pointers in the first 20 minutes to keep a close watch on the Bulldogs. Dunn led Tech with 11 points at halftime, all coming in the first quarter, while Tonie Morgan added eight at the break, hitting all four buckets in the second frame.
Georgia Tech came out of halftime on fire and Dunn quickly knotted the game in less than a minute. Tech would gain its largest lead of the game off a Dunn three-pointer with 4:33 on the clock in the third quarter, but MSU’s Jerkaila Jordan posted an 8-2 personal run to erase the deficit. The teams stood knotted at 57-57 entering the final quarter.
After scoring just four points in the first half, freshman Dani Carnegie came alive in the final 10 minutes, dropping 10 points to help Georgia Tech seal the victory. Tech would post a 13-5 run spanning two-and-a-half minutes, capped by back-to-back buckets from Carnegie, to force MSU to call a timeout with Tech owning the momentum, 72-67, with 4:12 remaining. The Bulldogs came out of the break and answered with an 8-2 spurt to regain the edge, 75-74, as the clock wound down to 1:21 to go. But Kayla Blackshear converted layup off a Morgan feed and Carnegie drained two free throws in the final seconds to seal the three-point victory.
Dunn finished with 23 points, including four three-pointers, for her second 20-plus point game this season. Morgan added 15 points to the board, while Carnegie tallied 14 in the win. The Jackets recorded 14 assists on the night, paced by eight from Morgan, and recorded 12 steals on the night, led by Morgan’s four. For the first time this season, Tech dropped the rebounding battle, 35-38.
Mississippi State was led in scoring by Jordan with a game-high 25 points, followed by Eniya Russell with 18 and Chandler Prater with 10.
Georgia Tech plays its only true road game of the non-conference schedule on Sunday, Dec. 8, traveling to Mercer. Tip in Macon is slated for 2 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
Tonie Morgan postgame press conference following Mississippi State win
Head coach Nell Fortner postgame press conference
SINGLE GAME TICKETS FOR WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Single-game tickets for the season are also on sale. Single game tickets begin at just $10 for general admission seating and are $12 for reserved seating. Youth pricing begins at $8 per game and are available day of game, while group ticket packages are on sale for 10 or more tickets at $5 per ticket. Please contact the Georgia Tech Athletic Association ticket office for more information on group tickets at tickets@athletics.gatech.edu. Fans can purchase tickets by visiting RamblinWreck.com or by calling the Georgia Tech ticket office at 1-888-TECH-TIX.
GEORGIA TECH WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CELEBRATES 50 YEARS
Georgia Tech is celebrating the 50th anniversary of women’s basketball on The Flats this season. Under the direction of coach Jim Culpepper, Georgia Tech competed its first year in the Georgia Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (GAIAW) in 1974-75 before joining the ACC in 1979-80. Tech has seen many highlights over 50 years, including playing in the NCAA Tournament 11 times, with two Sweet 16 appearances (2012, 2021), and producing nine WNBA draft picks, featuring first round draft picks Alex Montgomery and Sasha Goodlett. In its first postseason berth in school history, Georgia Tech captured the 1992 National Women’s Invitational Tournament. Currently in its sixth season under head coach Nell Fortner, the Yellow Jackets have reach postseason play three times in the last five years.
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
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