EAST LANSING, Mich. – Combining for 39 points, Bianca Jackson and Cameron Swartz led Georgia Tech women’s basketball to a 66-63 victory at Michigan State Thursday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchup. The win pushed the Yellow Jackets to 6-2 on the season.
A pull-up jumper from Jackson handed Tech its first lead of the game halfway through the first quarter as she finished with eight points in the half. A free throw from Nerea Hermosa at 2:15 gave Tech the largest lead of the half, 14-7, but MSU slowly chipped at its deficit and regained the lead on a triple from Matilda Ekh to close the frame, 15-14. It was a back-and-forth battle in the second quarter as the teams stood tied at 30-30 with 1:47 to play. Tech closed the half with a 7-2 run fueled by a three-pointer from Inés Noguero to give the Jackets a 37-32 halftime lead.
Swartz led Tech with 11 points in the opening 20 minutes, guiding the Jackets to a 50.0 percent (12-24) shooting clip from the field and went 8-for-8 at the charity stripe with Tech going 11-for-13 overall.
Aixa Wone Aranaz, earning her first start of the season, gave the Jackets a 43-37 advantage with 5:39 in the third, but the teams stood tied entering the final 10 minutes, knotted at 50-50. Jackson dropped 10 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Jackets to victory. The Montgomery, Ala., native hit a triple at 6:37 to push Tech in front 58-53. She then put together a personal 7-0 run with four minutes to play to extend Tech’s lead to 65-57 with 2:41 to play.
Michigan State quickly sliced the score to one possession, 65-63, as the clock wound down to 1:42 to play. Cameron Swartz hit the back end of a pair of free throws with 1:08 left, accounting for the final 66-63 score. MSU attempted three three-pointers to tie the score over the final minute of play, but all were off the mark as Tech held for its first ACC/Big Ten Challenge road win since 2009.
Jackson and Swartz paced Tech offensively, contributing 22 and 17 points, respectively. For the game, Tech shot 41.1 percent (23-56) from the field and hit 16-of-19 from the free throw line for an 84.2 percent efficiency.
Turnovers plagued both teams as 48 were committed on the night – 23 by Georgia Tech. Michigan State was led by a trio of players in double-figures, paced by Kamaria McDaniel with a game-high 26 points. MSU narrowly won the battle on the glass, 37-31.
The Yellow Jackets face a quick turnaround for their fifth game in 10 days traveling to Belmont on Sunday, Dec. 4. Tip is slated for 3 p.m. on ESPN+ inside the Curb Event Center.
Competitive Drive Initiative
In a unified endeavor, Georgia Tech, the Georgia Tech Foundation, Georgia Tech athletics and the Alexander-Tharpe Fund have come together to accelerate funding for student-athlete scholarships with the launch of the Competitive Drive Initiative. The initiative kicks off with the Accelerate GT Match Program, where any new gift to the A-T Fund’s Athletic Scholarship Fund made through Dec. 31 will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Georgia Tech Foundation, up to $2.5 million. Should Accelerate GT reach its $2.5 million fundraising goal, the matching gift would result in a $5 million impact for Georgia Tech athletics. To learn more and to contribute online, visit atfund.org/accelerate.
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