VENICE, ITALY – Georgia Tech women’s basketball used a strong third quarter to pull away and seal a 60-41 victory over Celje Slovenia on Friday evening. The Jackets went undefeated on their foreign tour, posting a 4-0 record.
“Tonight was a great experience for our team,” head coach MaChelle Joseph said. “Playing against a professional team in a very physical game was exactly what we needed to gauge where we are as a team. I was pleased with our offensive balance. Our physicality and ability to get stops on the defensive end was impressive.”
Zaire O’Neil led the Jackets with 14 points followed by Antonia Peresson with 11 points and Imani Tilford with 10 points. Elo Edeferioka led Tech on the boards, securing eight rebounds.
Facing a talented professional team out of Slovenia, the teams kept the score close through the first two quarters. It was a back-and-forth battle in the opening two frames as Slovenia held the lead the majority of the first 20 minutes, but leading by no more than six points. Slovenia held its largest lead of the game at 25-19 with just over a minute to play in the half. Slovenia led at the halftime break, 25-21.
The Jackets slowly climbed their way back at the start of the third quarter as Edeferioka knotted the game at 28-28 following an old-fashioned three-point play with 5:53 to play. Daijah Jefferson sparked Tech’s turnaround, draining a triple at the 4:56 mark to give the Jackets a 31-30 edge. Following the triple, the Jackets closed the third frame with a 10-4 run to outscore Slovenia 20-11 in the third stanza and lead 41-36 entering the final quarter.
Peresson opened the final frame connecting on a triple to setup a 44-36 score as Tech continued to pull away, using an 8-0 spurt to open the fourth quarter. Slovenia would score just five points in the final quarter as Tech rounded out its play with a 61-40 win.
