ESTERO, Fla. – Snapping a two-game skid, Georgia Tech women’s basketball edged Air Force, 65-59, on Saturday in game two of the Gulf Coast Showcase. The Yellow Jackets staged off a late rally by the Falcons to improve to 4-2 on the young season.
After building a 10-0 lead to open the game, Georgia Tech went cold from the floor, allowing Air Force (3-3) to create a 13-2 run over nearly five minutes of play and gain the advantage, 13-12, with 4:21 to play. Tonie Morgan once again provided a spark for the Yellow Jackets, igniting a 14-2 Tech run spanning both periods to setup a 28-15 lead with 6:55 remaining in the half. The Falcons answered with 10 unanswered points to cut it to a one possession ballgame, but a trio of Jackets connected in the final four minutes to hand Tech a 35-29 halftime lead. Morgan led all scorers with 10 points at halftime, shooting 4-for-7 from the floor as Tech shot 46.7 percent from the field as a team and outscored the Falcons, 24-12, in the paint.
After going scoreless in the first half, Bianca Jackson was 6-for-7 in the second half to add 12 points to the scoreboard, chipping in eight points in the third. The Jackets pushed their lead out to 58-36 following a Kara Dunn triple with under a minute left to play in the third frame before Jackson pushed Tech on top, 62-39, for its largest lead of the game at 8:37 in the fourth period. But the double-digit lead slowly began to fade as Air Force staged a fourth quarter rally, winning the frame 21-7 to close their deficit to six points, 65-59, for the final score.
Tonie Morgan led Georgia Tech with 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists against Air Force. Photo by Kevin Bires.
For the second consecutive game, Morgan paced the Jackets in points, rebounds and assists – finishing with 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Jackson added 12 points, while Dunn and Nerea Hermosa each contributed nine points and Kayla Blackshear added eight. Tech won the battle on the glass, 45-23, snapping a three-game skid on the boards and shot 48.2 percent (27-56) from the field. Tech also dominated in the paint, outscoring Air Force, 40-26. After committing just 10 turnovers in game one of the tournament, the Jackets recorded 20 miscues on Saturday, which the Falcons converted into 25 points.
Air Force saw 22 points from Madison Smith and 11 points from Kamri Heath and Taylor Britt. The Falcons were held to a 36.8 percent (21-57) shooting efficiency from the floor, including a 4-for-22 effort beyond the three-point line. Air Force went 13-for-15 at the charity stripe.
Georgia Tech closes out the Gulf Coast Showcase on Sunday facing Belmont at 1:30 p.m. Action will be covered on FloHoops.
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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