THE FLATS – A trio of Yellow Jackets finished with double-figure scoring totals, propelling Georgia Tech to a 65-39 victory over Kennesaw State Sunday afternoon in McCamish Pavilion.
The Yellow Jackets (2-0) came out on fire, racking up three assists on the first four field goals and forcing Kennesaw State (1-2) to burn an early timeout when Cameron Swartz hit her third triple of the game at just the 6:01 mark, extending Tech’s lead to 13-2. KSU answered with a 6-0 run, but the Owls’ offense was short-lived, going scoreless over the final three minutes of the frame.
Tech outscored KSU 19-7 in the second quarter, opening a 20-point lead, 32-12, off a Kayla Blackshear bucket at 4:04. The Yellow Jackets led by as many as 23 points in the first half and capitalized on KSU’s miscues, converting 12 turnovers into 18 points. Swartz led all scorers with 14 points at intermission.
Fueled by nine points from Blackshear in the third quarter, the Yellow Jackets maintained a comfortable lead. Tech led 53-32 entering the final 10 minutes and pushed its lead out to its largest of the game following buckets from Inés Noguero and Eylia Love for a 65-39 tally with just over a minute to play.
Swartz led Tech in scoring for the second-straight game, tallying 14 points to go along with five rebounds, two steals and an assist. Kara Dunn followed right behind with 13 points, five rebounds (including four offensive), three assists and two steals. Blackshear completed the trio of Jackets in double-figures with 11 points. She finished second on the boards with seven, including four offensive to match the team-high. Nerea Hermosa led Tech on the glass, securing eight rebounds, leading to a 44-32 Tech advantage in the rebounding battle.
KSU shot 28.1 percent (16-57) from the field led by Amani Johnson and Carly Hooks, each with eight points. Gabi Legister led the Owls with seven rebounds.
The Yellow Jackets are back in action for their first road game of the season this week, visiting Auburn for a midweek tilt on Wednesday. Tip is slated for 8 p.m. EST on SECN+ in Neville Arena.
Bianca Jackson finished with six points, team-high four assists, three rebounds and two steals. Photo by Brian Savage
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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Head coach Nell Fortner postgame press conference
