ATHENS, Ga. – History was made Sunday afternoon as Georgia Tech women’s basketball defeated Georgia, 73-40, in Athens for the first time in program history. Tech dominated from three-point range, shooting 57 percent, with five different Yellow Jackets connecting from downtown in Stegeman Coliseum. Tech remained perfect on the season with the win, improving to 3-0.
How It Happened
The Jackets shook off a slow start, hitting their first field goal of the game from Kierra Fletcher at the 1:52 mark of the first quarter. Fletcher’s jumper sparked a 15-2 run spanning quarters, erasing an early 10-point deficit and giving Tech a narrow 16-15 advantage following back-to-back triples from Jasmine Carson. The teams would tie the score three times in the second quarter before Tech closed the half with a 9-4 spurt fueled by seven points from Lotta-Maj Lahtinen to give the Jackets a 29-26 lead at halftime.
Tech came out strong in the second half, opening the third quarter with eight unanswered points to open its first double-digit lead of the game. Georgia cut it to single digits thereafter, but the Jackets answered back, breaking open control of the game, ending the frame with a 13-2 run for a 50-32 lead to begin the final quarter. The Jackets continued to pull away in the final frame, opening a 30-point advantage off a Lorela Cubaj three-pointer. Fletcher hit her first career triple before Nerea Hermosa scored the final bucket of the game for the final score, 73-40.
Pan led the Jackets with 20 points after being held to just two points in the first half. Fletcher added 16 points, followed by 15 points from Carson (a career-high) and 11 from Lahtinen. After trailing 22-14 on the boards in the first half, the Jackets won the battle, 25-14, in the second half to win the battle on the glass, 39-36.
For the game, Tech shot 43.5 percent (27-62), 51.1 percent (12-21) from three-point range and 63.6 percent (7-11) from the free throw line. The Jackets committed only 10 turnovers, while forcing Georgia into 19 and converting the miscues into 27 points. Georgia shot 34.0 percent (18-53) from the floor and 33.3 percent (3-9) from the charity stripe.
“I thought we came in here and played really well today after a slow start,” commented head coach Nell Fortner. “Georgia got out and came after us early. We didn’t shoot the ball well, but we kept our confidence. I thought our team showed a real toughness today to come into this setting, a place where Georgia Tech had never won before, and hang tough and eventually play well. I’m really proud of this bunch.”
Next Up
The Yellow Jackets return to McCamish Pavilion to host Georgia State on Wednesday, Nov. 20. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
ACC Network has launched!
The ACC Network is a linear and digital platform dedicated to 24/7 coverage of ACC sports that launched on Aug. 22, 2019. It will exclusively televise approximately 450 live events each year, including 40 football games, as well as 150 men’s and women’s basketball contests.
Don’t get shut out! For more information and to learn if your cable/satellite/digital provider is carrying the ACC Network, visit GetACCN.com. Georgia Tech fans whose cable/satellite/digital providers aren’t carrying the ACC Network are urged to contact their providers and ask for the ACC Network to be a part of their subscription.
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