THE FLATS – Georgia Tech led through three quarters, but a strong fourth quarter from No. 22/21 Florida State led the Seminoles to victory Sunday afternoon, 64-55. Four Yellow Jackets finished in double-figures led by Jasmine Carson with a career-best 14 points. The Jackets concluded regular season play with 17-12 overall record and 7-9 ACC ledger.
“I thought we got out of the gates really well,” commented assistant coach Mark Simons. “I thought we were executing and we got some great bench play – the kids played together. We weren’t playing great, but we were playing hard, even though they were getting a lot of second shots on us and we were not great handling the basketball. I thought their pressure hurt our point guards.”
How It Happened
Carson went 3-for-4 from three-point range in the first half to lead Tech with nine points at the break and send the Jackets into halftime with a 36-32 edge over Florida State. FSU led by six points twice in the first quarter, but the Jackets spread a 12-0 run between the quarters to reverse their deficit and gain an 18-12 lead. Tech would lead by as many as seven points in the second frame before the Seminoles worked their way back to hold a slight 27-25 edge with 3:08 to play in the half. Tech answered with an 11-5 run to close the quarter and carry a four point lead at the break.
Elizabeth Balogun opened the third quarter with a three-pointer from the corner to push Tech back out in front by seven, 39-32, but FSU answered with an 11-4 spurt to knot the game at 43-43. Tech would carry a four-point lead into the final quarter fueled by an 8-4 run to close the third. Florida State would hold the Jackets scoreless in the final frame until a bucket from Carson at the 1:27 mark as the Seminoles outscored Tech, 17-4, in the final 10 minutes to secure the comeback victory.
Tech Tidbits
* Tech shot 64.7 percent (11-17) from the field in the second quarter to outscore the Seminoles 25-20 in the frame
* Carson set a new personal-best in the first 20 minutes, connecting on three triples for a career-high nine points
* The Jackets scored 21 points off their bench in the first half, while the Seminoles added only five
* Tech finished the game shooting 36.7 percent (22-60) from the field, while Florida State shot at a 41.3 percent (26-63) clip
* FSU won the battle on the glass, 43-37, and scored 36 points in the paint
* Carson led the Jackets with a team-high 14 points on four three-pointers
* Balogun added 13 points followed by Lorela Cubaj with 11 points and Elizabeth Dixon with 10 points
* Lotta-Maj Lahtinen dished out a personal-best seven assists as the Jackets recorded 15 in the outing
* Tech finished with 31 points scored off its bench
Next Up
Georgia Tech will head to Greensboro, N.C. for the 2019 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament, March 6-10. The Jackets earned the No. 9 seed in the tournament and will open play against 8th-seeded North Carolina on Thursday at 2 p.m.
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