THE FLATS – Tonie Morgan etched her named in the program record book, finishing with a triple-double, as No. 17 Georgia Tech women’s basketball cruised to an 89-65 victory over Clemson on Sunday afternoon in McCamish Pavilion. Six different Yellow Jackets finished in double-figures as Tech got back to its winning ways with its 14th double-digit win of the season.
Georgia Tech (16-3, 4-3 ACC) set the tone early, jumping out with an 8-0 lead and opened a double-figure advantage on a Kara Dunn three-point play midway through the first. Kayla Blackshear, who opened the game going 7-for-7 from the field, gave Tech a 31-13 lead less than two minutes into the second quarter. Clemson would be unable to come within single digits the remainder of the half, as Chit-Chat Wright capped the opening 20 minutes with a three-pointer for a 46-26 Georgia Tech halftime lead.
Clemson would crawl back to within seven points in the third quarter as the Tigers won the period offensively, but a three-pointer from Morgan at the 3:31 mark reignited the Yellow Jackets, sealing a permanent double-figure lead. Tianna Thompson jumpstarted the fourth quarter as the freshman posted 10 points in the period to finish with a season-best in scoring. Tech would lead by as many as 28 points late in the fourth quarter to pocket the win.
Georgia Tech celebrated the 50th anniversary of women’s basketball, welcoming back alumnae from all five decades of the program. Photo by Danny Karnik
Morgan filled the stat sheet, finishing with a career-high 14 assists, 12 points and 12 rebounds. Morgan’s triple-double is only the fourth in program history and first since Milli Martinez posted 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists versus Morris Brown on Feb. 23, 2002.
The junior was joined in double-figures by Dunn with a game-high 20 points, Blackshear (19), Thompson (13), Rusne Augustinaite (11) and Wright (10). Tech dished out 28 assists on 35 made field goals, matching its season-high. Morgan led the way with her 14, while Wright added seven assists. The Jackets returned to the win column in the rebounding battle, winning the battle on the glass, 34-24.
For the game, Tech shot 59.3 percent (35-39) from the field and 68.4 percent (13-19) from the free throw line.
Clemson shot 45.0 percent from the field, paced by 18 points from Loyal McQueen. Mia Moore added 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Georgia Tech also celebrated the 50th anniversary of women’s basketball on Sunday, welcoming back alumnae from all five decades of the program’s history. The alumnae were part of 6,386 in attendance, setting the McCamish Pavilion attendance record and marking the third-highest crowd in program history.
Georgia Tech returns to action on Thursday, Jan. 23, making the trip to Virginia. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
Kayla Blackshear postgame press conference versus Clemson
Head coach Nell Fortner postgame press conference
PURCHASE TICKETS FOR WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Single-game tickets for the season remain on sale. Single game tickets begin at just $10 for general admission seating and are $12 for reserved seating. Youth pricing begins at $8 per game and are available day of game, while group ticket packages are on sale for 10 or more tickets at $5 per ticket. Please contact the Georgia Tech Athletic Association ticket office for more information on group tickets at tickets@athletics.gatech.edu. Fans can purchase tickets by visiting RamblinWreck.com or by calling the Georgia Tech ticket office at 1-888-TECH-TIX.
GEORGIA TECH WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CELEBRATES 50 YEARS
Georgia Tech is celebrating the 50th anniversary of women’s basketball on The Flats this season. Under the direction of coach Jim Culpepper, Georgia Tech competed its first year in the Georgia Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (GAIAW) in 1974-75 before joining the ACC in 1979-80. Tech has seen many highlights over 50 years, including playing in the NCAA Tournament 11 times, with two Sweet 16 appearances (2012, 2021), and producing nine WNBA draft picks, featuring first round draft picks Alex Montgomery and Sasha Goodlett. In its first postseason berth in school history, Georgia Tech captured the 1992 National Women’s Invitational Tournament. Currently in its sixth season under head coach Nell Fortner, the Yellow Jackets have reach postseason play three times in the last five years.
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
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