Rally Falls Short at Louisville, 63-55

LOUISVILLE, Ky.– In her first collegiate start, freshman Kara Dunn dropped a career-high 17 points, but Georgia Tech wasn’t able to rally in the KFC Yum! Center, falling 63-55 to Louisville on Thursday night.

Paced by 12 points from Dunn, Georgia Tech (9-6, 0-4 ACC) kept a close hold on Louisville (12-5, 3-1 ACC) in the first half. Tech led by as many as four points in the first quarter following a Dunn triple, but the Cardinals used a strong second frame to hold a 32-24 lead at halftime.

Tech distributed its offense in the third quarter, seeing production from six different Jackets to win the frame, 16-14, and cut its deficit to two possessions. Louisville led by 12 with 2:43 left to play in the period, but back-to-back three-pointers from Bianca Jackson and Dunn sliced the score to 46-40 with 10 minutes to go. Jackson dished out her fourth assist of the night, finding an open Kayla Blackshear at 4:55 in the fourth to bring Tech to within 51-47. The Jackets cut it to four twice again, but weren’t able to get any closer.

Kara Dunn led Georgia Tech with a career-high 17 points, hitting a pair of three-pointers. Photo courtesy of Louisville Athletics.

Dunn led three Yellow Jackets in double-figures with 17 points, followed by Jackson (10) and Swartz (10). All 10 points from Jackson came in the second half as Tech tied Louisville after intermission, 31-31. Tech finished the game shooting at a 39.2 percent (20-51) clip, while Louisville shot 44.6 percent (25-56).

Hailey Van Lith scored a game-high 24 points to lead Louisville. Olivia Cochran added 10 to the scoreboard and led the Cardinals on the glass with six rebounds (Louisville won the rebounding battle, 31-29).

The Yellow Jackets conclude this two-game road swing at Wake Forest on Sunday, Jan. 8. Tip is slated for 2 p.m. on ACC Network Extra inside LJVM Coliseum.

Alexander-Tharpe Fund

The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.

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