THE FLATS – Freshman Rusne Augustinaite dropped a career-high 30 points, hitting six three-pointers, but it wasn’t enough as Georgia Tech fell in the 2023 ACC/SEC Challenge presented by Dixie Ultra to Florida, 68-58, on Wednesday evening. Tonie Morgan added 18 points, but the Gators used a strong second half to capture the win.
Georgia Tech (5-2) led by as many as seven points off a Kayla Blackshear jumper midway through the second quarter, but Florida (6-1) kept the Jackets scoreless over the final five minutes to cut the score to 28-27 at intermission. The Gators used a strong third quarter, capitalizing on seven miscues from the Jackets to take their first lead since the opening frame on a bucket from Jeriah Warren at the 4:29 mark. Florida outscored Tech, 26-16, in the third frame to gain a 53-44 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Trailing by 10 in the fourth quarter, Augustinaite hit a triple at 7:03 and Morgan followed with a layup to cut the score to five, 57-52. But the Gators answered with a 6-1 run to regain control and held down the stretch to open the double-digit lead and seal the win.
Augustinaite becomes the first Yellow Jacket since 2020 to score 30 points in a game as the freshman went 10-for-20 from the field, hitting 6-of-10 from three-point range. She finished with four rebounds and a pair of assists to lead all scorers on the night. Morgan followed with 18 points as the only two Jackets in double-figures. Blackshear nearly missed a double-double with a team-high 10 rebounds and eight points.
Florida was led offensively by Laila Reynolds with 18 points, while Ra Shaya Kyle added a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds. Kyle helped lead the Gators to a 44-39 advantage on the boards and a 38-24 advantage in the paint. Florida shot 51.5 percent in the second half to win the final two periods, 41-30.
Georgia Tech returns to action with a trip to Nebraska on Saturday, Dec. 2. Tip is slated for 3 p.m. EST in Pinnacle Bank Arena on B1G+.