CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – In the Atlantic Coast Conference opener, No. 25 Georgia Tech dominated No. 14 North Carolina, collecting an 82-76 victory Sunday afternoon in Carmichael Arena. For the third time this season, five Yellow Jackets finished in double-figures with both Tonie Morgan and Dani Carnegie logging 20-plus point outings. The win pushed Georgia Tech to 11-0 on the season and 1-0 in ACC play.
Georgia Tech shook off a slow start when UNC (10-2, 0-1 ACC) opened with a 7-0 lead, but a three-point play from Morgan at the 5:22 mark of the first sparked a 20-5 Tech run to close the frame. Carnegie fueled the spurt with eight points to put Tech in front, 26-17, at the end of the first. Tech shot 56.3 percent in the second period, hitting five of its nine field goals beyond the three-point arc, to extend its lead to as many as 16 points in the game. Kara Dunn led Tech with nine points in the second quarter, all from three-point range, as three Jackets went into halftime in double-figures.
Carnegie hit back-to-back buckets late in the third to push Tech’s lead out to 64-42 before Kayla Blackshear gave the Jackets their largest lead of the game on a jumper with 55 seconds on the clock in the third quarter, setting up a 66-43 tally. But North Carolina did not go lightly and staged a fourth quarter rally to keep Tech alert. Tech called a timeout at 5:56 in the middle of a 13-2 UNC run as the Tar Heels closed the score to 68-58 with nearly six minutes to play. But the Jackets remained poised and a three-point play from Morgan returned a 73-60 lead to Tech with 4:47 on the clock. The Jackets went 6-for-6 at the free throw line in the final 30 seconds to seal the victory and collect its second win over a ranked opponent this season.
UNC came into the contest leading the ACC in scoring defense, limiting its opponents to under 50 points on the season. Georgia Tech scored 50 in just the first half and logged the most points from an opponent this season. The Jackets also held UNC’s leading scorer, Alyssa Ustby, to two points off a 2-of-4 effort at the free throw line. It marked only the second time in her career she was held without a field goal. Maria Gakdeng led UNC with 21 points and was one of four to finish in double-figures.
Georgia Tech shot 51.7 percent (30-58) from the field led by Morgan with 23 points. Carnegie tallied 22 points and nearly missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Meanwhile, Dunn added 13 points, while Blackshear contributed 12 and Zoesha Smith finished with 10 points. Tech drew the victory dominating on the boards, winning the battle, 41-24, and finished with 21 assists on the day.
The win marked the first in Chapel Hill since a 56-54 victory on Feb. 12, 2012, snapping a six-game skid on the road. Remaining undefeated, Georgia Tech is now off to the best start in program history with the victory.
The Yellow Jackets are back in action, opening a five-game homestand with its final two non-conference tilts. Rice makes the trip to McCamish Pavilion on Wednesday, Dec. 18. Tip is slated for 2 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.