THE FLATS – No. 20 Georgia Tech rallied back to take the lead in the third frame, but No. 13 NC State answered with a strong finish to take an 83-68 decision on Thursday evening in McCamish Pavilion. Tonie Morgan led four Yellow Jackets in double-figures in the setback.
The Wolfpack, who shot 53 percent in the game, opened a 13-point lead, 31-18, midway through the second quarter before Morgan answered with a quick 5-0 run to bring the Jackets back within single digits. After NCSU (21-5, 13-2 ACC) reopened a 10-point lead, Tech sliced it back to five, 35-30, off an Inés Noguero three-pointer at the 3:25 mark as the teams tossed possessions back-and-forth, leaving NC State with a 42-36 halftime lead.
Tech (21-6, 9-6 ACC) came out of intermission and quickly attacked its deficit, stringing together an 11-2 run, fueled by seven points from Kara Dunn and back-to-back jumpers from Dani Carnegie, to gain the advantage, 53-52, with 3:11 to play in the third. But the Wolfpack answered with a 17-0 run spanning into the fourth quarter to gain its largest lead of the game, 69-53. A pair of free throws from Morgan sparked an 8-0 spurt from the Jackets, setting up a 71-63 tally, but it would be the closest Tech would come the remainder of the game.