THE FLATS – It all came down to the final quarter between two of the top defensive teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but No. 18 Georgia Tech fell just short of a victory, falling to No. 14 Duke, 55-50, Sunday afternoon in McCamish Pavilion. Kara Dunn surpassed the 1,000-career points mark, becoming the 36th player, and second this season, in program history to join the elite club.
Trailing by four out of the halftime break, Dunn immediately knotted the game with back-to-back buckets before Zoesha Smith returned the brief lead to the Jackets in the next possession as Tech opened the frame with a 6-0 run. Neither team led by more than four points in the third period before Smith closed the stanza with back-to-back buckets to knot the game at 45-all entering the final period. Kayla Blackshear hit a layup to open the fourth quarter, but it would be Tech’s final lead of the game as Duke outscored the Jackets 10-5 in the final 10 minutes. Tech was held to two field goals in the period to Duke’s five for the final outcome.
It was a defensive battle in the first half with both teams shooting just 40.0 percent from the floor. Georgia Tech opened with intensity, leading by as many as six points multiple times in the first quarter, lastly off a Blackshear jumper with 2:25 to play. But Duke spanned the quarter break with an 11-0 run to gain a 23-20 edge early in the second. Smith, who was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field in the first half, snapped the spurt as Tech climbed back to tie the game at 25-all. But Tech would be held to one field goal from Smith over the final four minutes as Duke took a 31-27 lead into the locker room.
Smith finished the game with 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Dunn added 10 points to the scoreboard. The double-double was the third for Smith this season and fifth of her career. Playing against the top three-point defensive team in ACC play, Duke kept Georgia Tech to one three-pointer in the outing from Chit-Chat Wright.
Duke also finished with two in double figures, paced by Taina Mair and Oluchi Okananwa, each with 12 points. The Blue Devils were also limited from three-point distance, hitting just three. Meanwhile, Tech dominated on the glass, winning the battle, 45-34.
Georgia Tech is back in action on Sunday, Feb. 2, traveling to Miami. Tip in the Watsco Center is slated for 2 p.m. and will be televised on the ACC Network.
Zoesha Smith postgame press conference
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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