THE FLATS – Lorela Cubaj finished with a double-double and Eylia Love recorded her second consecutive game in double-figures as No. 17 Georgia Tech rolled past Kennesaw State, 72-45, in its home opener Thursday night in McCamish Pavilion.
Georgia Tech (2-0) led by as many as 31 points in the fourth quarter after shaking off a slow start to open the contest. Grabbing a double-digit lead on a Nerea Hermosa bucket to begin the second quarter, the Yellow Jackets continued to build out its advantage to 19 following a fast-break jumper from Love at the 4:08 mark. At intermission, Georgia Tech led Kennesaw State, 34-17, and held the rebounding edge, 27-16, paced by Cubaj’s 10 rebounds.
Tech shot 48.1 percent (13-27) and went 7-for-10 from the free throw line in the second half to solidify its home-opening win. Freshman Elizabete Bulane finished the game with six points, hitting a pair of three-pointers late in the third quarter as Tech closed the third frame with a 9-0 run to lead 55-26 entering the final stanza. After KSU’s offense was held to single digits the first three quarters, the Owls took the fourth, 19-17, for the final score.
The Jackets distributed their offense amongst 10 different players with 12 taking the floor Thursday night. Cubaj led the Jackets with 15 rebounds and 12 points for her 24th career double-double, while Love added 11 points to the scoreboard. Hermosa just missed a double-double, finishing with 10 rebounds and nine points. For the second-straight game, Tech recorded 20 or more assists with Cubaj and Lotta-Maj Lahtinen each owning five.
For the game, Tech shot 40.6 percent from the field and won the rebounding battle, 45-30. Kennesaw State was led by Amani Johnson with 12 points and Alexis Poole with 10. The Owls shot 33.3 percent (18-54) from the floor and committed 19 turnovers.
Georgia Tech continues this two-game homestand on Sunday, welcoming Belmont for a 2 p.m. tip on ACC Network Extra inside McCamish Pavilion.
Head coach Nell Fortner postgame press conference
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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