THE FLATS – Lorela Cubaj joined the elite 1,000-career points club Sunday afternoon as No. 17/20 Georgia Tech topped Belmont in a gritty win in McCamish Pavilion, 58-45. The Yellow Jackets closed out the hard-fought victory to improve to 3-0, while handing the Bruins their first loss of the season (2-1).
Belmont came out in the first half limiting Tech’s offense and led 15-11 after the first, but the Jackets answered allowing only two field goals from the Bruins in the second frame. Belmont owned a nine-point lead in the opening stanza, but after the Bruins scored first to open the second quarter, Tech answered with a 13-2 run over the final 9:02 of the frame to carry a 24-19 lead into halftime.
Coming out of halftime, the Bruins opened the third quarter with an 8-3 spurt, tying the game at 27-27 with 5:55 on the clock. Lotta-Maj Lahtinen, who scored 10 points in the second half, quickly returned the lead to the Jackets on the next possession.
While Tech built its lead out to eight in the third quarter, Belmont would cut the score again to two points twice in the final stanza. But each time, Elizabete Bulane answered the Bruins, and coming out of a Georgia Tech timeout at 5:09, the freshman sparked a 13-2 run to close the game.
Lahtinen led the Jackets with 17 points and seven assists, followed by Cubaj who finished with a double-double behind 15 points and 14 rebounds. Bulane came off the bench providing an immediate spark and finished with seven points, two steals and a rebound.
Both teams struggled offensively from the floor as Tech shot at 37.5 percent (21-56), while Belmont was limited to a 30.4 percent (17-56) effort. The Yellow Jackets finished the game strong at the free throw line, converting 12-of-16 attempts (75.0 percent), while holding Belmont to a 5-of-8 showing.
Destinee Wells led all scorers with 18 points on the day. Tech won the rebounding battle for the third-straight game, 41-32.
Closing out the game with a pair of free throws, Cubaj became the 33rd member in Georgia Tech women’s basketball history to join the 1,000-career point club. She reached the mark in 124 career games.
The Yellow Jackets hit the road for a midweek matchup at East Tennessee State on Wednesday, Nov. 17. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. in Brooks Gym.
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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