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.
Head coach Nell Fortner postgame press conference
ACC PICK 3 TICKET PACKAGE FOR WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Pick three premier ACC women’s basketball home games in the ACC Pick 3 ticket plan for just $24. Packages are available for purchase only until Dec. 29. 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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