No. 7 Bulldogs Rally, Defeat Yellow Jackets

Dec. 2, 2007

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ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Ashley Houts made eight free throws in the final 1:31 and No. 7 Georgia overcome 23 turnovers to beat Georgia Tech 71-64 on Sunday.

“It was a battle out there; there’s no doubt about it,” head coach MaChelle Joseph said. “I give both teams credit. I think both teams played their hearts out out there. I’m very proud of my team and the way they competed. We had some freshmen step up big in a big game and do some great things out there.”

Tasha Humphrey had 21 points and 12 rebounds for her fifth straight double-double to lead the Lady Bulldogs (8-0). Houts added 16 points while going 8-for-8 on free throws late in the game.

Georgia improved to 28-2 against Georgia Tech, but the win wasn’t easy. Freshman Iasia Hemingway scored 22 points and the Yellow Jackets (5-1) caused problems by extending their trapping defense.

“We said in the locker room after the game that we never get too high over a win or too low over a loss, and we’re going to bounce back high from this,” Joseph added. “This is going to be a great learning experience for us. We’re just very optimistic after seeing the way we played today. If we get all of our cylinders clicking at the same time we’re going to be pretty special down the road.”

Chioma Nnamaka, who scored 18 points, hit a 3-pointer for Georgia Tech with 1:50 left for a 59-59 tie. Two free throws by Houts with 1:31 left gave Georgia a 61-59 lead. Houts added six free throws in the final minute.

Tech’s Alex Montgomery, who had 13 points, made a 3-pointer with 24 seconds left to cut Georgia’s lead to 67-64. Montgomery then fouled Houts, who added two more free throws.

Montgomery and Hemingway accounted for all of Georgia Tech’s scoring during a 15-5 run that gave the Yellow Jackets a 33-25 lead at halftime.

Hemingway totaled 15 points in her first five games before scoring 17 in the first half. Georgia Tech forced 11 turnovers in the half and had a 16-4 advantage in points off turnovers.