THE FLATS— Francesca Pan finished with a game-high 24 points as the Georgia Tech women’s basketball team held strong for a 48-45 victory over MTSU Sunday afternoon in McCamish Pavilion. Tech never trailed in the game and improved to 8-1 with the win.
“Obviously I’m disappointed in our performance today, but I believe that a sign of a good team is when you can play bad and win — especially when you’re playing a very good team and a very well-coached team,” stated head coach MaChelle Joseph. “It’s hard to beat a team three times in a year, but I’m really proud of our team. I thought Francesca Pan refused to lose and made some big plays. Imani Tilford was big off the bench with her defense and I thought overall, we found a way to win when nobody was really having a good day. Breanna Brown came up big with some rebounds and blocked shots. I really felt like today our depth paid off.”
How It Happened
Francesca Pan led the Jackets in the first half with nine points on 3-of-6 shooting as the teams hit a combined 14 field goals in the first two quarters. Tech closed the opening quarter with four unanswered from Pan and continued the run into the second frame, opening with a 7-2 spurt to grab a 22-10 lead with 4:15 to play. MTSU held the Jackets scoreless over the final 4:15 of the half and used the drought to post five unanswered for a 22-15 halftime score in favor of Tech.
MTSU cut the score to four points in the third quarter utilizing a five minute scoring drought from the Jackets, setting up a 27-23 contest. Hitting just three field goals in the quarter, Tech held a 30-25 lead heading into the final frame as MTSU outscored the Jackets 10-8 in the third stanza. The Blue Raiders knotted the score at 30-all with 7:53 left in the fourth with a jumper and pair of free throws from Alex Johnson, but Tech responded with a 6-0 run fueled by four points from Pan to retake a 36-30 lead. MTSU would counter and close within one point off a three-pointer from Jess Louro at the 3:41 mark, but Pan posted seven points of her own to put Tech back in front 45-37 with 1:19 to play. Pan and Imani Tilford closed the game for the Jackets from the free throw line for the final 48-45 score.
Tech Tidbits
* The win marks the third over MTSU in two seasons with Tech meeting the Blue Raiders twice last season
* Pan finished with 24 points – just one point shy of matching her career-high
* Pan was 7-for-10 from the charity stripe as Tech went 12-for-22 for the game
* Tech shot 38.6 percent (17-44) for the game, while MTSU shot 30.4 percent (14-46)
* The Jackets won the battle on the glass, 39-27, led by Elo Edeferioka with seven rebounds
* Imani Tiflord led the Jackets in steals with four – Tech recorded 11
Next Up
Tech returns to the court to close out this homestand on Sunday, Dec. 10 at 2 p.m., welcoming UT Arlington to McCamish Pavilion. The game will be available on ACC Network Extra.
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