March 8, 2003
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Led by a game-high 18 points from junior forward Fallon Stokes, the Georgia Tech women’s basketball team held off a late rally by Florida State to claim a 64-59 win in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C. The fifth-seeded Yellow Jackets advance to face top-seeded and second-ranked Duke in the semifinals on Sunday at 1 p.m.
“I think it’s a great win for our program, especially to get our 20th win of the year at the ACC Tournament,” said Tech head coach Agnus Berenato. “We felt confident in the beginning of the game and we played a little shaky in the first half, but finished strong in the end. My compliments to Florida State, they battled and it came down tot he final seconds and I think everyone was on the edge of their seats.”
The Yellow Jackets (20-9) looked to have taken control of the contest against the Seminoles (16-12) in the opening half, taking a 36-23 lead at the intermission. In the second half, FSU scored the first four points of the frame to cut Tech’s advantage to 36-27 with 18:54 remaining. The Jackets re-upped their advantage to 13 at 40-27, but would only score four points over the next 8:26, as the Seminoles whittled down the lead before taking a 45-44 lead with 8:48 remaining via a 18-4 spurt. Katelyn Vujas, who scored seven points in the span, keyed that run. The two teams then traded baskets and the lead before a jumper by junior guard Alex Stewart gave Tech the lead for good at 50-49 with 6:32 to play.
Three points from senior center Sonja Mallory allowed the Jackets to extend their lead to eight at 57-49 with 3:28 remaining. Down the stretch, Tech hit 7-of-8 free throws, including a perfect 6-for-6 by Stewart to hold off any chance of a Florida State comeback.
“I’m really proud of Sonja and Fallon,” said Berenato. ” I think they have really put this team on their backs through it all and they have produced and refused to be denied.”
In the first half, both teams came out tentatively, with Florida State scoring the first basket of the game at the 17:07 mark on a jumper by Tasheika Morris. After a jumper by Tech rookie guard Megan Harpring, put the Jackets down by a 13-12 margin with 9:00 remaining, Tech rattled off a 17-4 run to claim a 30-16 advantage with 3:01 left in the half. Fallon Stokes and Mallory each contributed four points to key the spurt.
Stokes finished the game with 18 points and recorded her second double-double of the year with 10 rebounds, while Mallory joined her in double figures with 15 points to go along with nine rebounds and four blocks. Harpring was the third Tech player in double-digit scoring, as she finished the game with 13 points and seven rebounds.
Morris, who finished the game with 15 points, led the Seminoles.
The Yellow Jackets’ game with Duke will be televised on the ACC’s Regional Sports Network, which includes Fox Sports Net South and the Sunshine Network.
