THE FLATS – A stifling defensive effort over the final three quarters helped Georgia Tech women’s basketball erase an early deficit and pull away for a 63-55 victory over visiting Wake Forest on Thursday evening at McCamish Pavilion.
Georgia Tech, which trailed 23-15 after one quarter, held Wake Forest to just 32 points over the final three periods. The Demon Deacons did not break double-digits in either the second or third quarters (seven in the second, eight in the third) and the Yellow Jackets, which were down by as many as 10 points in the first half, took a 34-32 lead less than three minutes into the second half and never fell behind again the rest of the way.
After Wake Forest shot a red-hot 60% from the field in the first quarter (9-of-15), Tech held the Deacs to 30% shooting (12-of-40) over the final 30 minutes of the game. WF shot just 28.1% (9-of-32) in the second half, including 1-of-15 (6.7%) from 3-point range.
Offensively, freshman Kara Dunn (Dallas, Ga./Mount Paran Christian School) led the Jackets with a career-high 21 points. She made 8-of-12 field goals and 4-of-5 free throws to top her previous career-best of 20 points, set in Tech’s last outing against Pitt. Fellow freshman Tonie Morgan (Tallahassee, Fla./Florida State University School) added 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting, to go along with six assists.
Sophomore Kayla Blackshear (Orlando, Fla./Lake Highland Prep) pulled down a game-high nine rebounds and fifth-year senior Bianca Jackson (Montgomery, Ala./Brewbaker Tech Magnet) led all players with seven assists for Tech, which has won four of its last five home games.
Thursday’s victory avenged the Yellow Jackets’ 51-50 defeat at Wake Forest last month. With its sixth win in the last eight meetings, Tech claimed its 50th victory in 78 all-time matchups against Wake.
Georgia Tech returns to action on Sunday when it travels to Florida State. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on ACC Network.
Head coach Nell Fortner postgame press conference
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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