THE FLATS – Tonie Morgan scored a game-high 24 points for her fifth outing this season with 20-plus points, but Georgia Tech dropped a 62-60 decision to Miami on Sunday afternoon. Miami shot 53.6 percent in the second half to rally from a halftime deficit.
The Yellow Jackets set the pace in the first half, extending its lead to nine points on a three-pointer from Sydney Johnson at the 5:52 mark of the second quarter that capped an 11-2 Tech run. Tech forced eight Miami turnovers in the half, converting the miscues into eight points and was led by 11 points from Morgan who finished the half scoring Tech’s final four points. The Jackets led 29-22 at the halftime break.
But Miami took control of the third quarter, outscoring Tech, 27-15, to erase its deficit and grab the advantage. The Hurricanes took their first lead off a three-pointer from Shayeann Day-Wilson midway through the third as the teams tossed the lead back-and-forth until Morgan completed a three-point play to knot the score at 44-44 with 1:16 to play in the frame. Miami answered stringing together a 9-0 run into the fourth quarter that opened a 53-44 advantage. Morgan snapped the spurt to ignite a 7-0 Georgia Tech answer to cut the score to two points, but Miami called a timeout and never relinquished the lead to take away the win. Rusne Augustinaite hit a three-pointer with 0.8 ticks on the clock to account for the final score.
Miami shot 53.6 percent in the second half and converted 8-of-9 free throw attempts in the final 20 minutes after going 3-for-9 from the charity stripe in the first half. Georgia Tech won the final period, 16-13, but it wasn’t enough after Miami shot 66.7 percent in the third to gain the lead.
Morgan led a trio of Jackets in double-figures with 24 points. She was followed by 13 points from Kayla Blackshear and 10 from Augustinaite. Day-Wilson paced Miami with 17 points, followed by Jasmyne Roberts with 14.
Georgia Tech opens a two-game road swing this week, traveling first to Clemson for a Thursday tilt. The Yellow Jackets and Tigers tip at 7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra inside Littlejohn Coliseum.
Tonie Morgan meets with media postgame vs. Miami
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 Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of the development of Yellow Jackets that thrive academically at the Institute and 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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