THE FLATS – Senior forward Lorela Cubaj posted her 11th career double-double to lead Georgia Tech to its second win of the 2020-21 season, capturing a 55-51 victory over Tulane Thursday night at McCamish Pavilion.
After holding a narrow 23-21 halftime lead, Tech held strong in the second half and fought off a late Tulane rally to collect the four-point win and improve to 2-1 on the season.
Cubaj scored 18 points while pulling down 16 rebounds for her second-straight double-double performance. The senior was one of three Yellow Jackets to finish in double-digits, as freshmen Eylia Love and Loyal McQueen each scored 10 points. Tech won the rebounding battle for the third-straight game, winning the battle on the glass, 42-37.
It was a close battle in the first half, with neither team leading by more than six points, before Georgia Tech distanced themselves with a strong late third quarter showing by the Yellow Jackets. Cubaj had eight points and six rebounds in the third quarter, helping Tech close the frame with a 10-2 spurt to open an eight-point advantage entering the final period.
The Jackets led by 10 points early in the fourth before Tulane rallied to come within two, cutting the Tech lead down to 53-51 at the 1:39 mark. Cubaj dropped in a bucket to push Tech back out to a four-point edge, but Tulane answered with a layup from Dynah Jones with 33 seconds on the clock. After drawing a foul, Love converted both free throws to seal the victory for the Yellow Jackets.
Tulane entered the game averaging 10.0 three-pointers a game, but was held scoreless from the three-point arc by the Yellow Jackets, going 0-for-12 on the evening. Tech hit five three-pointers in the contest and finished a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe.
Tulane’s Jerkaila Jordan led the Green Wave with 18 points, while Arsula Clark added 15 points for the visiting team.
Georgia Tech begins Atlantic Coast Conference play next Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 11 a.m. playing host to Boston College on the ACC Network Extra.
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 A-T Fund’s Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes, and the Support The Swarm Fund, created to give fans an opportunity to help Georgia Tech athletics maintain its recent momentum through the financial challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic! To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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