THE FLATS – Tonie Morgan led three Yellow Jackets in double-figures as Georgia Tech defeated No. 15/13 NC State Thursday night in McCamish Pavilion, 68-62. The teams worked through nine lead changes and four ties as Tech held the largest lead of the game at eight points in the fourth quarter.
Strong shooting from the Wolfpack lifted NC State (16-6, 6-5 ACC) to an eight-point lead early in the first quarter, but a resilient Georgia Tech (12-10, 3-8 ACC) squad kept fighting and put together a 15-2 run over the final 3:35 to take a 23-18 at the break. Morgan led Tech with nine points in the first 10 minutes, but NC State regained a 30-23 edge with a 12-0 run to open the second quarter. Back-to-back triples from Cameron Swartz and Avyonce Carter snapped the streak and returned momentum to the Yellow Jackets. The teams stood knotted at intermission, 33-33.
The squads worked through several lead changes in the third quarter and an 8-2 run, fueled by four points from Swartz and capped by a deep triple from the Marietta, Ga., native, left the Jackets with a 50-49 lead entering the final quarter. Knotted at 53-53, Blackshear converted an old-fashioned three-point play at 5:04 and Nerea Hermosa hit back-to-back jumpers to put the Jackets up 60-55 with 3:45 to play, forcing NC State to call a timeout. NC State would cut it to two points twice thereafter, but Tech kept the Wolfpack off the scoreboard for nearly the final two minutes and thirty seconds of the game.
Tonie Morgan recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 assists. Photo by Danny Karnik
Morgan led Tech with a game-high 17 points and notched her fourth double-double of the season with 10 assists. Hermosa followed in scoring with 14 points, while Swartz contributed 12 to the scoreboard. The Yellow Jackets scored 28 points off the bench fueled by Hermosa’s 14 and Bianca Jackson’s nine. Hermosa led Tech on the glass, securing seven rebounds.
For the game, Tech shot 40.0 percent from the floor and converted 12-of-17 free throws for a 70.6 percent efficiency. The Jackets scored 30 points in the paint, converted 14 NC State turnovers into 15 points and used 12 offensive rebounds for 12 second chance points on the night.
Both teams shot 36.7 percent (11-30) in the second half, but Georgia Tech was 11-for-15 at the free throw line in the final 20 minutes, while NC State was held to a 4-for-4 showing.
Diamond Johnson led NC State with 17 points, followed by Camille Hobby (12) and Jakia Brown-Turner (10). The Wolfpack finished the game shooting at a 42.9 percent clip.
Georgia Tech hits the road for a Sunday matinee at Miami. Tip is slated for noon on the ACC Network inside the Watsco Center.
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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