Nov. 21, 2003
ATLANTA – Fallon Stokes scored 25 points to lead the Georgia Tech women’s basketball team to a 73-62 win at Florida Atlantic to open the season. The preseason all-conference player also collected 14 rebounds in the contest to record her first double-double of the season and fourth of her career.
Georgia Tech fell behind 4-2 just over a minute into the game before rattling off 12 unanswered points to go ahead 14-4 on a jumper by Mallorie Winn with 14:40 left in the first half. The Jackets took their largest lead of the half after Stokes connected a jumper with 22 seconds remaining to give Tech a 42-21 lead going into the lockerroom. Stokes also assured herself of a double-double in the game as she led all scorers with 16 points while collecting 10 rebounds in the half. Tech shot 51.7 percent from the field and held the Lady Owls to just 28 percent, including going 0-for-6 from beyond the arc.
In the second half, the Yellow Jackets were outscored 41-31, but connected on 9-of-11 from the free-throw line to keep them in the game. Tech went over five minutes without the benefit of a field goal in the half before Stokes connected on a lay-up with 3:07 left in the game; during that time, the Jackets 8-of-8 from the line to keep control of the game. Florida Atlantic scored 13 points in the last two minutes of the game to attempt a come-back, but were too far behind to reach the lead the Yellow Jackets had built earlier in the contest.
Stokes’ 25 points led all scorers in the game, as she hit on 9-of-14 attempts from the floor. She was followed by seniors Alex Stewart and Megan Isom, who scored 14 and 11 points, respectively. Isom led all shooters from beyond the arc, as she connected on 3-of-6 threes.
The Lady Owls were led by Trineca McCleod, with 16 points, and DeeAnna Hanscom, who had 13.
The Jackets will travel to the Paradise Jam on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands next week and face James Madison at 7 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, West Virginia on Friday at 1:30 p.m., and Southwest Missouri State at 4 p.m. on Saturday. –GT–
