PITTSBURGH – Brianna Turnage collected just the fifth 20-point, 20-rebound game in program history and first-ever back-to-back 20-rebound games as Georgia Tech women’s basketball cruised to an 84-68 win at Pittsburgh Thursday night.
The Yellow Jackets (12-15, 7-8 ACC) stormed out of the gate with 29 first-quarter points and 54 in the first half while holding the Panthers (8-20, 1-14 ACC) to 26.8% from the floor in the opening half. Pitt managed a better outing in the second half but it was not enough to surpass the Jackets’ strong start.
Turnage had eight points in the first 4:25 of action and seven first-quarter rebounds, contributing towards career-highs in points (20) and rebounds (21). It was the first time a player had 20/20 since Nov. 26, 1996 (Kisha Ford vs. Mercer). She also finished with five assists.
Talayah Walker added another stellar outing with 20 points of her own and six rebounds. La’Nya Foster was not far behind with 17 points Thursday. Ariadna Termis tied her career-high with seven assists Thursday. Savannah Samuel also got into double figures with 10 points and a season-high three assists.
Turnage’s 20/20 game was the first by an ACC player since Beatrice Mompremier on Nov. 15, 2018 (Miami vs. Marquette). The last in ACC action was Feb. 12, 2015 (Dearica Hamby – Wake Forest vs. Boston College).
FIRST HALF
Turnage led the charge early for the Jackets, scoring the team’s first four points. Five-straight points from Walker led to a 7-0 run to give Tech a 9-2 lead in the first 140 seconds. Following a Pitt trey, Tech scored eight-straight including more points from Turnage as Tech ran out to a 17-5 advantage. The Panthers scored again but another offensive run for the Jackets saw four more points from Walker in a 6-0 run to get into double figures in the first quarter. The Jackets shot 61% from the floor and led 29-16 after one.
Turnage got into double figures scoring just 17 seconds into the second, putting Tech ahead 31-16. Less than two minutes later she grabbed her 10th rebound for a double-double less than 13 minutes into the game. Samuel hit a trey to put the Jackets in front 34-16. The Panthers managed just four more points before the 4:39 media timeout as Termis and Foster hit from distance, pushing the advantage to 20: 40-20. Turnage started a 11-2 out of the timeout that included two more triples – from Foster and Walker – getting the lead out to 51-22. A third triple from Walker put the Jackets ahead by 30, 54-24. The Panthers managed one last score as Georgia Tech held a 54-26 halftime lead.
Tech’s 58.8% shooting percentage in the first half marked its best in an ACC half this season. Three Jackets ended the first half in double figures scoring (Walker – 18, Turnage – 12, Foster – 12).
SECOND HALF
Foster hit on a three-pointer out of the half and was followed by four-straight points from Snoop, getting her a new career-high of 16 and a 61-26 Tech lead. The home team managed to get on a 12-2 run before Turnage struck again to get to 18 points on the night. Tech led 65-38 at the 4:34 media timeout. Pitt managed to get down 20 but not before Turnage eclipsed 20 points in the game, 68-48. Georgia Tech led 70-52 going into the fourth.
A low-scoring first few minutes of the final frame saw Tech hold Pitt from a successful field goal until 6:13 remaining. Pitt took advantage of a defensive first six minutes of the fourth to get within 12, 74-62. Out of a timeout, Tech got a defensive takeaway and converted into a Samuel trey to extend the lead back to 15, 77-62. She added a driving lay moments later to improve the lead to 79-62. Tech added free throws in the closing minutes and secured the 84-68 victory.
GAME NOTES
- Georgia Tech’s 29 first quarter points were a season-high, as well as 54 first-half points.
- Georgia Tech’s 28-point halftime lead tied the largest intermission advantage this season and the marked the most in ACC action.
- Georgia Tech’s eight first-half three-pointers marked its most in a half this season and was just one shy of the program record of nine.
- Georgia Tech made 10 three’s on the night, tying its season-high and marking its most in the ACC this season.
UP NEXT
The Yellow Jackets’ three-game road trip concludes Sunday, Feb. 22 at Virginia Tech. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
Tech is back at McCamish Pavilion to face No. 8/8 Louisville Thursday, Feb. 26. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. on the ACC Network. Fans can purchase tickets here.
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
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