WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Kayla Blackshear notched her first collegiate double-double, but Wake Forest escaped with a 51-50 victory Sunday afternoon inside LJVM Coliseum.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair with 14 lead changes and four tied scores as neither team held more than a four-point lead. Blackshear and Kara Dunn scored eight points each to lead the Jackets (9-7, 0-5 ACC), but Wake Forest (11-6, 2-4 ACC) outscored Tech in the paint 20-10 to lead by one, 29-28 at halftime.
Tech came out with a 9-2 run to gain a 37-31 lead in the third quarter, but the Demon Deacons slowly chipped away, knotting the score on an Olivia Summiel three-pointer at 4:43 in the fourth. Tech maintained a narrow lead and Cameron Swartz hit a jumper at 57.4 to setup a 50-49 score, but Kaia Harrison hit a layup at 31.2, proving to be the deciding field goal. Swartz went to the line with a chance to return the lead to Georgia Tech with 5.3 ticks on the clock, but could not connect. Wake Forest reciprocated with two missed free throws from Alexandria Scruggs, returning the ball to Tech with 2.1 on the clock, but the Jackets were unable to get a shot off for the win.
Blackshear finished with a career-high 16 points and 13 rebounds for a double-double. Dunn added 12 points, followed by a season-high 10 points from Aixa Wone Aranaz. Tech won the rebounding battle, 36-24 and converted 12-of-16 from the free throw line.
Wake Forest was led by Elise Williams with 15 points, Scruggs with 12 and Summiel with 11. The Demon Deacons shot 44.7 percent (21-47) from the field and 54.5 percent from the charity stripe.
Closing out this two-game road swing, Georgia Tech opens a three-game homestand beginning on Thursday, welcoming Miami to McCamish Pavilion. Tip is slated for 8 p.m. on the ACC Network.
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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