THE FLATS – Nerea Hermosa scored a career-high 20 points and Lorela Cubaj notched her seventh double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead No. 16 Georgia Tech women’s basketball to a 67-31 romp over visiting Virginia on Sunday afternoon at McCamish Pavilion.
Playing with just seven players available due to illness, Georgia Tech (11-3, 2-1 ACC) trailed 18-16 early in the second quarter but used a 10-0 run to grab the lead for good and never looked back. The 10-0 run was the first of three Yellow Jacket runs of 10-0 or better. The Jackets used a 21-0 spurt spanning the third and fourth quarters to effectively put the game away. Then, after UVA (3-9, 0-2 ACC) snapped Tech’s string of 21-straight points with a pair of free throws, the Jackets went on another 10-0 run to extend their lead to as large 37 points (63-26) with less than five minutes to go in the game.
Georgia Tech’s defense stifled Virginia throughout, limiting the Cavaliers to just 22.9% shooting from the field (11-for-48) for the game and just 19.4% (6-for-31) over the final three quarters. During the Yellow Jackets’ 31-2 run in the second half, Tech held UVA without a field goal for a span of 13:28. The Jackets also forced 18 turnovers, while committing just nine of their own.
Hermosa’s 20 points came on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line, as she surpassed her previous career high of 18 points at Central Michigan on Nov. 9, 2021. In addition to her third-straight double-double, Cubaj added four assists. Hermosa and Cubaj also combined to make 8-of-9 free throws (4-of-4 for Hermosa, 4-of-5 for Cubaj), leading the way for Tech to make 14-of-17 foul shots as a team (82.4%).
Eylia Love stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, nine rebounds and a game-high five assists, while Digna Strautmane grabbed seven boards of her own for the Yellow Jackets, who out-rebounded the Cavaliers by a 43-29 margin.
Georgia Tech returns to action on Tuesday when it plays the second game of a four-games-in-eight-days stretch at Pitt. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be carried on ACC Network Extra.
Head coach Nell Fortner speaks with media following Tech's win over Virginia
