THE FLATS – Georgia Tech women’s basketball held the halftime lead, but No. 16/19 Duke used a strong second half to come away with a 65-47 decision Sunday afternoon in McCamish Pavilion. Kayla Blackshear and Tonie Morgan contributed double-figure scoring totals to lead the Yellow Jackets.
A relentless Georgia Tech (9-9, 0-7 ACC) squad put on the pressure against Duke (16-1, 6-0 ACC) in the first half, quickly erasing an early five-point deficit to the Blue Devils. Trailing 11-6 in the first, Blackshear sparked a 9-2 run to close the frame and setup a 15-13 Tech lead after the first 10 minutes. Nerea Hermosa handed the Jackets a three-point lead, but a three-pointer from the Blue Devils evened the score back at 19-all. Duke connected on one free throw thereafter, but the lead was short-lived as Georgia Tech gained momentum and used a 9-4 run, fueled by three-pointers from Morgan and Cameron Swartz, to gain a 28-24 lead with less than a minute remaining in the first half. Duke cut the score to 28-27 to close the half.
Duke came out of intermission limiting Georgia Tech’s offense and quickly retook the permanent lead. The Blue Devils won the second half, 38-19, shooting 61.5 percent (16-26) in the final two periods to Tech’s 24.0 percent effort to remain undefeated in the league.
Georgia Tech welcomed back several women’s basketball alumnae during the game. Photo by Brian Savage
Blackshear finished with a game-high 14 points for her third-straight game in double-figures. Morgan added 10 points to complete Tech’s pair in double-figures. The Yellow Jackets shot 36.7 percent from the field and 77.8 percent (7-9) from the free throw line.
Duke was led offensively by Celeste Taylor (13 points) and Elizabeth Balogun (12 points). The Blue Devils shot 53.1 percent from the floor and won the rebounding battle, 28-24.
Georgia Tech closes out this three-game homestand on Thursday, Jan. 19 welcoming Syracuse. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
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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