GEORGIA TECH (17-15, 7-11 ACC) at MISSISSIPPI STATE (21-11, 8-8 SEC)
- Thursday, March 21, 2024 | 7:30 p.m. ET | Starkville, Miss. | Humphrey Coliseum
- Television: ESPN+ | Watch Online (Announcers: Bart Gregory)
- Radio: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets App (Play-by-Play: Richard Musterer)
- Live Stats: Click Here
- WBIT Information: Click Here
- Tickets: Purchase Here
- Bracket: Click Here
Georgia Tech earned an at-large bid to continue its postseason in the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT). The Yellow Jackets play their first round at Mississippi State, a No. 2 seed, on Thursday. All preliminary games (first, second and quarterfinal rounds) will be streamed on ESPN+. The winner of Thursday’s game in Starkville will advance to the second round and face either No. 3-seeded TCU or North Texas.
Georgia Tech is coming off the ACC Tournament where it topped Pitt in opening round action before falling to Duke in the second round. Tonie Morgan led Georgia Tech in both outings to average 21.5 points per game, earning her a spot on the ACC All-Tournament second team. The Yellow Jackets have won three of their past four outings entering Thursday night’s contest.
Mississippi State capped its season with a 21-11 overall record and 8-8 mark in SEC play. The Bulldogs fell in the second round of the SEC Tournament to Texas A&M. Jerkaila Jordan paces the Bulldogs, averaging 16.0 points per game, while Jessika Carter contributes a double-double behind 14.7 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. MSU, guided by head coach Sam Purcell, has dropped six of its past seven outings.
Tech and MSU have met five times in program history with the Bulldogs leading the series, 4-1. Tech took the last meeting between the programs in 2007.
THE TIP-OFF
- Georgia Tech is led offensively by Kara Dunn and Tonie Morgan who average 15.6 points per game each. Morgan is 10th overall in the ACC in scoring, while Dunn ranks 11th in the league.
- In conference games only, Georgia Tech boasts two players in the top 20 in scoring – Kara Dunn (10th) and Tonie Morgan (12th).
- Tech also boasts two players in the top 20 in rebounding in the ACC in overall games – Tonie Morgan (10th) and Kayla Blackshear (18th).
- The pair also rank in ACC games only in rebounding with Kayla Blackshear at 18th and Tonie Morgan tied for 19th.
- Tonie Morgan is one of two players in the league to rank in the top 12 in rebounding and assists. Morgan is 10th in rebounding and 5th in assists in overall games.
- Leading Tech from three-point distance, freshman Rusne Augustinaite is shooting 35.0 percent from long range, helping highlight her strong inaugural collegiate campaign. Augustinaite ranks fifth overall in the ACC in three-point field goals made and is 8th in ACC games only.
- Augustinaite is the only freshman in the league to rank in the top 5 in 3-point field goals made at No. 5 in all games.
- As a team, Georgia Tech ranks fourth in the ACC in assists, averaging 15.31 assists per game. Virginia Tech leads the league at 16.61 assists per game, followed by Notre Dame at 16.13 and Virginia at 15.73.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of the development of Yellow Jackets that thrive academically at the Institute and 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.
