Jan. 10, 2013
THE FLATS – Freshman Brittany Jackson scored a game-high 20 points, including five 3-pointers, but Georgia Tech (8-7, 1-3 ACC) fell to Virginia (10-5, 2-2 ACC), 62-51, Thursday night at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta.
Jackson was 7-of-19 from the field and 5-of-13 from 3-point range. The rookie from Sebastian, Fla., has a team-best 20 3-pointers this year. It is the second time she has made five in a game, with the first being against Marquette when she posted a career-high 21 points.
“Brittany Jackson has been our best player the last week or so in practice and tonight paid off for us, she had 20 points,” associate head coach Sytia Messer said. “We’re excited about that. We have to keep her going. We’re very proud of her for the last couple games because she has come out with high energy and hit big shots. Right now, she’s carrying us from the 3-point line.”
Junior Tyaunna Marshall added 12 points and seven rebounds, while freshman Aaliyah Whiteside also scored 12 points. Junior Dawnn Maye had seven rebounds, six assists and five steals.
“The number one thing is we didn’t do a great job with our post and we have to do a better job of defending,” Messer said. “And we have to do a better job of rebounding and getting tougher. We have to have better transition defense. They pushed the ball down our throat and we didn’t step up and get stops.”
After starting fast in their last two games, the Jackets were cold from the floor in the opening 20 minutes against Virginia. In the two previous games, Tech averaged 57.4 percent in the first half but converted just 20.6, 7-of-34, against UVa.
Tech fell behind by as many as 18 in the first half, 31-13, but the Jackets closed the period on a 7-0 run to cut the `Hoos halftime edge to 31-20.
Georgia Tech cut the Virginia lead to single digits, 39-30, on a Marshall layup at the 14:25 mark after a nifty no-look pass from Sydney Wallace on the fastbreak. A Danielle Hamilton-Carter putback got the Jackets within seven on Tech’s next possession but the Cavaliers quickly answered with a 9-0 run to go up 48-32 with 11:34 to play.
Despite 3-pointers from Jackson and Whiteside in the final five minutes, Tech was unable to get closer than 11 down the stretch.
The Yellow Jackets are on the road Sunday, Jan. 13, when they travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., to take on the No. 11/20 North Carolina Tar Heels at 2 p.m. Sunday, and the contest can be heard on WREK 91.1 FM or watched live on ESPN3.
Fans are encouraged to follow Georgia Tech women’s basketball on Twitter, @GTWBB, and like the Yellow Jackets on Facebook, GTWomensBasketball, for an inside look at the program.
–RamblinWreck.com–
