Georgia Tech Women’s Basketball clinched their first ACC win over the Syracuse Orange Thursday night: 69-57. The team slipped with six games and was 7-0 in the ACC game but put on a strong team effort for the first time this season and proved they have the talent and skills to win big games.
Nell Fortner led the Jackets to their home field and started 3 true freshmen. Tech quickly fell 12-6 in the first quarter as they struggled to find a defensive response for Syracuse’s talented shooters. Senior guard Cameron Swartz then came off the bench and single-handedly scored five straight points to put Tech back in the game. The first quarter ended in a draw at 13.
The second quarter told a similar story as Tech suffered another six-point deficit, but behind junior guard Ayonce Carter, who hit a big three-point bucket, and freshman guard Tonie Morgan, who completed an amazing Euro-Step, then spin layup, Tech marched back. With a 9:2 run, the team completed half-time and led 31:30 at the break.
Nell Fortner and Georgia Tech earned their first ACC win of the season against Syracuse
Georgia Tech Athletics Credit: Danny Karnik
The concern at this point was whether Tech could maintain his level of play. The jackets kept falling into deficits that required large editions. The women have had a lot of second-half crashes this season, but could they turn the tide this time? The answer was yes.
The third quarter started much like the first two as Tech fell 40-34, another six-point deficit. However, Morgan and Swartz brought the team back with their own 8-0 run to put it 42-40 in the Jackets’ favour. In a foul-ridden third quarter for both teams, free throws were key and in a reassuring display, the Jackets kept up their free throws to end the third quarter with a 48-47 lead.
Tech went into the fourth quarter with a bit of Syracuse’s strategy as the Jackets took a 56-53 lead by less than five minutes, falling behind excellent defensive play and great rebounds. The team never looked back from there as they put on a 13-4 run to finish the game; a run that showed senior guard Bianca Jackson’s talent for getting into the basket with drives and an outstanding layup by Carter that beat the clock. Georgia Tech emerged victorious 69-57 over the Orange.
Swartz had the bounce back game she was waiting for and led the team with 17 points. Tonie Morgan played an outstanding game, recording a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Bianca Jackson finished the tournament with 11 points while Kayla Blackshear recorded 10 points and 5 rebounds. Carter played her most minutes of the season at 26 and played a great game with 9 points and 100% going from the free throw line and in field goals.
The team looks to continue that momentum as it wraps up its three-game stay at home to travel to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to face 17th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels on Sunday.
Follow us on social media for the latest Georgia Tech Athletics information!
Facebook: All Yellow Vests
Twitter: @AllYellowJacket
Follow Jackson on Twitter: @jacksoncaudell
Check out all the latest tech news at AllYellowJackets.com
Check out the Georgia Tech home page
Listen to the Goal Line Stand Podcast for the best coverage of Georgia Tech and national college football!
More Georgia Tech related content:
How did Georgia Tech fare in the first window of the transfer portal?
Georgia Tech announces six additional employees
How does Georgia Tech replace Zamari Walton at cornerback?
Georgia Tech officially announces five transfer additions
Updated ACC basketball rankings following Georgia Tech’s loss to NC State
Georgia Tech cornerback Zamari Walton wants to join the transfer portal
Get an early look at Georgia Tech’s 2023 schedule
Georgia Tech employees hand out 2025 offers
2024 DB Lawson Pritchett summarizes Georgia Tech Visit
Jackets falter in the second half, losing fourth in a row
Comments are closed.