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 David Dacus |
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| Coach Agnus Berenato's squad takes on Wake Forest tonight at Alexander Memorial Coliseum at 7 p.m. |
The Georgia Tech Lady Yellow Jackets basketball team dropped a pair of crucial ACC contests to the Duke Blue Devils and the North Carolina Tar Heels during the past week. With the season winding down, the team's only chance of playing during March Madness now resides in an ACC tournament win.
Last week's contests could have given momentum to the team if they had won both, since Duke and Carolina both sit atop the ACC standings with a 9-3 record. Tech faced the Blue Devils first at the ThrillerDome which is starting to live up to its name on a consistent basis. Promotions for the game included tickets to the men's game against North Carolina, basketballs, and T-shirts. The fans that did show up were treated to all this and a great game as Tech gave the 15th-ranked Blue Devils all they could handle.
The first half saw Tech going with some fresh faces in the lineup, including Candice McCallum, who hit nine points in the opening period. McCallum was complimented by fellow freshman Regina Tate getting out on the break for layups and the always strong inside play of Kenya Williams and Joannah Kauffman, taking the Jackets to a 28-27 lead at halftime.
Tech came out strong in the second half extending the lead to ten points with eight minutes remaining in the game as the crowd urged the players on. However, the Yellow Jackets then began the breakdown that they have repeated several times this season. Duke went on a 17-4 run led by guard Hillary Howard, who scored eight points and had two assists during the decisive stretch that left the Blue Devils up 52-51 with two minutes remaining.
Kauffman showed some senior leadership by cutting the lead to one on a strong inside layup with 33 seconds remaining. The Jackets then put Duke on the line, but Nicole Erickson calmly sank two free throws to push the lead to three. The Jackets called timeout and tried to set up a possible game-tying shot, but Duke intercepted an errant pass and the game was over.
Standouts on Duke's side were Payton Black with 13 points, Howard with 13, and Peppi Browne, who posted 12 points and 12 boards. Leaders for Tech and signs of the future were McCallum with 13, Tate with 12, and Betsy Foy with 12. Shelly Novotny chipped in with seven assists. Tate, McCallum, and Foy are all freshmen and will learn a lesson from losing the lead so late in the game in a home contest.
After losing close at home, the Jackets traveled up to historic Chapel Hill and the Dean Dome, looking to upset the Lady Tar Heels, ranked fifth in the country. Unfortunately, the spirit of Dean Smith, Michael Jordan, and most recently last year's ACC Player of the Year, Tracy Reid, prevailed as the Tar Heels spanked Tech, 85-58. Reid showcased a variety of skills, shooting 8-13 from the floor, 7-11 from the line, and pulling in eight rebounds as she finished with 23 points.
While Reid and the Tar Heels ran rampant, Tech did not score in the first four minutes of the game. Tech did manage to cut the lead to 27-21 on a Kauffman layup, but the Tar Heel pressure forced the Yellow Jackets into turnovers on three of the next four possessions, leading to a 13-3 run that killed hopes of a comeback.
A bright spot for Tech was senior Carla Munnion, who scorched Carolina for 17 points in limited play as she fouled out with 11:27 remaining. Teams seem to be focusing in on forward Kenya Williams, who came into the game a averaging 13 points a game but was held to three points on only three shots. Tech has to find a way to get Williams the ball as teams have been willing to let them shoot from the outside while sagging in on the low post players, leading to less offensive rebounds and lower field goal percentages.
Tech rolls the ball out again tonight against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4-19, 0-13 ACC) at the ThrillerDome. Game time is 7 p.m.