The Tech women’s basketball team held No. 3 North Carolina to 13 points below their season average, but were unable to take advantage of their good defense as they lost 75-61 to the Tarheels last Sunday at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.
Janie Mitchell led the Jackets with 22 points on 8-for-16 shooting and had six rebounds and five steals. Chioma Nnamaka scored 15, but did it on only 4-15 shooting. For the Heels, Erlana Larkins scored 18 and had 14 rebounds and LaToya Pringle also had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Rashanda McCants scored 19 points.
Tech got the game off to a solid start when they took a four-point lead at 8-4 on a lay-up by Jacqua Williams. Carolina scored six straight points, but Alex Montgomery hit a three to put the Jackets back up by one at 11-10.
The Jackets scored another basket before Nnamaka hit a three-point shot to put Tech up by six. Tech went cold towards the end of the first half as Carolina went on a 14-0 run to take an eight-point lead that they would never relinquish. The Heels took a four-point lead at the half.
Montgomery came out of the gates in the second half with a quick three that brought Tech within a point of tying. Carolina then scored seven straight points, including a three-point basket by Heather Claytor. Carolina then went on to increase their lead to double-digits over the rest of the second half and maintained the lead until the end. Carolina did turn the ball over 27 times, but that did not help the Jackets as much as Tech’s 20 turnovers helped Carolina.
The Heels’ size also helped in the victory as they outscored the Jackets 34-12 points in the paint.
The two teams had met earlier in the season and had a similar result, with the Tarheels easily winning despite committing numerous turnovers and showing lapses in defense.
The game was not as high scoring as the last affair, but still saw the two teams show some offensive dominance throughout the course of the game.
Two nights later, Tech took on Savannah State at home and got back on the winning track. They won 82-28 on a night when they allowed the fewest points in program history. The win improved the Jackets to 19-6 overall.
The team allowed 16 points in the first half and 12 points in the second. For the game, Tech was able to hold Savannah State to just 25 percent field goal percentage.
Mitchell had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Every Jacket player scored, and four players had double figure games. Mitchell with 14, Iasia Hemingway scored 13, Nnamaka scored 10 and Brigitte Ardossi also scored 10.
For the Lady Tigers, Antoinette Williams scored 10 to lead her team. State made just 11 baskets during the game. They had six assists to just 30 turnovers. They grabbed 24 rebounds to Tech’s 49, regularly getting dominated inside.
At the beginning of the game, Tech took a quick 6-0 lead before State came back and scored four points to get within two points of tying the game.
The Jackets then went on a 14-2 run to gain a 12-point advantage and never looked back. Tech took a 23-point lead into the locker room at the half and nearly doubled it as they won by 54 points.
The Jackets return to the court Monday night in Chestnut Hill, Mass. against the Boston College Eagles at 7 p.m.