The No. 25 Tech women’s basketball team played three more games over the past week. Tech first hosted Savannah State last Thursday in an out-of-conference matchup, defeating the Tigers 80-51.
The Jackets returned to ACC play at Virginia (UVA) on Sunday and lost to the then-No. 25 Cavaliers 57-55, then returned home and held off Miami 80-73 in overtime on Wednesday. Tech improved to 17-5 overall and 3-3 against the ACC.
Tech rode a balanced attack to victory against Savannah State, as six players scored eight or more points on the day. Senior forward Brigitte Ardossi led the Jackets with 12 points and eight rebounds. Junior guard Deja Foster and sophomore forward Chelsea Regins also had double-digit points.
Runs defined the start of the game. Tech pulled ahead with eight straight points, but Savannah State put together an 11-1 run to pull ahead 23-20, but the Jackets scored the last eight points of the half to take a 30-26 lead into the break.
After halftime, the Jackets were a much-improved team. They forced turnovers on the Tigers’ first three possessions, and five minutes into the second half Tech led by 13.
Tech rolled from there, forcing a season-high 19 steals and drew 26 fouls that led to 44 free throws.
Tech ultimately scored 50 points in the second half en route to the 80-51 win, continuing their undefeated run at home this season.
The next game for the Jackets posed a much greater challenge, as then-No. 22 Tech went on the road to face then-No. 25 Virginia.
Joseph shuffled the lineup, moving Montgomery into the starting lineup and employing sophomore guard Mo Bennett off the bench.
This time, the Jackets got off to a fast start as they opened up a 13-point lead early on. Virginia battled back with a 14-0 run to pull ahead, and the game remained close in the final minutes of the first half, and Tech led 26-25 at the break.
UVA guard Monica Wright carried her team in the second half. Wright scored 15 points as the Cavaliers pulled ahead late in the game.
With just seconds remaining, the Jackets were down 57-54 but had the ball with a chance to tie. Ardossi launched a three-point attempt that missed, and the Cavaliers fouled freshman guard Sharena Taylor to prevent another three-point attempt.
Taylor hit her first free throw to cut Virginia’s lead to 57-55. She intentionally missed the second, but the Cavaliers got the ball and held on for the victory.
UVA won despite a strong effort from Ardossi, who had 18 points and seven rebounds while hitting all eight of her free throw attempts. Foster added 11 points and seven rebounds.
Tech was victimized by turnovers, as four starters had at least four turnovers apiece. On the other side, Virginia’s Wright had 23 points on eight-of-18 shooting.
Wednesday’s game saw Miami jump out to an early 13-0 lead, but Tech battled back to within two before the half, putting the score at 28-26 in favor of Miami.
“They jumped on us early and got us down and we were able to recover and come back,” Head Coach MaChelle Joseph said.
At the start of the second half, Tech pulled ahead behind several three-pointers from Montgomery. She went 0-for-10 in the first half but recovered in the second, knocking down four threes and finishing with 17 points.
Senior forward Brigitte Ardossi led the charge for the Jackets, finishing the game with 29 points and a career-high 17 boards.
“I thought Brigitte was outstanding,” Joseph said. “29 points and 17 rebounds is huge.”
Including Ardossi, three of Tech’s players finished with double-doubles. Sophomore center Sasha Goodlett had 14 points and 13 rebounds and Foster posted 11 points and 11 rebounds. It was the first time since 2002 that three Tech players recorded double-doubles in the same game.
“I don’t remember ever coaching a team that had three players get double-doubles the same night,” Joseph said.
In the overtime period, the Jackets got the edge early and held on to seal the 80-73 overtime win.
Tech’s victory puts them at 3-3 in the ACC and 17-5 overall. Their next match-up comes against Virginia Tech at home on Sunday.