The Lady Jackets encountered their first bout of adversity of the season during the recent stretch of games, losing heartbreaking games while missing key contributors. The Jackets were unable to overcome a highly touted Notre Dame team, losing 66-81, but when many were counting Tech out, the Jackets played one of their most dominant games of the season, demolishing Clemson 89-65.
After losing their undefeated record in double overtime against Virginia Tech and subsequently losing to Louisville, the Lady Jackets looked to rediscover their form against No. 3-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Clemson Tigers. The Jackets would be without freshman guard Dani Carnegie due to injury, one of their best players and arguably the best freshman in the ACC in the crucial matchups. Despite the loss, Tech has many players looking to step up, notably freshman guard Chazadi “Chit-Chat” Wright and sophomore guard Rusne Augustinaite.
Tech’s first game of the week came against Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish entered the match-up with a 14-2 record riding a nine-game win streak. On the win streak, Notre Dame beat two teams ranked in the top four at the time: UConn and Texas. The Fighting Irish are led by sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo who is averaging nearly 26 points per game on over 45% from behind the three-point line. Unfortunately for Notre Dame, Hidalgo did not suit up for the match-up with the Jackets.
Tech started the game slow, getting to a 9-0 deficit within the first three minutes. The score continued to bounce throughout the first period before Tech went on a 5-0 run to end the quarter and bring the game to 20-16. Despite the slow start for the Jackets as a collective, junior guard Tonie Morgan performed admirably, scoring 11 points while shooting 4-5 from the field. Despite Notre Dame shooting well at first, the Jackets defense contained them to just 8-21 from the field in the first quarter.
The Jackets looked to carry their momentum from the end of the first quarter. Notre Dame’s lead ballooned to 13 points, but after a steal from junior guard Kara Dunn and a fast break layup by junior guard Inés Noguero, the Jackets had all the momentum. Going into halftime, the score was 39-36 in favor of the Fighting Irish. The Jackets’ defense was ferocious throughout the first half forcing 14 turnovers and scoring 13 points off the turnovers.
Out of the half, Tech tied the game immediately off of a Dunn three-pointer. Notre Dame responded with a jump shot of their own to restore their lead. After the Jackets tied the game one more time, the Fighting Irish expanded their lead and were up 61-50 by the end of the third period. Dunn totaled 10 points in the quarter, giving her best to keep the Jackets in the game, but Notre Dame continued to pull away.
The fourth quarter was much of the same: the Jackets were unable to pull the Fighting Irish back and fell 81-66 by the end. Despite the loss, Dunn acquired 21 points on 8-17 from the floor and Morgan pushed for 17 points of her own. The Jackets would look to use the game as motivation for the home game against Clemson.
The Jackets were buzzing to halt their three-game losing skid. Tech led from buzzer to buzzer against Clemson, resulting in an 89-65 victory.
The Jackets jumped off to a hot start, going on an 8-0 run to begin the game. After some fight back from the Tigers, the Jackets ended the first quarter up 27-13. Tech was extremely effective, shooting 13-15 from the field in the first 10 minutes. Senior forward Kayla Blackshear led the way with eight points, shooting 4-4. Morgan ran the show, assisting over half of the Jackets buckets, tallying 7 assists.
Tech continued their strong performance in the second period, expanding their lead from 14 to 20 over the quarter. Tech led 46-26 entering the intermission. The defense was the primary reason for the expanded lead going into halftime. Tech held Clemson to just 11-29 from the field, making the Tigers think twice before shooting the ball. During the first half, the Jackets scored nine points off turnovers and six from the fast break.
The Jackets continued to dominate coming out of the half, not lifting their foot off the gas. The second half was much of the same from Tech, resulting in a big 89-65 victory for the Lady Jackets. Morgan led the way while filling the stat sheet with 12 points, 12 rebounds and 14 assists — the fourth triple-double in Tech women’s basketball history. Alongside Morgan, Dunn and Blackshear scored efficiently, recording 20 and 19 points, respectively. The Jackets’ impressive performance came in front of 6,386 fans, the third-largest crowd in program history.
After dropping three consecutive games, the Jackets responded with an emphatic victory over Clemson. Tech looks to build on their momentum from Clemson into the heart of the ACC schedule. The Lady Jackets next take on the Duke Blue Devils in a highly anticipated match-up on Jan. 26 in McCamish Pavilion.