ATLANTA, Ga. (seminoles.com) — With a Top 15 victory within its grasp, Florida State Women’s Basketball endured a late-game scoring drought as No. 15 Georgia Tech slipped past the Seminoles, 68-64, on Thursday night at McCamish Pavilion.
The Seminoles (7-7, 1-3) played the nation’s top defensive team and out-rebounded the Yellow Jackets (13-3, 4-1), 36-33. Freshman Makayla Timpson had a coming-to-age game against two strong post players with 12 points and four rebounds, while Morgan Jones added 11 and Erin Howard also had 12 along with three 3-point field goals.
“KK was a game changer,” FSU Head Coach Sue Semrau said. “She scored inside and did everything for us.”
Despite FSU holding a 62-57 lead with 3:33 left, Georgia Tech took advantage of second chance opportunities down the stretch and held strong on the offensive glass. Jones hit two free throws to give FSU a 64-63 lead with two minutes remaining, but Georgia Tech’s Eylia Love converted a layup to make it 65-64 GT with 47 seconds left.
FSU was unable to convert on a few more possessions to end the game.
“I thought our team fought through everything,” Semrau added. “Any little thing that went wrong could have gone in the other direction. It’s the first time in a while we’ve had everyone who could play. We walked into the best defensive team in the country and out-rebounded them. Everyone played a big role but it’s disappointing. It’s part of the process.”
Georgia Tech’s Lorela Cubaj led all scorers with 24 points on 10-of-18 shooting, while Lotta-Maj Lahtinen added 16.
Georgia Tech got out to a 22-13 lead through the first quarter, at one point making eight consecutive shots from the floor. Timpson and O’Mariah Gordon each led FSU with four points apiece in the opening frame, while the Yellow Jackets went 9-of-12 from the floor. Cubaj got hot early, scoring 10 points in the first quarter.
The Seminoles hung right in with Georgia Tech through the first two quarters, trailing 36-29 at the half. FSU out-scored the Yellow Jackets 16-14 in the second, getting 19 points off the bench as Gordon and Timpson each had six points at the break. Cubaj went into the locker room with 15 points, while Lahtinen added eight for the Yellow Jackets.
The Noles ended the third quarter on a 7-0 run to take a 51-46 lead entering the fourth. FSU held Georgia Tech to 31 percent shooting in the frame, out-rebounded the Yellow Jackets 11-5 and got balanced scoring. Sammie Puisis delivered back-to-back 3-point field goals to help the Seminoles take a lead.
In the end, Florida State went 8-of-8 from the line while Georgia Tech went 12-of-18. FSU was also whistled for twice as many personal fouls at 22-11.
Florida State’s next game is on Tuesday, Jan. 18, when it heads to Clemson for a 6 p.m. tip on ACC Network Extra.
