Georgia Tech scored one of the biggest wins in program history, snapping UConn’s record 240-game winning streak against unranked opponents, defeating the Huskies as part of two home wins on the week that led the Yellow Jackets to being named NCAA.com Team of the Week.
A crowd of 4,578, the second-largest for a women’s basketball game in McCamish Pavilion history, saw Georgia Tech outscore UConn, 18-5 in the fourth quarter, leading Georgia Tech to a 57-44 win over No. 2 UConn on Dec. 9. For Georgia Tech it was the first win over a top-three team since it beat No. 2 North Carolina, 66-62, on Jan. 22, 2009.
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In just her second game back from an injury, Georgia Tech’s Lotta-Maj Lahtinen led all scorers with 15 points, while Nerea Hermosa and Eylia Love added 13 and 10, respectively, to round out three Yellow Jackets in double-figures. Lorela Cubaj pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds for the Jackets, who outscored the Huskies by a 10-2 margin in second-chance points.
Neither team led by more than four points through three quarters, and the game was tied at halftime (28-28) and after three periods (39-39), before Georgia Tech dominated the fourth quarter on both ends of the floor. The Yellow Jackets shot 42.9% (6-of-14) from the field and 60% (6-of-10) from the line in the final period, while holding UConn to just 16.7% (2-of-12) shooting.
The loss was UConn’s first to an unranked opponent since a 57-56 defeat to St. John’s on Feb. 18, 2012. It also marked the first time that the Huskies were held to under 45 points in a game since a 48-42 loss to Rutgers on Feb. 27, 2006.
RECAP: How Georgia Tech used a huge fourth quarter to take down UConn
Georgia Tech then managed to maintain the momentum of the win over UConn, scoring a 63-36 home win over Furman on Sunday as fifth-year forward Digna Strautmane lead the way with a season-high 20 points for the Yellow Jackets. Offensively, Georgia Tech also got solid production from Avyonce Carter, who finished with a career-high 14 points, and Sarah Bates, who finished with 12. Cubaj commanded the boards with 14 rebounds to go along with five points and six assists.
The Yellow Jackets (8-2), winners of three straight games, will remain home to host its first Atlantic Coast Conference opponent of the season in Wake Forest on Sunday, Dec. 19.
