With a 65-47 defeat to No. 16 Duke on Sunday at McCamish Pavilion, Georgia Tech lost its sixth game in a row and remained winless in the ACC. The Yellow Jackets (9-9, 0-7) have dropped to unexpected depths.
After two consecutive NCAA Tournament berths, coach Nell Fortner’s team expected to challenge for a third NCAA trip prior to the season. The Jackets were picked eighth in the ACC. But, while Fortner anticipated a team that could play a fast-paced and high-scoring style, the Jackets are last in the conference in scoring (60 points per game) and field-goal percentage (36.7%).
“We still work hard,” Fortner said after Sunday’s loss to the Blue Devils. “Our practices are really tough. They’re working hard. Their attitudes are great. We just have to keep powering through.”
Fortner has changed up the starting lineup in search of a better combination. She took hope from the second half of the Jackets’ 69-60 home loss to Miami last Thursday, when they outscored the Hurricanes 37-29. Sunday, Tech stayed with Duke for the first half, going into the locker room leading 28-27 with a starting five that included freshmen Tonie Morgan, Kara Dunn and Inés Noguero. However, the Jackets couldn’t sustain, losing the second half 38-19.
“Our energy level in the second half was not very good on any level,” Fortner said. “So it’s something we’ve got to address and work on.”
The Jackets have been receiving strong play of late from sophomore forward Kayla Blackshear, who scored a game-high 14 points against Duke along with eight rebounds for her third consecutive game in double figures. In the past three games, she has averaged 16 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.7 turnovers. Blackshear shot 76.9% from the field in 37 minutes of play during those games.
Tech’s next game is Thursday at home against Syracuse.
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