With victory nearly in hand, Georgia Tech couldn’t finish off its Big Ten/ACC Challenge matchup at Purdue, losing 53-52 to the Boilermakers on Wednesday night in West Lafayette, Ind.
Down 43-36 at the 9:09 mark of the fourth quarter, the Yellow Jackets rallied and held a 52-51 lead with 23 seconds left. But, guard Eylia Love missed a pair of free throws with 16 seconds remaining, and after Tech center Nerea Hermosa blocked Ra Shaya Kyle’s shot with six seconds remaining, guard Sarah Bates was fouled in transition and went to the line with five seconds left with a chance to put the Jackets up by three. But Bates also missed both, giving Purdue one final shot at a win. The Boilermakers inbounded in the frontcourt with three seconds left, and Jenae Terry made a runner in the lane off the backboard for the game-winner as time expired.
It was a difficult loss for coach Nell Fortner’s team, which was without starting guard Lotta-Maj Lahtinen, who suffered an injury in the Jackets’ win over Hofstra on Nov. 24. They are further without two more starting guards from last season’s Sweet 16 team, Kierra Fletcher (season-ending foot injury) and Loyal McQueen (transfer portal). They combined to average 36.8 points per game last season, including Lahtinen’s team-leading 15 points per game. On Wednesday, the Jackets made 19 of 55 shots (34.9%), including 3-for-17 (17.6%) from 3-point range. They also made 11 of 20 free throws (55%). All were well below their season rates.
Despite that errancy, Tech stayed in the game thanks in part to Purdue (6-2) shooting only marginally better and the play of forward Lorela Cubaj, who brought down a massive 20 rebounds, matching her career high. Cubaj’s total ties for the fourth most recorded by any Division I player in the country this season.
Tech (5-2) was led by forward Digna Strautmane’s game-high 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting, with Love adding 12. She also added seven points and five assists. Strautmane and Bates played all 40 minutes and Cubaj sat for a total of 43 seconds.
It’s the second loss in three games for the Jackets, who were upset at home 59-51 by Auburn on Nov. 21, a defeat that dropped Tech out of the Top 25 from No. 18.
Tech plays archrival Georgia on Sunday in Athens.
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