A career-high seven 3-pointers from Rusne Augustinaite helped lift No. 17 Georgia Tech past Rice 88-57 on Wednesday at McCamish Pavilion.
Augustinaite finished with a game-high 23 points, leading four Yellow Jackets in double-figures, and pushed Tech to 12-0.
Tech shot 50% in the first half, fueled by 14 points from Augustinaite as the Jackets held the halftime lead 37-18. The had teams kept close in the early going before a triple from Dani Carnegie opened a seven-point lead late in the first.
Augustinaite came out in the second on fire, draining three consecutive 3s to open the period and extend Tech’s lead into double-digits. Tech would lead by as many as 20 points in the half following a Carnegie bucket at the 2:24 mark of the second quarter.
The Jackets continued to dominate in the second half, breaking open a 40-point lead on a Zoesha Smith bucket in the final period. Tech led by as many as 42 points in the win and trailed for less than two minutes in the outing.
Augustinaite is the second current Jacket to make seven 3-pointers in a game, as teammate Kara Dunn hit seven last season at North Carolina State.
Dunn added 17 points while Smith tallied a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Tonie Morgan chipped in 10 points.
For the fifth time this season, Tech connected on at least 10 3-pointers, hitting 13 with five Jackets recording a triple. Tech also tallied 22 assists in the win led by seven from Chazadi Wright.
The Owls had two in double-figures, paced by 12 points from Hailey Adams and 10 points from Dominique Ennis.
Tech, off to the best start in program history, remains one of only nine teams undefeated in the country. With the win Tech coach Nell Fortner recorded her 100th career victory at Tech.
The Jackets next host No. 23 Nebraska at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
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