Dani Carnegie returned to action in style, scoring a career-high 29 points, lifting No. 18 Georgia Tech past Virginia 75-62 on Thursday in John Paul Jones Arena.
Four Yellow Jackets finished in double-figures, including Kayla Blackshear and Tonie Morgan, who both recorded double-doubles.
Carnegie had missed the past three games with a hamstring injury. She finished with a game-high 29 points on five 3-pointers and just missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Carnegie also converted 10 of 11 attempts.
Ariadna Termis and Morgan both added 11 points to the scoreboard while Kayla Blackshear finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds for her sixth career double-double. Morgan led Tech with 11 assists for her second straight double-double.
It was a tale of two quarters in the first half as Tech (17-3, 5-3 ACC) shot 50% in the opener and closed the period with a 15-0 run to lead 21-6 after the first. Rusne Augustinaite hit a 3-pointer early in the second quarter to open a 26-6 lead, but Virginia would keep the Jackets at bay the remainder of the half and continue to crawl back.
The Jackets’ 20-point lead quickly closed to 11 as the Cavaliers used an 11-2 run to set up a 30-19 tally. Carnegie would hit her fourth triple of the half to return a 16-point advantage to Tech, but Virginia closed the score to 36-24 at halftime.
Tech’s lead was quickly trimmed to single digits midway through the third period. Olivia McGhee hit a triple at the 5-minute mark to create a 43-37 score. The Cavaliers would come within five in the third period, but Blackshear and Morgan hit back-to-back buckets to close the quarter before Carnegie was fouled on a 3-point attempt to open the final period. The freshman converted all three free throws to return a 56-44 lead to Tech.
The Cavaliers staged a late rally, creating a 9-0 run on a trio of 3s to come within one possession, 64-62, with 3:26 left to play. Morgan snapped the spurt as Virginia was held scoreless the remainder of the game and Tech posted 11 unanswered points to seal the road win.
The Jackets are back in action at 2 p.m. Sunday, welcoming No. 14 Duke to McCamish Pavilion.
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