THE FLATS — Georgia Tech women’s basketball led the entire contest and cruised past Mercer Wednesday evening in McCamish Pavilion, 70-50, to improve to 8-1 on the season. Three Yellow Jackets scored in double-figures led by Imani Tilford with 15 points.
“I thought Mercer did a really good job — that’s a really well coached team,” commented head coach MaChelle Joseph. “I thought our four guard lineup was really effective and I thought Chanin Scott did a great job again. The thing I really appreciate about Imani [Tilford] is that she makes clutch three-pointers now. She is really playing at the top of her game. The one thing we have to do is work on our turnovers.”
How It Happened
Mercer hit just six field goals in the first half, three coming in each quarter, as Tech wasted no time grabbing a double-digit lead in the first half. The Yellow Jackets shot 53.3 percent in the period fueled by nine points from Antonia Peresson and seven points from Imani Tilford, who also tied her career-high of six assists in the first 20 minutes.
Tech opened a double-digit lead at the 2:44 mark in the first quarter following Peresson’s first triple of the evening for a 19-9 advantage. After leading 23-9 at the quarter break, Tech opened a 17-point lead on a Francesca Pan three-pointer for its largest lead of the half. KeKe Calloway scored Mercer’s first 10 points of the second quarter.
Mercer cut the score to nine points in the third quarter, but Tech answered with a 10-3 run to return a 16-point lead to the Jackets. Tech outscored Mercer 17-11 in the fourth quarter and used a 13-0 run in the middle of the frame to own its largest lead of 27 points in the game.
Lending a Hand
Tech recorded 24 assists on 29 made field goals on the evening. Tilford led all players with eight assists, while Antonia Peresson contributed five assists. Chanin Scott, Francesca Pan and Zaire O’Neil each added three assists. The 24 assists marked a season-high for the Yellow Jackets, besting its previous season high of 16 assists at Kennesaw State.
Tech Tidbits
* Tech moved to 8-1 on the season with the win and 5-1 at home
* The win moved Tech’s all-time record to 16-6 against Mercer and pushed its win streak to eight straight against the Bears
* Imani Tilford recorded a career-high eight assists after tying her career-best of six in the first half
* Tilford also set a career-high beyond the arc, hitting a personal-best three three-pointers, going a perfect 3-of-3 from long range
* Chanin Scott finished with 13 points and six rebounds
* Francesca Pan rounded out Tech in double-figures with 10 points
* Tech tied its season-high of 10 three-pointers for the second straight game
* Led by Chelsea Guimaraes with eight rebounds, the Yellow Jackets won the battle on the glass, 47-26
Next Up
Tech wraps up this four-game homestand on Sunday renewing a series with Appalachian State. Tip time in McCamish Pavilion is slated for 2 p.m.
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