Jackets down the Owls 77-38

Georgia Tech women’s basketball cruised to a 77-38 victory over Kennesaw State on Sunday afternoon to open the season with a 4-0 record for the first time since 2019-20.

“I like how we’re shooting the ball,” head coach Nell Fortner said. “This is my fifth season here and this is by far the most points that we’ve been capable of [consistently] scoring.”

Georgia Tech forward Kayla Blackshear was one of four Yellow Jackets to score 10 or more points, recording a team-high 16 points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes of action. Tonie Morgan added 15 points, six assists and two rebounds on 5 of 7 shooting from the field. Blackshear and Morgan have scored in double figures in each of the team’s first four games.

Georgia Tech’s freshman tandem of sharpshooting guard Rusne Augustinaite and mobile forward D’Asia Thomas-Harris combined for 29 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Augustinaite hit two 3-pointers of her own, while Thomas-Harris recorded two steals and two blocks in 13 minutes.

Through four games, Augistinaite, a 6-foot guard from Lithuania, only trails Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo in points per game (13.5) among ACC freshmen.

Let’s recap the Yellow Jackets’ blowout home victory before it travels to Cancun, Mexico to face Creighton on Nov 23.

Georgia Tech’s defense rebounded from a narrow 78-75 road victory over Rice on Nov. 16 by holding Kennesaw State to 38 points on 25 percent shooting from the field.

Georgia Tech held an opponent under 40 points for the second time under Fortner and the fourth time since 2009-10, according to HerHoopStats.

After the win, Fortner credited center Aixa Wone Aranaz for her defensive intensity and how she practiced over the last couple days. Wone Aranaz played a vital role in limiting the Owls to 19 percent shooting (4 of 21) at the rim.

Kennesaw State freshman guard Sophia Rueppell got loose for a pair of 3-pointers in the second half, but beyond that, the Owls’ offense was nonexistent. It missed 20 straight field-goals at one point in the half, allowing the Yellow Jackets to blow the game wide open.

On the afternoon, Georgia Tech forced a turnover on 28.8% of Kennesaw State’s offensive possessions. As a result, the Yellow Jackets scored 24 points off turnovers.

– Georgia Tech starting lineup: Tonie Morgan, Inés Noguero, Rusne Augustinaite, Kayla Blackshear and Aixa Wone Aranaz. Augustinaite is in the starting lineup for the fourth consecutive game with Kara Dunn out with an injury.

– The Yellow Jackets led 14-4 at the first media timeout. Morgan and Blackshear combined for 12 of the first 14 points on 5 of 6 shooting from the field.

– Augustinaite’s hot offensive start to her collegiate career continued into this game, including a one-legged pull-up mid-range jumper and a spot-up 3 on back-to-back possessions to build a 23-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.

– Georgia Tech freshman forward D’Asia Thomas-Harris entered the game in the second quarter and her impact was immediately felt, leading the Yellow Jackets to a 5-0 run of her own. On one possession, Thomas-Harris displayed good verticality on defense to block the shot, ran the floor hard to establish post position and finished with a right-hand layup.

– Kennesaw State freshman guard Sophia Rueppell gave Georgia Tech’s perimeter defense some fits in the second quarter, scoring 11 points on 3 of 6 shooting from 3. The Yellow Jackets outscored the Owls by a point in the quarter, extending its lead to 39-25 at the half.

– Ruepell’s explosive 3-point shooting continued into the third quarter, knocking down 3-pointers on her first two attempts in the second half.

– After Ruepell’s second 3-pointer with 5:22 remaining in the third quarter, Georgia Tech called a timeout and the Owls were held scoreless the rest of the quarter, leading to a 14-0 run for the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech forced six turnovers in the third quarter, scoring eight points off turnovers and drawing a bevy of fouls at the rim.

– Cincinnati transfer Caitlyn Wilson scored her first points as a Yellow Jacket on a deep 3 with 2:29 remaining in the fourth quarter.

– Kennesaw State only scored five points in the fourth quarter and didn’t record its first field goal until the 1:27 mark. Georgia Tech shot 8 of 11 from the field and 2 of 3 from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter, defeating the Owls by a final score of 77-38.

This upcoming week, Georgia Tech travels to Cancun, Mexico for a pair of games in the Cancun Challenge. On Nov. 23, the Yellow Jackets will face Creighton at 4 p.m. ET, followed by a matchup with New Mexico on Nov 24 at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Both games will be streamed on FloHoops (subscription required).