EAST LANSING, Michigan- A late comeback wasn’t enough as the Michigan State women’s basketball team fell to Georgia Tech, 66-63, in Thursday night’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Breslin Center.
Michigan State trailed eight points with 2:42 left in the game and was able to cut it to two, but was unable to erase the deficit.
The Spartans drop to 6-3 overall, losing three straight, while Georgia Tech improves to 6-2 with the win. Michigan State falls to 6-9 in the 15th Annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge, losing its third straight in the series.
Once again, MSU was run by a graduate guard Kamaria McDaniel, who scored 26 points. Second year guard Mathilde Ekh added 14 points and tied his career high with eight rebounds. second striker isaline alexander was the third Spartan in double figures with 11 points.
Georgia Tech trailed Bianca Jackson by 22 points.
The Yellow Jackets used a 7-0 run to take a 9-7 lead midway through the first quarter after a quick start from MSU. The Spartans were plagued early on by turnovers with eight in the first six minutes of the game. Georgia Tech’s run went 12-0 before an Alexander layup put the Spartans on the board. It was the Spartans’ turn to run, finishing the quarter on an 8-0 run to end the period. Behind seven points by Ekh, MSU led after the first period 15-14.
In the second quarter, the teams traded leads for much of the period. Both teams went without a basket for more than two minutes, before a Gaby Elliott buck gave MSU the 27-24 lead with less than four left in the half. The Yellow Jackets kept their momentum going before entering the locker room with a 37-32 lead.
Georgia Tech opened up a lead as big as six points in the third quarter before MSU made a comeback. The Spartans took a 47-45 lead after a quick break from McDaniel with 33 seconds left in the stanza. After a pair of free throws from Jackson, the period ended at 50 points.
In the fourth quarter, the Yellow Jackets took an eight-point lead after a bucket from Jackson with 2:42 left. Michigan State is yet to finish, using a 6-0 run to make it 65-63 with 1:42 to go, but Georgia Tech was able to hold on for the win.
Michigan State opens Big Ten Conference play on Monday, Dec. 5, as the Spartans host Purdue in a 7 p.m. tip inside the Breslin Student Events Center on the Big Ten Network.
Michigan State Women’s Basketball Postgame Ratings: vs. Georgia Tech
• The two teams traded important points in the first quarter, with the Yellow Jackets going 12-0 at 6:16. MSU responded with an 8-0 run to end the quarter and took a 15-14 advantage in the second period.
• The Spartans used the starting lineup of DeeDee HagemannGaby Elliot, Kamaria McDaniel, Mathilde Ekh and Taiyier Parks for the eighth time this season (6-2).
• Second year guard DeeDee Hagemann finished with a record seven assists, setting a new season high. His previous season record of five was set in an 80-37 Day One victory over Delaware State on November 7.
• Junior guard Gaby Elliott posted a career-high seven rebounds, surpassing his previous career-high by six sets three times, most recently against Florida A&M on November 17 of this season.
• Certified guard Kamaria McDaniel posted his second straight performance with 25 or more points, scoring 26 on 50 percent shooting from the field. McDaniel recorded his seventh double-digit game since moving to MSU earlier this year.
• Second year guard Mathilde Ekh finished with 14 points on the night, hitting double figures for the fifth time this season and the 24th time in his career.
• Ekh smashed his season high in rebounds and tied his career high with a game-best eight rebounds. His tally on the glass matched his effort against the Marshall Thundering Herd on Nov. 30, 2021.
