Jones, Evans pace No. 5 Louisville in win over Georgia Tech
ATLANTA (AP) Jazmine Jones scored 18 points, Dana Evans added 14 points and No. 5 Louisville won its third straight game with a 58-47 victory over Georgia Tech on Thursday night.
Kylee Shook added 13 points and 13 rebounds for Louisville (24-3, 13-2 Atlantic Coast Conference).
The outcome was never in doubt after Lotta-Maj Lahtinen hit a layup to pull Georgia Tech (17-10, 8-8) within three late in the third period. Led by their three upperclassmen, the Cardinals had too much skill and depth with the ACC's top offense and No. 3 defense.
But it was Louisville's perimeter defense that really shined, holding the Jackets to 1 for 12 on 3-pointers. Georgia Tech was just 29.8 % from the floor overall.
Louisville took sole possession of first place last Sunday, easily beating Notre Dame and getting help from Georgia Tech, which upset North Carolina State for the program's first win against a team ranked as high as the then-No. 4 Wolfpack.
The Jackets, in their first season under coach Nell Fortner, dropped to 3-2 against ranked teams.
Louisville's Elizabeth Balogun finished with just four points on 2-for-10 shooting in her return to Georgia Tech. Balogun, last season's ACC freshman of the year, transferred after Fortner's predecessor, MaChelle Joseph, was fired last March.
Evans banked in a straightaway 3 to make it 28-22 midway through the second period. Jones hit a 14-footer just before the second-period buzzer to put the Cardinals up 10 at halftime.
BIG PICTURE
Louisville: Evans and Balogun both shook off injuries and returned to the game. Evans was fouled by Lahtinen late in the third while hitting a 3 and stayed on the floor for a couple of minutes with a sore left foot. After getting it re-taped, Evans returned to hit a 3 that pushed the lead to 12. Balogun collided with a Georgia Tech player and hit the floor with a right leg injury. She returned later and quickly hit a 14-foot pull-up jumper to make it 21-14.
Georgia Tech: Francesca Pan had an off night that hurt the Jackets, finishing with five points on 1-for-8 shooting. Pan was coming off a career-high 30-point performance at N.C. State.
SERIES
Louisville is 7-0 against Georgia Tech.
UP NEXT
Louisville: At Pittsburgh at Sunday.
Georgia Tech: Hosts No. 17 Florida State on Sunday.
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