What a season it was for the 2021-2022 Jackets. While it did not end the way the team wanted it, this was a great season for Georgia Tech Women’s basketball. The season felt like it peaked with a win over then third-ranked UConn and an 18-4 start, and then was followed by a tough stretch of games towards the end of the season and unfortunately, the season ended with back-to-back blowout losses.
Let’s review the season from start to finish.
Hot Start
The Yellow Jackets managed to get off to a great start to the season. A 10-2 start, with nine of the wins coming by double digits was about as good of a start as you can ask for the season. One of the early season victories was a 13 point win over third-ranked UConn, who is one of the powerhouses in women’s basketball. Pair that with a win over Tech’s biggest rival Georgia, who was also ranked, Georgia Tech was on a roll to start out.
The catalyst for the hot start would be none other than future first-team All-ACC forward Lorela Cubaj. The fifth-year forward had a double-double in nine of the first twelve games and was a rebounding machine. Cubaj had 15 rebounds or more in three of those games as well. She was one of the best players in the ACC and was from the very start of the season.
ACC Play Begins
After having the first ACC game of the year against Pittsburgh postponed, the Yellow Jackets officially opened up ACC play with a game against third-ranked Louisville. It was a close game, in which Cubaj pulled in 16 rebounds and dished out five assists, but the Yellow Jackets could not get the win over the Cardinals and Tech started ACC play 0-1.
Another postponement would follow against the ranked Duke Blue Devils, but then Georgia Tech would get three straight conference wins, before suffering a one-point loss to Miami. After the loss to Miami, Georgia Tech would manage to reel off five more wins to get the team to 18-4 and 9-2 in the ACC. It was starting to look like it would be a dream season for Tech, but then things started to go south.
Tough end to the Season in Regular and Postseason Play
It was shaping up to be a huge opportunity for Georgia to score another top-five win for the season against the N.C State Wolfpack. NC State proved to be too much for Tech and the Yellow Jackets fell by 11. They then followed up the loss to N.C State with another double-digit loss to Virginia Tech. Georgia Tech broke their two-game losing streak with a win over Clemson in overtime, but then followed that up with a three-game losing streak, with two of the losses coming in overtime.
Tech limped into the ACC tournament against Wake Forest, but they did manage to score a win there. That would be the last win of the season for this team though. Notre Dame awaited in the next round and blew out the Yellow Jackets by 18.
Georgia Tech earned a nine-seed in this year’s NCAA tournament and had a first-round matchup with Kansas on deck. Unfortunately, Georgia Tech could not grab a win and the team lost to the Jayhawks by 19 and just like that, the season was over.
Overview
Despite the way that the season ended, there is no way that this season should be considered a disappointment. This was the second consecutive season in which the Yellow Jackets made the NCAA tournament and this program seems to be in a good place going forward. Cubaj was a first-team All ACC player and the ACC defensive player of the year and Lotta-Maj Lahtinen earned an honorable mention.
Head coach Nell Fortner has been the coach since the 2019 season and already has two appearances in the tournament. Fortner is building something special in Atlanta and the future is undoubtedly bright.
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Source: https://www.si.com/college/georgiatech/basketball/georgia-tech-womens-basketball-season-recap