Dara Mabrey knocked down six 3-pointers and Tech made a late push, but ultimately were could not overcome Georgia, falling 77-72 in the second game of the Daytona Beach Invitational Saturday afternoon.
The loss was Tech's first of the season moving the Hokies' record to 6-1, while Georgia advanced to 6-2 with its second win in as many days.
The game got off to a sloppy start for the Hokies who racked up eight turnovers in the opening 10 minutes, a trend that would plague the squad all afternoon.
After trailing much of the game, Tech made a push in the second quarter to retake the lead and head into the locker room up a couple of buckets, 33-29. Mabrey scored the team's final 10 points of the half.
But Georgia would be the aggressor in the third quarter, opening up an 8-0 run and starting the quarter by making five of its first six shots.
All afternoon, the Bulldogs took advantage of their opportunities from the free throw line, going 20 of 26.
The Hokies ultimately turned the ball over 22 times, a season-high which allowed Georgia to have 20 points off turnovers, curiously one of the only categories where they had an advantage. Tech had more rebounds (44-26), shot a better percentage from the floor (46% to 44%) and had a huge advantage from beyond the arc with 10 triples to the Bulldogs' one.
Georgia scored 44 points in the paint to Tech's 26.
Taja Cole (17) and Aisha Sheppard (12) were also in double figures for the Hokies, while forwards Trinity Baptiste and Elizabeth Kitley combined to add 17. Tech got just two points from its bench on 0-6 shooting.
Georgia was led by point guard Gabby Conally who scored an efficient 22 points, going 7 of 12 from the floor and a perfect 7 of 7 from the free throw line. Jenna Staiti and Que Morrison were also in double figures with 16 and 10 points respectively.
GAME NOTES
- Dara Mabrey's 24 points is her second highest single game and the six tripled tied her career best. The sophomore is averaging 14.6 points per game and now has 99 career 3's.
- Aisha Sheppard continued her streak of double digits games with her 12-point effort Saturday. Her seven-game streak in double digits is her career long and the most since beginning her career in 2016-17 with three straight.
NEXT TIME ON THE HARDWOOD
•Tech will return to Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum on Wednesday, December 5 to take on Purdue on ACC Network Extra. Tipoff for that contest which is a part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge is set for 7 p.m.
•Tech has won four straight in that competition.
•In the only previous meeting in 2002, the Boilermakers won 80-72 in West Lafayette, Indiana in the NCAA Tournament.