Six Takeaways From Georgia Tech's Disappointing First-Round Loss in the NCAA Tournament to Richmond

Richmond made history against the Yellow Jackets, getting their first NCAA tournament win in program history after a great effort and a big shooting night in California. They lived up to their usual hot shooting that ranks third in the nation at 49.2%. The Lady Spiders hit above their average and shot 50% from the field on a hot shooting night. Georgia Tech couldn’t quite get it going from the field and only had one player hit double-figures against the Lady Spiders. Their defense was vital in helping the Lady Yellow Jackets get back in the game but every time Georgia Tech made a run Richmond had a counter punch. Here are some takeaways from the 74-49 loss.

1. Tough shooting night for Georgia Tech- The Lady Yellow Jackets shot just 31.7% from the field on Friday night. The Lady Yellow Jackets were 4-23 from beyond the arc and also struggled at the charity stripe shooting just 5-11. They couldn’t get anything going from the field and struggled to make shots despite generating some open looks. An area where Georgia Tech was good was on the offensive glass as they kept opportunities alive. They finished the game with a 13-9 advantage on the offensive glass. Although several scorers crossed seven points, only one scorer hit double figures, Tonie Morgan. Morgan was also the most efficient, scoring 12 points on 5-10 shooting. She also grabbed seven rebounds and finished with six assists.

2. No Answers for Richmond star Maggie Doogan- Doogan finished with a double-double. She scored 30 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and dished out six assists. Doogan did it all for Richmond and the Yellow Jackets had no answers for her. She did her damage from the three-point line where she is one of the best shooters in college basketball. She finished 5-8 from beyond the arc and at one point in the game was 4-5 from three-point range. Her 38.3% three-point percentage ranks top five in the country. She went off for 18 points on 7-11 from the field in the first half. Doogan proved why she is one of the better players in women’s college basketball.

3. Georgia Tech gets back in the game it with their top-ranked defense in the first half- Despite the struggles, you saw flashes of why the Lady Yellow Jackets became a tournament team this year. Their defense came up big in closing the deficit before halftime shutting down a potent Richmond team that was held scoreless for five minutes and helped illustrate a 10-2 run to close the half. Their ball pressure created turnovers and made it tough for the Lady Spiders to get going during that stretch. Unfortunately, it would be the best stretch of the game for Georgia Tech who struggled mightily in this one. If the Yellow Jackets can continue to have that stout defense, they could become an even more formidable team moving forward.

The Jackets use a 10-0 run to setup a 35-23 score at halftime. #StingEm pic.twitter.com/vZCFzJuFuL
— Georgia Tech Women's Basketball (@GTWBB) March 22, 2025

4.Georgia Tech star guard Kara Dunn Struggles- The leading scorer for the Yellow Jackets didn’t score her first points until the second half of the game. She shot 1-9 from the field on a tough shooting night for the Yellow Jackets star who finished with six points on 2-11 shooting. She usually is the go-to player on the offensive end for Georgia Tech and has had a number of big outings this year including a 33-point night in January against Virginia Tech. Dunn was coming off a pretty good stretch coming into this game. She had hit double figures in each of the last four games for the Yellow Jackets. A tough finish to her impressive junior campaign where she hit career-highs in points per game, rebounds, and steals this past season.

5. Richmond was elite from three point range- The Spiders finished 9-23 from beyond the arc shooting nearly 40% from beyond the arc. At one point, the Lady Spiders hit seven of their first 13 three-pointers in the game which helped their lead balloon to double digits. Addie Budnik was another key player who had it going from long range as she shot 2-3 from long range and was 6-7 from the field. Her three-pointers were pivotal in the second half as the Yellow Jackets tried to climb back into the game as she continued to knock down big-time shots. She finished with 14 points and seven rebounds. Richmond is one of the best shooting teams in the country and it showed on Friday night.

6. A disappointing finish to a great season for the Yellow Jackets- This Georgia Tech team was one of the best ones the program has had in the past few years and their most wins since 2016-2017, a year they didn’t even make the NCAA tournament. There are some positive signs moving forward for the Lady Yellow Jackets. Tonie Morgan and Kara Dunn should both return and both were named All-ACC selections and they can now add tournament experience to their resumes. Both are great veteran leaders. The Lady Yellow Jackets are also replete with young talent who performed at a high level this year. One is a potential star in the making in Dani Carnegie who was named All-ACC freshman and the ACC Sixth Man of the Year. Another young player who showed some flash is Chazadi “Chit Chat” Wright who had a number of memorable performances this season. Georgia Tech also extended their head coach Neil Fortner to a new deal early in the season. There are a lot of things moving in the right direction for Georgia Tech as they will look to take a big step forward next season after a great 2024-2025.

Welcome to the Big Dance, Dani! The freshman opens the second quarter with a triple. #StingEm pic.twitter.com/r42jA7Qtjr
— Georgia Tech Women's Basketball (@GTWBB) March 21, 2025

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