Georgia Tech Women's Basketball: Yellow Jackets Named The Most Surprising Team in the Country So Far

Georgia Tech is 15-0 and has won 13 of their 15 games by double-digits

Georgia Tech Women's Basketball is 15-0 and has won 13 of their games by double digits / Georgia Tech Atheltic

It has been the best start in program history for Georgia Tech Women's Basketball and they have shown no signs of slowing down just yet. The Yellow Jackets are 15-0 and have won 13 of those games by double-digits, including last night's win over Syracuse. They look like one of the best teams in the country and while they are ranked No. 13 in the country right now in the AP Poll, it is starting to look like they are ranked too low.

With each win, Nell Fortner's team is getting more and more attention and in a recent article. On3's Talia Goodman named the Yellow Jackets as the No. 1 surprise team in the country through this part of the season:

"Georgia Tech was predicted to finish 10th in the ACC by the league’s 18 coaches. The Yellow Jackets are currently one of seven undefeated teams in the nation at 15-0 and are ranked 13th in On3’s top 25.

"The Yellow Jackets may have been the surprise of the year so far. They’ve earned wins over North Carolina, Nebraska, Mississippi State, Oregon and South Dakota State – a resume that rivals the best.

One key reason for Georgia Tech’s success is freshman Dani Carnegie, who leads the team in scoring with 16 points. Carnegie was the 29th-ranked recruit in the 2024 class and one of three top 100 prospects.

She’s made a case for freshman of the year candidate, averaging 15.2 points in each of their five resume wins and shooting better than 50% from deep in five outings."

e, 10-1. However, Syracuse’s upset bid was short-lived, as unbeaten Tech scored 43 of the game’s next 64 points and cruised to its 15th win of the season, an 85-68 triumph over the visiting Orange at McCamish Pavilion.

Despite Syracuse’s early burst, Georgia Tech pulled even by the end of the first quarter (16-16), led by 13 points at halftime (44-31) and stretched the advantage to as many as 28 points in the second half. The Yellow Jackets never trailed after knotting the score at the end of the first quarter and their lead never dipped to less than double-figures over the final 23 minutes of the game.

The Jackets’ defense sparked their 13th double-digit win of the season. Tech limited Syracuse to just 34.8% shooting for the game, including 29.7% in the second half. Additionally, 13 Tech steals helped lead to 19 Syracuse turnovers, and the Jackets scored 27 points off those takeaways.

Highlighted by making 6-of-8 3-pointers, Georgia Tech’s Dani Carnegie poured in a career-high 28 points to lead all scorers. It marked the third-straight game, fourth time in the last five contests and fifth time this season that Carnegie has scored 20 or more.

Zoe Smith (16 points), Tonie Morgan (15) and Kara Dunn (14) rounded out the four Yellow Jackets in double-figures.

Smith, a graduate transfer from Georgia, pulled down 12 rebounds – her most as a Yellow Jacket – for her second double-double of the season while Morgan dished out a game-high six assists. Morgan, a junior, also pulled within nine points of 1,000 for her career with her 15-point night.

At 15-0 overall (3-0 ACC), Georgia Tech’s start is the best by an ACC team since 2017-18, when Louisville won its first 20 games of the season.

The Yellow Jackets will put their unbeaten record on the line again next Thursday (Jan. 9) when it hosts Virginia Tech at 7 p.m. at McCamish Pavilion.

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