For three of four quarters, the offense was stone cold. The team’s third-leading scorer played hardly a quarter, hampered by foul trouble. Its star guard entering the year was now playing off the bench in an effort to cure her shooting slump. And yet Tech notched its second ranked win of the year, beating No. 12 Syracuse to move to 3-3 in conference play and 13-6 on the season.
It was the sort of ugly triumph that a team hoping to contend for a spot in the NCAA Tournament must achieve every once in a while. The 65-55 score betrayed the competitiveness of the game; that 10-point margin, achieved largely as Syracuse intentionally fouled Tech players and the Jackets — particularly Kierra Fletcher, whose performance will be discussed in further depth later — capitalized.