Jackets beat Miami, lose to Terps

The Jackets lost to the Terrapins in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, N.C., 75-59.

Stephanie Higgs led her team with 16 points, one of four players to reach double figures in the game. Only four of Tech's 59 points came off of the bench.

Maryland shot significantly better than Tech, with the Jackets making just 39.2 percent of their shots. The Terrapins hit 59.2 percent of their attempts and led throughout the game, building a 40-26 lead going into the locker room.

Maryland also blocked 11 shots while Tech only blocked one. Still, Tech committed just six turnovers to Maryland's 23. Tech stole the ball 11 times and made 11-of-13 free throw attempts.

"Obviously, Maryland is a phenomenal team. We couldn't counter their inside game in the first half. It was a very physical game, and we like a physical game. But I don't know that we responded the way we would have liked to," said Head Coach MaChelle Joseph.

No. 5 Maryland beat Tech for the second time this season. In their last meeting, Tech scored a major upset against then No. 4 Maryland, winning at the Alexander Memorial Coliseum, 77-72.

Earlier in the week, Tech advanced to the second round of the tournament after defeating Miami, 66-52.

"It's no longer the biggest thing in the world that we won a first-round game. As a program and a team, it's like we are now expecting those wins. We've kind of turned a corner with our mentality and our approach," Joseph said.

In the first round of the tournament, Janie Mitchell, Chioma Nnamaka, Kentrina Wilson and Higgs all scored double-digit points in the victory.

Mitchell also grabbed 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double.

The balanced offense helped Tech build a 37-26 before the half and lead by double digits for the rest of the game.

With the win, the Jackets have swept the Hurricanes this season, winning all three contests by a combined margin of 50 points.

Tech now awaits the NCAA Tournament Selection Show to see if they have been chosen to play in the tournament. The team finished with a 9-5 ACC record and a 20-10 overall record.

"I think we are absolutely in... We've got some of the best teams in the country in our conference and we played a very tough non-conference schedule," Joseph said.