» Stephen F. Austin falls in OT.

The energy — and stakes — were high for Georgia Tech coach Nell Fortner on Sunday. She wouldn't have it any other way.

When she wasn't dialing up plays on the sideline, she was clapping and encouraging. Always encouraging.

It was vintage Fortner, a former two-sport star at New Braunfels High School and the University of Texas.

Down 17 at the half, her fifth-seeded Yellow Jackets rallied for a 54-52 victory in overtime in a first-round game of the Hemisfair Regional at Bill Greehey Arena on the St. Mary's University campus.

“Everybody was down but we had to pick it up,” said Georgia Tech senior forward Lorela Cubaj, who led the Yellow Jackets with 14 points and 10 rebounds. “It starts with her. She always tries to be positive. And we just follow along. We had to fight back and she gave us energy in the second half.”

It was Tech's 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2014. The Yellow Jackets suffered through a cold shooting afternoon (34 percent), including just 2of 17 from behind the arc.

But at halftime, Fortner ordered a full court press, which brought Georgia Tech back in the second half.

“I thought we had a good halftime talk,” Fortner said. “The press allowed us to cut into that lead and gave us confidence. That was the difference-maker for us.”

Despite being a lower seed, Stephen F. Austin, which entered the game 24-2 and 12-0 in the Southland Conference, was a 5.5point favorite.

Only a smattering of fans were in attendance, wearing face coverings as part of the COVID-19 health and safety protocols put in place for the tournament.

Fortner, 62, has deep roots in the area.

After moving with her family to Texas before the start of her sophomore year, Fortner starred in basketball and volleyball at New Braunfels and Texas. She earned a dual scholarship at UT and helped the Longhorns volleyball team to the 1981 Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women national championship.

In high school, she once scored 72 points in a game and averaged 40 per contest for the Unicorns as a senior in the three-on-three system that was girls basketball in Texas at the time.

Fortner was hired as head coach at Georgia Tech in 2019 after successful coaching stints at Purdue, Auburn and with the gold medal-winning 2000 U.S. Olympic team.

Her Texas homecoming go off to a successful, albeit dramatic, start.

“It's always good coming back to Texas, no doubt,” Fortner said. “But honestly, when it's the NCAA Tournament, they could be playing this thing on the moon because all that matters how do we get the job done? How do we survive and advance?”

The Ladyjacks jumped on Georgia Tech early, appearing to surprise the Yellow Jackets with full-court pressure from the opening tip.

Stephen F. Austin sped to a 14-7 first period lead and stretched that margin to as many as 17 on a three-point play by Avery Brittingham just ahead of the halftime buzzer.

The Ladyjacks, fourth in the nation averaging 84 points a game coming in, were just as prolific on defense, allowing just 51 points a game to rank fourth nationally.

With the full-court press providing the energy, the Ladyjacks held Georgia Tech to 24 percent shooting the first half, including 1 of 9 from behind the arc and 17 points.

Brittingham led SFA with 16 points and 10 rebounds.