Clinch an instant lift in return for Jackets

Georgia Tech made it 14 in a row over Georgia State and showcased new sources of offense in an 84-64 victory at Alexander Memorial Coliseum Wednesday night.

Lewis Clinch, making his season debut after being ineligible in the fall semester, came out firing. He nailed 4 of 8 from beyond the arc and punctuated his 18-point effort with a one-handed slam.

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JASON GETZ / jgetz@ajc.com

Tech’s Gani Lawal (right) is fouled by Georgia State’s Ousman Krubally. Lawal finished with 23 points.

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JASON GETZ / jgetz@ajc.com

Georgia Tech’s Lewis Clinch drives past Georgia State’s James Fields. Clinch shot 6-for-13 from the field in his first game of the season.

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Reserve center Brad Sheehan, showing previously unseen aggression, shot 7 of 10 for a career-high 16 points.

Their production was a lift after Tech scored a season-low 60 in Sunday’s loss to Illinois-Chicago.

“It’s monumental,” said Gani Lawal, who led Tech with 23 points and 10 rebounds. “Brad works real hard in practice, and this is not a shock to me. His confidence is really growing.

“Having Lewis, I can’t even begin to describe it. He just stretches the defense, and they can’t double and triple the bigs. If you leave him out there he’s going to rain 3s all day.”

With Lawal, Alade Aminu (13 points, eight rebounds) and Sheehan controlling the paint, the Jackets outrebounded the smaller Panthers 48-24.

Tech (6-2) shot 68 percent in the second half, turning a nine-point game into a blowout.

“As the game wore on, we found a rhythm offensively that we haven’t had in a long time,” coach Paul Hewitt said.

The teams combined for 25 first-half turnovers in what began as a scrappy intra-city battle.

The Panthers (3-7) got off to a brutal start, hitting 2 of 17 shots. But their pressure defense bothered Georgia Tech enough to stay within range. The Panthers closed on an 11-4 run and trailed 35-26 at the break.

Dante Curry, a transfer from South Florida playing his first game for Georgia State, hit 4 of 7 on 3-pointers en route to a team-high 21 points.

The Panthers, who have not beaten Tech since 1976, simply couldn’t match the Jackets inside.

“Their size and strength was too much for us,” coach Rod Barnes said.

Iman Shumpert handed out 11 assists and harassed the Panthers’ leading scorer, Joe Dukes, into an eight-point night. Zachery Peacock played 16 minutes on a bad ankle.

And the Jackets got a confidence boost heading into their West Coast trip.

Tech plays Pepperdine Saturday, USC on Monday.

The Jackets head west with a more potent offense, thanks to Sheehan and especially Clinch.

Hewitt praised Clinch’s all-around floor game, noting the senior excelled at point guard after Shumpert sat with foul trouble. Clinch had four assists, four rebounds and two steals.

“He has a level of focus right now that I haven’t seen from him since he has been here,” Hewitt said of Clinch. “That’s why I feel like he can do what he did tonight pretty consistently.”

For Clinch, it was just fun to finally start his senior season.

“It felt good to be in the mix,” he said. “I was just letting the game come to me.”

Ken Sugiura contribued to this article.