Georgia Tech’s season ends with another close lose

The most confounding season in recent Georgia Tech history ended appropriately.

Capping a string of near misses, the Yellow Jackets fell 64-62 to Florida State in Friday’s ACC quarterfinals when Iman Shumpert’s last-second 12-footer went long.

There will be no miracle run to the NCAA, no more shots for the streaking Lewis Clinch. Tech finished 12-19, its most losses in 28 years. Of the Jackets’ 15 ACC losses, at least nine were theirs for the taking.

“This goes into that bank of many, many woulda-coulda-shouldas,” forward Gani Lawal said.

The Seminoles (24-8) will face top-seeded North Carolina at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

Florida State led almost wire to wire but Tech hung close thanks to Clinch, who averaged 25 points over the last seven games of his up-and-down career.

When Zachery Peacock canned a turnaround with 29 seconds to go, the Jackets had a 62-61 lead — their first since the opening basket.

The Seminoles used star Toney Douglas (25 points) as a decoy on an inbounds play. Guard Derwin Kitchen broke loose, converting a reverse layup while getting fouled. Alade Aminu (4 blocks) almost swatted it; instead it was a three-point play.

Seven seconds remained. Shumpert dribbled upcourt and nearly lost the ball in traffic. But he gathered it and squared up with a chance to send the game into overtime.

“I definitely felt that Lewis [Clinch] would be the first option but with all the traffic that happened I wasn’t able to see anything and I was just trying to make the best of what I had,” Shumpert said. “I got a clean look. I just didn’t get the roll.”

For several moments after the buzzer, Clinch didn’t move from the 3-point line.

“As a senior you always want to take that big shot, but Iman got a great look. He hit [the gamewinner] against Wake Forest and I believed he could hit it again,” said Clinch, who scored 25 on 7-of-18 from beyond the arc. “Once you realize the clock hit double zero and you know as a senior you’re never going to put on this Yellow Jacket uniform on again, it’s tough. It’s a tough pill to swallow.”

Coach Paul Hewitt said if there had been 15 seconds left, he would have run screens to get Clinch open. He noted Shumpert hurt the Seminoles from the foul-line area in both games this year.

Offense was a struggle most of the season, and the Jackets shot 36.2 percent against one of the ACC’s best defenses. FSU’s backcourt of Douglas and Kitchen combined for five steals, and its massive front line made it hard for Lawal (11 points) and Aminu (7 points) to get easy looks. With the Seminoles concentrating on Clinch, Shumpert, Moe Miller and Lance Storrs combined to shoot 4-of-13.

“At the end of the day, they gave us everything they had,” Hewitt said of his team. “I’ve said this before, it’s not a slight at anybody in our lockerroom, but you lose a guy like D’Andre Bell (spinal condition) and you’re playing some inexperienced perimeter guys. … If we had a little more firepower on the perimeter, just a little more.”

Tech loses Clinch and Aminu from the nine players who saw action Friday. The nation’s No. 5-rated recruiting class is on the way. One big question is whether Lawal, a 6-9 sophomore who ranked second in the ACC in rebounding and shooting percentage, will return or go to the NBA.

“I’m not prepared to answer that question right now,” Lawal said in the quiet lockerroom. “Right now, I’m just with my team.”

But he added: “As far as I know, I’m coming back.”