Tech takes down another ranked team

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By Carroll Rogers

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

It was breathless, frantically paced and downright ugly in stretches, but Georgia Tech came away with something of beauty Tuesday night -- a 66-64 win over No. 17 Clemson and its second consecutive win over a ranked opponent.

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Curtis Compton, ccompton@ajc.com D'Andre Bell leaps for joy after No. 19 Georgia Tech defeated No. 17 Clemson 66-64.

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The No. 19 Yellow Jackets (14-4, 3-2 ACC) hadn't beaten Top 25 teams in consecutive games since defeating Kansas and Oklahoma State in the 2004 NCAA tournament.

"I didn't know that. I'm just happy for the two wins," said Gani Lawal, who had 16 points and 10 rebounds to team with Derrick Favors (17 points, 14 rebounds) for a pair of double-doubles.

Tech hadn't won two in a row against anybody recently, much less ranked opponents, after alternating wins against Duke and North Carolina with losses to Georgia and Virginia.

These past two came on back-to-back winning baskets from Zachery Peacock. The senior forward, who scored the game-winner on a drive against North Carolina on Saturday, sank two free throws with 3.2 seconds left Tuesday against Clemson.

Tech had made only 7 of 18 free throws before senior D'Andre Bell made two to tie the score 64-64 with 1:09 left and Peacock, the best free-throw shooter on either team at 84 percent, made his two.

"It's a walk in the park, another day in practice shooting free throws," Peacock said.

Tech coach Paul Hewitt gave Clemson coach Oliver Purnell a shrug as he went to shake hands, after Glen Rice Jr. ended up with the loose ball on the ensuing inbounds play.

"I'm sure that was a rough game to watch," Hewitt said. "Both teams really played hard, great defensively. It had the feel of a late-season game where everybody knew each other's sets, each other's tendencies, and it just became a game of trading punches basically."

By the end, the two exhausted teams were trading turnovers actually -- one each in the final 30 seconds with the game tied. On one end, Mfon Udofia lost the ball on the dribble, and on the other, Demontez Stitt bounced one off his thigh out of bounds facing strong defense by Iman Shumpert, giving Tech the chance to go ahead with 9.2 seconds left.

"Tonight was a sign of growth and maturity," Hewitt said. "We didn't make shots. We didn't some things that make you feel good on the basketball court, but yet we sustained our effort."

For much of the game, to make something easy happen, Tech had to get it in transition and outscored Clemson 30-13 in fast-break points against the press. The Yellow Jackets hit Favors multiple times on the alley-oop on his way to 17 points, one shy of his season-high.

It was the second time in five ACC games Favors that reached double-digits in scoring. A lot of it came, fittingly, with dirty work around the basket or finishes on the fast break.

"I think I'm finally getting adjusted to the college game," Favors said. "In the ACC everybody is strong so you have to put it upon yourself to get some extra [weight] lifting in, and while you're in your room, doing pushups."

The Yellow Jackets needed his grit, after Lawal picked up his fourth foul midway through the second half.

"I think for the first time I saw a kid who was ready for the physical play, knew how to get open, and knew how to get the basketball," Hewitt said.

Tech outscored Clemson 18-2 on fast-break points while taking a 35-29 lead at halftime.

Favors used a two-handed reverse dunk to get the Alexander Memorial Coliseum crowd riled up, but it was just a buildup to the cheer he got jumping even higher, just to get a piece of the next alley-oop pass from Rice to start a 3-point play.

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