Georgia Tech’s first game since 2010 against a Division II opponent went about like expected with one major exception. The Yellow Jackets took control of the game early and throttled Tusculum 96-58 Tuesday night at McCamish Pavilion.
There was cause for concern, however, as guard Josh Heath left the game midway through the second half with an apparent ankle injury. Tech coach Josh Pastner has described Heath as the key to the team.
Taking advantage of a Tusculum team that doesn’t defend terribly well even at the Division II level, the Yellow Jackets drove to the basket, moved the ball well for open shots and picked up baskets in the open court. Tech (14-10 overall) was ahead by double digits by the 15:05 mark and never looked back. The Jackets led 58-31 at the half, their highest scoring half of the season and more points than they scored in four regulation games this season.
Pastner, who scheduled the game to fill the open date in the Jackets’ ACC schedule, kept starters on the floor well into the second half, enough time for guard Josh Okogie to score a team-high 15 points and center Ben Lammers to add 13 with six rebounds.
Tech shot 56.3 percent for the game, a season high.
Every player who took the court for the Jackets got in the scoring column, including senior walk-on Rand Rowland, who scored his first career points at the 6:32 mark of the second half with a lay-in after a pump fake. Rowland’s teammates rose to cheer after the basket, as they did for the first career scores for Tech’s other two walk-ons, Norman Harris and Shaheed Medlock.
Pastner gave 14 minutes to forward Sylvester Ogbonda, whose role on the team has increased with forward Abdoulaye Gueye’s likely season-ending wrist fracture. Ogbonda scored eight points on 4-for-7 shooting and had five rebounds.
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