Georgia Tech defended, rebounded, made free throws and benefited from one of forward Kammeon Holsey’s best games of the season.
The Yellow Jackets were capsized, as often has been the case this season, by an inability to make jump shots. They lost 61-52 to N.C. State on Thursday night at Philips Arena.
Said coach Brian Gregory, “We’re not a great shooting team. We have to make sure that we take quality shots.”
At the moment, describing the Jackets as even an average shooting team might be a stretch. Tech shot 1-for-17 from 3-point range and is 4-for-32 in the past two games. Entering the game, the Jackets ranked last in the ACC in 3-point shooting percentage at 31.8 percent.
“Sometimes, it just doesn’t fall,” Holsey said. “I’m confident in our guards that they’ll make those shots the next game.”
Tech fell to 9-15 overall and 2-8 in the ACC. N.C. State (18-7, 7-3) avenged its Jan. 11 loss to Tech in Raleigh and moved forward in its attempt to earn an NCAA tournament bid in coach Mark Gottfried’s first season.
The Jackets’ shooting woes were the demise of what was otherwise a commendable performance. Tech held N.C. State to 40.8 percent shooting from the field and out-rebounded the Wolfpack 42-31. The Jackets, 11th in the ACC in free-throw percentage, made 13 of 16 free throws.
Holsey led all scorers with 17 points with eight rebounds. He and center Daniel Miller worked extra minutes as backup center Nate Hicks sat out with mononucleosis. Hicks will likely be out for the next two weeks.
An advantage in energy at the start enabled the Jackets to eat up the offensive glass and take a 19-11 lead on a Holsey reverse. It was Tech’s largest lead since upsetting the Wolfpack eight games ago.
Early on, the Jackets moved the ball crisply and found each other for clear looks at the basket, both in the paint and on the perimeter. Drives to the basket opened seams for offensive rebounds and putbacks. However, the slew of errant shots from the perimeter gave N.C. State opportunities to score in transition and take a 26-24 lead at halftime.
In the second half, the Jackets began to rush possessions, and the Wolfpack took control of the game. They claimed a 47-36 lead on a 3-pointer by guard Lorenzo Brown, a Centennial High grad, with 10:21 to go, their largest lead of the game.
“We are getting better” running the offense, said Gregory. “It’s disappointing when you get better and you do some things and maybe you go away from it in the second half. Our patience is not great.”
Tech closed to within 51-47 with 4:08 to play on a three-point play by guard Brandon Reed, but N.C. State sealed the game by scoring the next seven points.
“We were kind of rushing, made a couple turnovers we shouldn’t have made,” Holsey said. “They were getting into us, and we just should have been poised and not rushed it.”
Tech guards Mfon Udofia, Jason Morris and Reed were a combined 2-for-23 from the floor and 0-for-12 from 3-point range.
Miller recorded his first double-double since the second game of the season. He scored 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting to go with 11 rebounds.
The game saw N.C. State guard Scott Wood’s ACC record streak of consecutive made free throws end at 66. Shooting in front of the Tech student section and band, Wood rimmed out his attempt, his first miss of the season.
