Georgia Tech played exceptionally well on offense for 15 minutes against No. 16 Virginia. The rest was less memorable.
The Yellow Jackets’ bid was derailed by a near absence of offensive rebounding, a tough afternoon for center Ben Lammers and enough squandered scoring opportunities and defensive lapses to give the Cavaliers the space to secure a 62-49 win Saturday at John Paul Jones Arena.
Tech trailed 29-28 at the 4:26 mark of the first half after guard Josh Okogie finished a well-executed possession with a drive to the basket. However, the Cavaliers closed the half on a 6-0 run – Tech went empty on its final six possessions of the half – and stayed clear of the Jackets the rest of the way.
Tech (11-8 overall, 3-4 ACC) fought for a season-low two offensive rebounds, compared to Virginia’s 24 defensive rebounds, and scored no second-chance points to Virginia’s nine. Against Cavaliers center Jack Salt (6-foot-11 and 247 pounds), Tech center Ben Lammers had a tough afternoon. He finished with seven points on 3-for-12 shooting, having difficulty getting clean looks against Salt’s size and length. It was his season scoring low and just his second single-digit scoring game of the season.
It was enough to undo an otherwise decent offensive game against the Cavaliers, one of the strongest defensive teams in the country. Tech shot 45.2 percent from the field, above its ACC average of 42.0 percent. Tech was led by guard Josh Okogie’s 14 points.
Virginia (15-3, 5-2) was not at its best, either, making five of 22 3-point attempts. The Cavaliers were led by guard Marial Shayok’s 19 points.
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