In desperate need of a victory, Georgia Tech came to the right place.
Two strong surges by the Yellow Jackets went a long way to subduing N.C. State 90-83 on Wednesday night at PNC Arena. The Jackets followed their well-worn pattern of taking a big lead (47-33 at halftime) before allowing their opponent back in. However, after the Wolfpack closed to 54-53 with 11:19 to play, the Jackets responded with a 15-1 run to push a one-point lead to 15 with 7:16 left in the game.
“Brian had his team ready to play and they played well,” N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried said.
Tech (12-8 overall, 2-5 ACC) stopped a three-game losing streak, all of which were by eight points or fewer. The Wolfpack (11-10, 1-7) lost their fifth ACC game by single digits. It was coach Brian Gregory’s first 90-point game in ACC play.
“It definitely feels better, finally leaving (the arena) from an away game, back on the plane, not with a sense of ‘Oh, we just lost,’” said forward Nick Jacobs. “This win was definitely a good win, a road kill.”
Tech guard Marcus Georges-Hunt led the way for the Jackets with a team-high 26 points on 8-for-17 shooting, along with three assists, three rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
Strong first half
Tech took control of the game with a 16-4 run to close the first half, capped by a buzzer-beating dunk by forward Charles Mitchell off a broken play. The run was spurred by hustle plays, particularly forward James White winning loose balls to keep possessions alive. The Jackets finished the half leading 47-33, which represented the most points in a first half and the largest halftime lead since they defeated Green Bay in the third game of the season.
The Jackets repeatedly worked Jacobs in the post, setting him up for nine shots in the first half alone along with two free throws. He made five field goals and both free throws for 12 points in just 12 minutes of play in the half. Jacobs finished with 20 points, his highest total since the second game of the season.
“Those guys need to carry us, to be honest with you, and Marcus and Adam and Nick did exactly that,” coach Brian Gregory said.
Cat patrol
Tech did well to hold down N.C. State point guard Anthony “Cat” Barber in the first half, when he scored 14 points but needed 13 shots to get them. Barber, the ACC’s leading scorer, had been uncertain for the game after bumping knees in the Wolfpack’s loss to Duke on Saturday. However, Barber shot the Wolfpack into it, pouring in 10 points in the first eight minutes on 4-for-5 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers.
He finished with 36 points and played all 40 minutes.
“If he’s not one of the top five point guards in the country, I’d like to see the other four,” Gregory said. “Because he’s that good.”
How the game was won
A bevy of mangled Tech possessions helped the Wolfpack close ground. Up 52-39 with 16:38 to play, the Jackets turned the ball over five times in the space of nine possessions, giving N.C. State the resources to close to 54-53 with 11:19 remaining. Gregory said the team lost its discipline in that span.
“You can’t dribble the ball from one wing to the other, across the lane and stumble and bumble, and they get a layup on the other end,” Gregory said. “That’s not who we are.”
The game turned again when Georges-Hunt drove for a basket and was fouled, after which N.C. State forward Abdul-Malik Abu was called for a technical foul, giving Tech an additional two free throws. The five-point possession returned the lead to 59-53. It started a 15-1 run that gave the Jackets enough room to survive a last-gasp comeback attempt by the Wolfpack.
“My biggest thing was making sure everybody’s head was up when they got within one,” Georges-Hunt said. “I just told them to keep their composure adn let’s excecute and get stops.”
While Tech’s numbers were augmented by N.C. State’s fouling in the final minutes to prolong the game, the Jackets shot 28 free throws (making 23) to N.C. State’s 17-for-20. It was a reversal of recent course, where Tech had decisively lost the free-throw battle.
Said Gregory of the technical, “I didn’t see it after (Georges-Hunt’s basket). I just saw the ball up i the air, so the two extra free throws definitely helped. And after some of the stuff we’ve been through, I didn’t mind at all.”
Said Gottfried, “The technical foul is what turned the momentum.”
Georges-Hunt shines again
Georges-Hunt was again a difference-maker for the Jackets. In the second half, he found his way to the basket on drives and spins, made a difficult three-point play in which he drove from the wing and scored on a shot laid high off the glass, had a block in transition, was a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line and scored 17 of his 26 points.
“It’s unfortunate, and there’s a lot of games left, so you never know what will happen,” Gregory said, “but at 1-5, people don’t realize what kidn of year he’s having. … He’s just a tremendous player.”
Georges-Hunt, who implored fans to keep believing in the team despite the string of losses, gave reason for faith Wednesday night.
Gregory praised Georges-Hunt also for his positive attitude and leadership of the team after it had lost its third consecutive game last Saturday, “making sure that any of the negativity that goes on when you lose a couple games does not get on the inside and stays on the outside. And, in this day and age, that’s really hard to do.”
Good win, but…
Bear in mind, N.C. State is a team that an improved Tech team should beat. The Wolfpack are basically a three-man team without much depth and do not have the look of a team that will be playing in the postseason. It was a critical win to stop a three-game losing streak, but not probably not one to brag too much about. There were mistakes, such as the turnover binge early in the first half and transition offense that was not nearly as productice as it can be.
“I don’t think we plaeyd to the best of our ability,” Georges-Hunt said. “That’s the crazy thing. I feel like it’s been the same the last three games. We just found a way this time to pull it out.”
The Jackets will get another road test against a beatable team, Syracuse, on Saturday.
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