Taking the court with eight scholarship players and then wading into foul trouble was no way for Georgia Tech to face arguably its toughest opponent of the season.
The Yellow Jackets made a game of it for the first half but fell 81-74 to Pittsburgh in a late-night matchup Tuesday at McCamish Pavilion.
Tech (10-7 overall, 1-3 ACC) was swamped by a 9-0 run early in the second half, in the process losing a lead that it never regained again. No. 22 Pittsburgh (16-1, 4-0) dominated the second half, hammering the Jackets on the boards (19-6) and on second-chance points (12-5) while shooting 65.4 percent from the field.
Pitt overcame a 35-32 halftime deficit and went on to lead by as many as 14 before the Jackets made a final charge in the closing minutes. Tech closed to 78-74 with 29 seconds to go on two Trae Golden free throws, but drew no closer.
A variety of maladies left Tech shorthanded before tipoff. Forward Robert Carter and guard Travis Jorgenson are out long-term after undergoing knee surgeries. Forward Jason Morris was out after suffering a concussion in a car accident on Saturday. Guard Solomon Poole was out for the second consecutive game with a migraine.
Further, forwards Kammeon Holsey and Quinton Stephens’ minutes were limited by foul trouble, shortening coach Brian Gregory’s options even further.
The Jackets may have sealed their fate before their legs gave way towards the end of the game. After taking a 37-32 lead early in the second half, the Jackets scored only once on their next eight possessions. The offense that had produced 13-for-27 shooting in the first half came undone, giving Pittsburgh the opportunity it needed to take control.
Tech got the McCamish crowd (which included John Smoltz and Tech great Dennis Scott) going in the first half, playing with energy, winning loose balls and taking advantage of Pittsburgh’s unusual looseness with the ball. The Jackets used a 13-4 lead late in the half to take a 35-30 lead with 59 seconds to go in the half.
Backup guard Corey Heyward drove the run, assisting on two baskets and then relieving Pitt forward Lamar Patterson of the ball and scoring in transition at the other end. Heyward no doubt was a familiar name to longtime Panthers fans – his father is the late Craig Heyward, the NFL star who starred at Pittsburgh.
Heyward, who redshirted last season after tearing his ACL twice, has given the Jackets back-to-back solid contributions off the bench. He gave two points, two assists against no turnovers with one rebound and one steal.
Golden led Tech with 22 points on 6-for-16 shooting. Tech was outrebounded 38-18, the Jackets’ lowest rebounding total of the season by seven.
