How the game was lost: Tech (7-2) relied heavily on its bench to even stay in contention throughout a close game. In the first half, the Yellow Jackets' bench accounted for 18 of the team's 28 points as the starters struggled. Starting junior guard Marcus Georges-Hunt, the team's leading scorer who was averaging 11.4 points per game entering Saturday's contest, scored one point in the first half. Meanwhile, USC-Upstate's starters thrived, with senior guard Ty Greene leading the Spartans with 16 points.
Notable: USC-Upstate (8-2) prevented Tech coach Brian Gregory from nabbing what would've been his 50th win with the Jackets. The Spartans are off to the best start in the school's Division I history.
Number: 1o. Tech's starting lineup scored only 10 points in the first half, and junior guard Chris Bolden reached 10 points early on in the second half. He was the first and only Jacket to score in the double digits, but did not score again after the 11:35 mark. Seven of Tech's eight games have now been decided by less than 10 points.
Next: Appalachian State, 7 p.m. Dec. 15, McCamish Pavilion. The Mountaineers (3-2), of the Sun Belt Conference, will face a Tech squad that is 4-1 at home and will be coming off a nine-day break.
About the Author
