Through 14 games this season, Georgia Tech had been consistent in at least two things — effort and rebounding.
In a matchup of two teams vying for their first ACC win of the season, the Yellow Jackets were lacking in both categories, deficiencies that left them with a 76-69 loss to Wake Forest on Saturday at Joel Coliseum.
“They went after us (on the glass), and we didn’t respond,” coach Brian Gregory said. “That’s not who we are.”
Tech entered the game as Division I’s No. 4 team in rebounding margin with a per-game advantage of 10.9 rebounds, having outrebounded 13 opponents and tying with the 14th. On Saturday, the Jackets were wiped out by a 41-29 margin. Wake Forest forward Devin Thomas (14 rebounds) led an ambush on the glass as Tech surrendered 15 offensive rebounds and 19 second-chance points, both season highs for the Jackets.
Further, Tech at times played without cohesiveness and energy, allowing Wake Forest to take the lead with 11:17 to go in the first half and never give it back.
“It seemed like, everything, we were a step slow,” said forward Marcus Georges-Hunt, Tech’s leading scorer with 16 points.
Against an opponent it had beaten in their past four meetings, Tech (9-6 overall, 0-3 ACC) again stumbled in a game it could have seized, but for a collection of self-defeating moments.
Three-point defense, another Tech strength, also faltered. Jackets’ opponents had made 28.3 percent of their 3-point tries this season, ranked 27th in the country before Saturday, but Wake Forest (9-8, 1-3) converted 7 of 19 (36.8 percent). Tech was made vulnerable on a number of kickout passes to the perimeter.
“I was disappointed in our overall defense, too,” Gregory said. “Some of that occurred off some sloppy ball-screen coverage on our end. Some of that occurred on just losing some concentration on who you’re guarding and where he’s at, where the ball is and so forth.”
A key sequence played itself out with about 9 1/2 minutes remaining in the second half, after Georges-Hunt’s effort play secured an offensive rebound off a missed jumper, then he was fouled on a drive. He made both free throws to draw the Jackets to 51-49.
Tech had a chance to tie after a Chris Bolden steal, but his spin move in the lane resulted in a missed layup. Off the miss, Wake Forest beat Tech downcourt and got a 3-pointer from forward Cornelius Hudson.
On the Jackets’ next possession, forward Robert Sampson missed a 3-pointer taken early in the shot clock.
On the ensuing Wake possession, the Deacons scored a second-chance basket when guard Mitchell Wilbekin took Bolden, whose defense has improved markedly, off the dribble for a layup and a 56-49 lead.
Tech drew within three points two more times, but never got closer.
“We had a couple key possessions where we didn’t execute as well as we need to execute,” Gregory said.
Tech actually shot the ball well (45.9 percent, its second-highest rate of the season) and received a strong game from center Demarco Cox (14 points on seven shots). And, the Jackets had their opportunities to take hold of the game. But, as was the case in the double-overtime defeat to Notre Dame and the 46-45 defeat to Syracuse, the Jackets didn’t do enough.
The schedule won’t let up. Next up is a Wednesday night home game against No. 13 Notre Dame, which had won 11 in a row going into its matchup with No. 3 Virginia on Saturday night.
“We’re just trying to get over the hump and get that first win in the ACC and from there, you never know what can happen,” Georges-Hunt said.
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