The methodology differed, but the result remained the resolute same.
Ahead by five points with the ball with three minutes to go, Georgia Tech walked off the McCamish Pavilion floor a loser again. On Saturday, it was Florida State’s turn to jilt the Yellow Jackets, by a 57-53 count.
Tech (11-14 overall, 2-11 ACC) is 0-8 in league games decided by five points or fewer or in overtime. FSU improved to 14-12 and 6-7.
“It’s a bitter pill to swallow,” coach Brian Gregory said. “There’s no doubt about it, with some of the efforts that we’ve given.”
In its stockpile of close defeats, Tech has rallied and lost, played loose defense and lost, lost on buzzer-beaters and so forth, each one its own unique gut punch, kind of like snowflakes capable of kicking you in the shin. On Saturday, the Jackets were felled in the final three minutes by 7-for-8 free-throw shooting by Florida State, guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes’ jump shot after Tech nearly stole the ball, a questionable foul call on forward Marcus Georges-Hunt and a missed free throw by Georges-Hunt with the game on the line.
“You just wonder what … is going on, to be honest with you,” Gregory said.
With 3:31 to play and Tech ahead 53-48, forward Charles Mitchell grabbed his own missed free throw to give the Jackets a chance to add to their lead, but they missed two ensuing shots, including a wide-open 3-point try by guard Chris Bolden.
FSU center Boris Bojanovsky, a 59.6 percent free-throw shooter for the season, made four free throws in the Seminoles’ next two possessions. There was a missed shot by Mitchell on which Gregory was looking for a foul. With 28 seconds left, Bolden missed a 3-pointer that would have given Tech a 56-54 lead, and then Georges-Hunt was called for a foul after tangling up with FSU forward Jarquez Smith.
“I was going for the rebound, and he grabbed my arm and tangled me up,” Georges-Hunt said. “I was trying to get my arm out. He kind of fell back, and they thought I pushed him.”
After Smith made one of two free throws to increase FSU’s lead to 55-53, Georges-Hunt drove the baseline and slipped a pass to center Demarco Cox for a dunk, but a defensive foul before the score waved it off. With 8.1 seconds left, Georges-Hunt needed to make both ends of a one-and-one to tie the score.
Having made 45 of his past 54 free-throw attempts, Georges-Hunt approached the line confidently. He dribbled seven times and set himself. His attempt bounced off the front rim. FSU guard Devon Bookert made both ends of his one-and-one with 5.7 seconds left to seal the game. It was the Seminoles’ 10th consecutive win over the Jackets.
“It felt good leaving my hands,” Georges-Hunt said. “I had the same routine. It just rimmed out. I couldn’t do anything about it. I had a lot of confidence in myself and I just knew I was going to make both of them.”
At 2-11, Tech remains in 14th place of 15 teams in the ACC. Among the five remaining regular-season games are two against No. 12 North Carolina, one against No. 9 Louisville and two against Clemson, which has a 10-game-winning streak against the Jackets. Tech plays the Tigers on Monday night at McCamish.
“We’ve just got to keep fighting,” Gregory said. “Our guys will do that.”
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