In the 28th game of a season long since written off by most, Georgia Tech positioned itself for its biggest win of the 2022-23 campaign Tuesday night. However, with coach Josh Pastner trusting only six players – and one of them able to contribute only 15 minutes because of foul trouble – the Yellow Jackets couldn’t make it to the finish line first.
Against a Pitt team fighting for a spot in the NCAA Tournament, Tech faltered in the final three minutes and lost 76-68 in Pittsburgh.
In a meeting of the ACC’s 13th-place team (Tech) and its third-place team (Pitt), the Jackets used a turnover-free first half and the hot shooting of guard Miles Kelly to stay within one possession as late as the three-minute mark. But Pitt’s free-throw shooting (8-for-8 in the final three minutes) and the Jackets’ inability to match scores ensured the outcome.
Tech (11-17, 3-14 ACC) was without guards Deivon Smith and Tristan Maxwell and Pastner called on forward Ja’von Franklin to play all 40 minutes rather than sub him out for backup post players Rodney Howard or Jordan Meka.
Further, guard Lance Terry complicated the effort by drawing his fourth foul with 7:28 left in the first half and then fouling out with 5:03 to play in the game. As a result, guard Deebo Coleman and Franklin played all 40 minutes, guard Kyle Sturdivant played 38 and Kelly played 37.
Despite the limitations, the Jackets continued their improved play of late, not committing a turnover for the first 25 minutes of the game and benefiting from standout games from Kelly, Franklin and Sturdivant. Kelly scored a career-high 24 points, stroking in a career-high six 3-pointers on 13 attempts. Franklin added 15 points with eight rebounds, four assists, two blocks and no turnovers, two rebounds shy of his fourth consecutive double-double. Sturdivant scored 16 points with five assists.
As a team, Tech shot 47.3%, well above the 41.2% that Pitt had allowed in its first 16 ACC games, second lowest in the league. The Jackets also turned the ball over a season-low four times.
However, free-throw margin again tilted away from the Jackets. Pitt was an astounding 19-for-20 from the line – the Panthers took six of them in the final minute when the Jackets began to foul to stop the clock and get the ball back – while the Jackets were 7-for-10. Tech started the game second to last in the ACC in free-throws per game in league games with 12.3.
In the first half, the Jackets rallied from a deficit as large as eight points to take a 25-24 lead with 4:36 left on a jumper by Kelly. Tech’s lead peaked at 49-45 in the second half with 12:18 left on a short jumper by Franklin set up by Coleman. But Pitt asserted itself in the final 10 minutes, making eight of its last 10 field-goal tries to take the lead and then keep the Jackets at arm’s length as fervor built in the Petersen Events Center.
The Jackets’ upset bid could surely have used help from Terry, who had scored in double figures in four of the past five games but was held scoreless in 15 minutes, and the energy lift that Smith has typically added off the bench. The Jackets remained winless in the ACC on the road (0-8).
Pitt (20-8, 13-4) completed a season sweep of the Jackets and stayed in the hunt for its first ACC regular-season title since joining the league prior to the 2013-14 season. Panthers guard Nelly Cummings led with 22 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
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