Georgia Tech played 14 minutes of exceptional basketball against Vanderbilt Saturday afternoon. The final 26 fell a bit short of the mark and the result was unsurprising.
The Yellow Jackets surrendered a 14-point first-half advantage and absorbed a 76-63 thumping at Vanderbilt’s stuffy Memorial Gym.
“I think the (energy level) wore down towards the second half,” forward Marcus Georges-Hunt said. “We didn’t have too much energy. We just lost focus a little bit in some possessions. We just have to go back and re-learn from this.”
The Jackets entered on a three-game winning streak and could have used Saturday’s game to build the play-to-play consistency and focus that they have been trying to capture. It didn’t quite work out. A strong start was undone by a collapse at the end of the first half that segued into an uninspiring effort in the second half.
“It’s very disappointing, but, like I say, we have to be tougher than this,” forward Robert Carter said.
Unofficially, the Jackets (8-4) scored 31 points in their first 22 possessions, a scalding 1.4 points per possession average, to take a 31-17 lead with 6:09 to play in the first half. They moved the ball in and out of the post to get open shots both inside and on the perimeter. Center Daniel Miller ransacked the offensive glass and drained jump shots. Tech played the sort of help defense that Gregory has tried to elicit in his three seasons, challenging shots and getting deflections to create transition opportunities.
“Between their good offense and their good defense and them, at that point in time, kicking our butts on the board, it was game all in their favor,” Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said.
The game swung Vanderbilt’s way from there. Tech’s final 10 possessions of the half produced no points, and the Commodores (7-3) closed the half down 31-29. Five of Tech’s last six possessions were thwarted by turnovers, including one pass that was so wildly off the mark that Stallings caught it.
The Jackets lost the lead 69 seconds into the second half and never re-gained their poise. They spun their wheels on offense, trying to make individual plays and failing. The team’s three leading scorers, Georges-Hunt, Carter and Trae Golden, were a combined 5-for-24 and 0-for-9 from 3-point range.
Where Tech’s first 22 possessions created 31 points, the Jackets’ next 22 chances produced just eight points.
The lack of success on the offensive end proved doubly detrimental, as it created fast-break chances for the Commodores and also had an impact on Tech’s defensive mettle. The Jackets blew coverages on the perimeter that created open 3-point shots and let Vanderbilt’s big men slip to the basket.
“We’re supposed to be a great defensive team,” Carter said. “We should be able to get stops and continue to get our offense going.”
Said Gregory, “Where we’re at in the process, sometimes the biggest challenge is when the ball isn’t going in the hoop, are you still able to do things that keep you in the game. And, at times, we’ve been able to do that. (Saturday), we were not.”
Down 15 with 9:32 left, Tech cut the lead to nine twice but could not get closer, done in by either poorly run offensive sets or errant shooting at one end and inattentive defense at the other. Vanderbilt made five of nine 3-point tries in the second half, including a 3-for-3 effort by forward Rod Odom, who had a game-high 18 points.
Said Georges-Hunt, “We made a lot of mistakes on defense. That’s what got us.”
It was a familiar result at Memorial Gym. The Jackets have lost eight in a row at Vanderbilt’s unique arena, Tech’s last win coming in 1959.
Players were released for the holiday upon return to campus Saturday until Dec. 26, then will play at Charlotte Dec. 29. It will be the final tune-up before the 18-game ACC schedule begins Jan. 4 at Maryland.
The non-conference schedule has been much like Tech’s performance at Memorial Gym – glimpses of potential and reminders of areas that need to improve considerably before the trek through the ACC.
About the Author
