December 15, 2014

@GTMBK Downs Appalachian State, 70-57

Dec. 15, 2014

ATLANTA (AP) – Marcus Georges-Hunt scored 15 points, all in the first half, and led Georgia Tech to a 70-57 win over Appalachian State.

Georges-Hunt had been held to single-digits the last two games, but helped the Yellow Jackets to a 36-25 halftime lead. Georges-Hunt was 4 of 10 from the field and 7 of 9 from the line.

With Georges-Hunt hampered by foul trouble in the second half, Demarco Cox and Robert Sampson took over inside. Cox scored seven of his 13 points and Sampson scored six of his 10 after halftime. Sampson also grabbed eight rebounds.

Georgia Tech (7-2) also got 12 points from Tadric Jackson.

Appalachian State (3-4) was led by Chris Burgess with 15 points and Dustin Clarke with 13 points and nine rebounds.

Appalachian State got off to a quick start and had an 11-6 lead with 16:20 left on a layup by Tommy Spagnolo. Georgia Tech responded with a 9-0 run, tying the game at 11-11 on a pair of free throws Jackson and taking the lead on Sampson’s dunk. The Yellow Jackets stretched the lead to 17-11, only to have the Mountaineers score six straight and knot the game at 17 on a short jumper by Burgess.

That’s when Georgia Tech began to assert itself in the paint. Cox made a short jumper and Georges-Hunt had eight points, including six free throws drawn while driving to the basket, to spark a 16-6 stretch that gave the Yellow Jackets a 33-23 lead.

Appalachian State cut the lead to seven points early in the second half on a bucket by Spagnolo with 18:37 left. Georgia Tech quickly turned aside any threat by running plays inside and a power move by Cox with 11:22 remaining pushed the lead to 55-40.

The Mountaineers’ unwillingness to drive to the basket kept them off the free throw line. They did not shoot a free throw in the first half and only shot eight for the game – but made them all. Their previous season low was 16 attempts.

The Yellow Jackets were more aggressive on offense and it paid off. Georgia Tech went to the line only 20 times in its loss to USC Upstate, but shot 29 free throws Monday, making 18. It was the second-most points scored from the line this season.

Georgia Tech hosts Vanderbilt at 2 p.m. on Saturday.