Feb. 25, 2002
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech’s Tony Akins and Clemson’s Edward Scott earned Atlantic Coast Conference co-player of the week honors Monday, while Yellow Jackets’ freshman B.J. Elder was named the ACC Rookie of the Week.
Akins, in sharing the honor with Scott, becomes just the second Tech player to be named this year, joining sophomore forward Clarence Moore, who was named on Dec. 18. Elder is the third different Tech freshman to be named Rookie of the Week.
Akins, a 5-11, 182-pound senior from Lilburn, Ga. averaged 21 points, 5.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds to lead the Yellow Jackets to a pair of ACC wins over NC State (65-59) and 15th-ranked Virginia (82-80) on the road. For the week, Akins hit 9-of-20 from the field, 7-of-14 from three-point range, and was 17-for-18 at the free throw.
Against NC State, Akins scored 17 of his 19 points rallying the Yellow Jackets after trailing by as many as 11 points. He hit two three-pointers to spark Tech’s 11-0 run at the start of the second half that turned a 35-27 halftime deficit into a three-point lead. His three free throws with 6:17 left gave Tech the lead for good. With the Jackets holding a two-point lead with less than a minute to play, Akins made a key steal and then sank all four of his free throws to seal the win.
Akins scored 23 points, handed out nine assists and grabbed six rebounds in Georgia Tech’s 82-80 at Virginia. He connected on 5-of-8 attempts from the field, including 4-of-7 three-pointers, and was a perfect 9-for-9 at the charity stripe. With Tech trailing by three, Akins sank two free throws with 19 seconds left, and on the Jackets’ final possession he dished to Marvin Lewis for the game-winning basket at the buzzer.
Scott, a 6-0, 185-pound junior from Eastover, S.C., had 47 points, 16 rebounds, 12 assists and four steals in two games for the Tigers. For the week, he shot 15-22 from the field, 5-8 treys and 12-15 from the foul line.
Scott scored 36 points, had eight rebounds and seven assists in Clemson’s 87-78 win over Florida State. He hit 12-15 shots from the field, including 5-6 on three-point shots and 7-8 from the foul line. He made 5-6 free throws inside the last five minutes of the game to hold off the Seminoles. Scott’s 36 points were the most by a Clemson point guard in 32 years. Butch Zatezalo had 43 points against NC State on Valentine’s Day, 1970. Against Maryland, he had 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Elder, a 6-3, 215-pound, guard/forward from Madison, Ga., averaged 13 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists to help Georgia Tech to a pair of ACC wins over NC State and 15th-ranked Virginia.
Elder made one of the key plays in Tech’s 82-80 come-from-behind win at Virginia. With Tech trailing by six, he nailed a three-pointer with 45 seconds left to pull the Jackets within three points and set the stage for the last-second victory. He finished the game with 18 points and four assists in just 25 minutes, hitting four three-pointers on eight attempts.
Elder contributed eight points, four rebounds and two steals in Tech’s 65-59 victory over NC State.
Elder is Tech’s third-leading scorer, averaging 9.4 points per game on the season, including 9.9 points vs. the ACC.
Tech returns to action Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. against No. 24 Wake Forest, the final home game for Akins.
