Feb. 16, 2013
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Coach Gregory Post-Game Interview
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) – Robert Carter Jr. hit two free throws with 8.7 seconds left, and Georgia Tech held off a last-chance shot by Wake Forest for a 57-56 victory on Saturday.
Marcus Georges-Hunt finished with 16 points, Daniel Miller had 15 and Carter 10 for the Yellow Jackets (14-10, 4-8 Atlantic Coast Conference), who trailed most of the second half after leading by three points at the halftime break.
C.J. Harris and Travis McKie scored 15 points each for the Demon Deacons, who overcame 29.2 percent shooting (14 of 48) to lead by as many as five points midway through the second half.
Despite the poor shooting, Wake Forest led 56-53 on a McKie 3-pointer with 1:19 left. But Georges-Hunt hit a 3 with 1 minute left to pull Georgia Tech within a point.
After McKie missed an open 3-pointer with 30 seconds left, Georges-Hunt missed a driving dunk attempt that would have put the Yellow Jackets ahead. But Carter came down with the rebound and was fouled going up for a follow, setting up his game-winning free throws.
The Demon Deacons had one last shot, but Georges-Hunt knocked a crosscourt pass by Harris out of bounds with 2.2 seconds left. Devin Thomas, who had 12 rebounds and nine points, then missed an 18-foot jumper at the buzzer.
It was Georgia Tech’s second straight road ACC win after dropping its first four games, while Wake Forest has now lost two straight and six of its last seven games.
While the Demon Deacons had their problems shooting, so did Georgia Tech in the second half. After making nearly 45 percent of its attempts in the first half, the Yellow Jackets hit just 9 of 27 (33.3 percent) over the final 20 minutes.
Behind Georges-Hunt (seven points) and Miller (six points), Georgia Tech shook off a slow start and took advantage of Wake Forest’s poor shooting to take a 30-27 halftime lead.
The Demon Deacons led 7-3 in the first two minutes, and held the lead two other times in the first half, the last at 16-15 on Thomas’ layup with 9:34 remaining.
Wake Forest shot just 29.2 percent (7 of 24) in the half, but hit 3 of 10 on 3-pointers and 10 of 11 free throws. Meanwhile, while the Yellow Jackets struggled at the free throw line (2 of 6), they hit 13 of 39 (44.8 percent) from the field. That allowed Georgia Tech to stay close, and eventually pull ahead by 30-25 on Miller’s jumper with 1:12 left.
Still, the Yellow Jackets could have led by an even bigger margin, giving away a possible seven points off of missed free throws and scoring chances in the first half.
First, Mfon Udofia missed a pair of free throws and Georgia Tech failed to score on the possession when Arnaud Williams Adala Moto was called for a flagrant foul at the 15-minute mark. Then, Solomon Poole missed two free throws after Demon Deacons coach Jeff Bzdelik was called for a technical foul with 12:27 left.
