THE FLATS – Georgia Tech shot 61.8 percent from the field in the second half to overcome a sluggish start and pull away from Clayton State, 93-63, in Monday night’s 2022-23 season opener at McCamish Pavilion.
Clayton State went on a 10-3 run late in the first half to send the game to halftime knotted at 34-34, but the second half was all Georgia Tech, as the Yellow Jackets made 21-of-34 field goals and outscored the visiting Lakers 59-29 over the final 20 minutes.
Playing in his first game in the White and Gold, Gardner-Webb transfer Lance Terry sparked Tech’s second-half outburst, making 4-of-6 3-pointers and scoring 14 of his game-high 16 points after the break.
Despite the slow start, Georgia Tech finished the game with big advantages in shooting percentage (48%-37%), 3-point field-goal percentage (35%-18%), rebounds (52-32), points in the paint (52-34) and fast-break points (25-10).
Rodney Howard scored 15 points and pulled down 13 rebounds for his fourth-career double-double while Jalon Moore (11 points), Miles Kelly (10), Deivon Smith (10) and Kyle Sturdivant (10) rounded out six scorers in double-figures for the Yellow Jackets. Sturdivant also dished out five assists and matched a team-high with two steals.
Brian Coffey II scored 12 points to lead Clayton State.
With the victory, Georgia Tech snapped a string of consecutive defeats in season openers, winning its first lid-lifter since it beat NC State, 82-81, in overtime in 2019.
Georgia Tech returns to action on Saturday when it makes the short trip down the I-75/I-85 connector to visit Georgia State. Tipoff at the brand-new GSU Convocation Center is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN+.
Lance Terry led all scorers with 16 points in his Georgia Tech debut. (photo by Danny Karnik)
Post-Game Notes
- Tech has scored 196 points in its two games against Clayton State last season and tonight combined.
- Tech snapped a two-game losing streak in season openers, having lost to Miami of Ohio and Georgia State to open the last two seasons.
- Six Tech players scored in double digits. The last time five or more players reached double figures in a game was Dec. 6, 2020 in the Yellow Jackets’ 79-62 win over Kentucky (Jose Alvarado, Bubba Parham, Kyle Sturdivant, Jordan Usher, Moses Wright). The last time six players reached double figures was Feb. 4, 2018 in an 80-72 win at against Boston College (Brandon Alston, Jose Alvarado, Abdoulaye Gueye, Tadric Jackson, Ben Lammers, Josh Okogie).
- No Tech player logged as many as 30 minutes against Clayton State, the first time that has happened since Tech’s 87-60 win at Miami on Feb. 20, 2021.
- Senior Kyle Sturdivant made his 32nd career start in a Georgia Tech uniform against Clayton State, most among the current Yellow Jackets, while senior center Rodney Howard started for the 25th Lance Terry made his first start as a Yellow Jacket, and the 38th of his college career (37 at Gardner-Webb).
- Rodney Howard (15 points and 13 rebounds) notched the fourth double-double of his career. The 6-11 center posted three in 2021-22 vs. Miami of Ohio (10/14), NC State (14/11) and Syracuse (19/10). It was the 10th double-figure scoring game of his career.
- Lance Terry, who played three seasons at Gardner-Webb before transferring to Tech, surpassed 600 career points for his college career. He opened the season with 598 points. Terry notched the 34th double-figure scoring game of his college career.
- Also in double-points against Clayton State – Jalon Moore for the second time in his career, Miles Kelly for the third time, Deivon Smith for the 12th time, Kyle Sturdivant for the 13th
- Kelly has hit 20-of-44 (45.5 pct.) from three-point range over Tech’s last 12 games dating back to Jan. 23 vs. Clayton State. He was 5-for-30 over the Jackets’ first 17 games of last season.
- Kyle Sturdivant has a 47:18 assist/turnover ratio over his last 15 games dating back to Jan. 23 vs. Clayton State. He played 10 turnover-free games this season and has a 47:21 ratio in ACC games.
Rodney Howard posted the fourth double-double of his career with 15 points and 13 rebounds. (photo by Danny Karnik)
