THE FLATS – Seniors Khalid Moore and Jordan Usher led a frantic late comeback for Georgia Tech that trimmed a 19-point deficit down to six in the closing minutes, but the Yellow Jackets could not get closer and dropped a 73-62 Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball game to Miami Saturday afternoon at McCamish Pavilion.
In an attempt to knock off the first-place team in the ACC for the second time this week, the Jackets (9-11, 2-7 ACC) came up short and snapped a brief two-game winning streak with the home loss. The Hurricanes (16-5, 8-2 ACC) maintained their lead in the conference standings by winning their seventh consecutive game.
Trailing 53-34 with 13:30 left, the Jackets whittled the margin down to 65-59 with 3:53 left, a stretch that included an 11-0 run. Moore scored eight of his team-high 19 points, Usher scored six and freshman Miles Kelly knocked down a three-point field goal on three straight possessions during the come back.
Miami’s Kameron McGusty, who scored a game-high 20 points in the game, stopped the run with a layup to extend his team’s lead back to eight, and the Hurricanes were able to salt away the game at the free throw line, going 6-for-6 over the final 3:24.
With Miami succeeding in limiting Tech’s top scorer Michael Devoe (12 points in the game), Moore, a senior averaging just six points per game, became the star of the game for Tech with a career scoring high, just his third double-digit game of the season. He made 9-of-12 shots from the floor. Usher posted his fifth double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds, adding six assists.
Tech shot 54 percent in the second half and made four more field goals in the game, but was ultimately unable to overcome a 21-3 disparity in free throws.
Jordan Miller (13 points) and Charlie Moore (12) also reached double figures for the Hurricanes.
Georgia Tech returns to action at 9 p.m. Wednesday against Virginia Tech as Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va. The game will be the Yellow Jackets’ first road game in more than two weeks and will be televised on the ACC Network.
Khalid Moore (12- white) set a career high and led the Yellow Jackets with 19 points. (photo by Anthony McClellan)
Post-Game Notes
- Georgia Tech has played eight of its first nine ACC games against the teams in the top eight teams of Saturday’s conference standings. Eight of the Jackets’ final 11 games will be against the bottom seven teams.
- Tech has utilized its original starting lineup with which it began the season for the last three games, as well as for six of the first eight games this season. Tech has utilized eight different starting lineups this season.
- Tech forced Miami into a season-high 16 turnovers (to Tech’s 14) and has caused an average of 14.3 in ACC games this season, posting a plus-1.2 margin per game. The Hurricanes exceeded their season average of 8.4 in the first half of Saturday’s game.
- Tech outscored Miami in the paint (34-28) and on fast breaks (24-15), but were outscored at the free throw line 21-3. Only against Stetson (2-for-7) has Tech scored fewer points from the line this season.
- Tech has recorded 67 steals across its last five games, having posted 10 or more in its last four games and five of its last six. Tech is No. 2 in the ACC in steals vs. conference teams (9.33).
- Tech’s bench outscored its opponent for the 11th time in 20 games this season, getting 16 each against Miami and Florida State this week. The Jackets’ reserves have scored 155 points in their last six games (25.8 per game).
- Tech’s last nine opponents have shot 30 percent from three-point range combined (66-of-220). The Jackets rank fourth in the ACC in three-point field goal defense at 30.8 percent.
- Khalid Moore set a career high with 19 points against Miami and notched his third double-figure scoring game this season, second against an ACC team. He had scored 13 vs. North Carolina on Dec. 5. Averaging a career-high 8.1 points vs. ACC teams, Moore also set career highs for field goals made (9) and attempted (12) against the Hurricanes.
- Moore has averaged9 points over Tech’s last 14 games (3.8 ppg over first seven), and has hit 40-of-76 shots from the floor (52.6 pct.) during that stretch. Against FSU and Miami combined, he scored 28 points (10-14 FG, 8-12 FT).
- Michael Devoe has reached double figures 76 times in his career (19 times in 20 games this season) with his 12-point game against Miami.
- Devoe surpassed Kenny Anderson (1,497 from 1989-91) for 17th place on Georgia Tech’s all-time scoring list, and now has 1,507 points in his Tech career.
- Jordan Usher has five double-doubles this season after his 15-point/10-rebound performance against Miami. He also recorded double-doubles against Stetson, Charleston Southern, Georgia State and Notre Dame.
- Usher added a team-high six assists against the Hurricanes and has 11 over his last two games.
- Usher has scored in double digits 17 times in 20 games this season, and has done so in each of Tech’s last 12 games. During that stretch, the senior has averaged 16.6 points per game (75-151 FG, 49.7 pct., 21-53 3pt FG). He averages 15.4 for the season, 15.0 in ACC games.
- Freshman Miles Kelly went 3-for-6 from three-point range against Miami to record his season high in points (9).
Jordan Usher (4 – white) put together another versatile stat line with 15 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, posting his fifth double-double this season. (photo by Anthony McClellan)
