Jan. 28, 2015
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CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) Desperate for a win after a succession of narrow losses, Georgia Tech broke out with a blowout.
Marcus Georges-Hunt scored 24 points, and the Yellow Jackets earned their first Atlantic Coast Conference victory of the season by upsetting No. 23 Miami 70-50 on Wednesday night.
Six of the Yellow Jackets’ losses in the league have been by fewer than eight points, but this time they were in control from the start. Tech made seven consecutive shots to lead 15-4, and Miami was never closer than six points after that.
“It was all smiles,” Georges-Hunt said. “Every time we huddled up, it was something positive. It just felt like we were having a lot of fun out there.”
Georgia Tech (10-10, 1-7 ACC) was off to its worst start in the league since 2002 and won for the first time since Dec. 30.
“We can compete with anybody in the country, in our opinion,” Georges-Hunt said. “We stayed positive. You stick together as a family. You keep your head up and keep fighting.”
The Yellow Jackets shot a season-high 57 percent, well above their season average of 41 percent, in part because they repeatedly drove inside for easy baskets. They scored 34 points in the paint.
Miami (14-6, 4-3) lost at home while ranked for the third time this season, with each defeat coming against an unranked team.
“This team probably has the widest range of performance I’ve ever seen,” said Jim Larranaga, who is in his 31st season as a head coach. “They can be absolutely great one night, and you just don’t recognize them the next day.”
The Hurricanes returned this week to the Top 25 after a five-week absence, but their latest stay likely won’t last long. Their top two scorers this season — Sheldon McClellan and Angel Rodriguez — combined for only six points.
Miami has won on the road against Duke, Florida and Syracuse, but its home record is only 7-4.
“When we come home, I feel like we’re always relaxed,” center Tonye Jekiri said. “We let other teams come here and play their best.”
Tech did that. Georges-Hunt had shot only 12-for-37 in the previous four games, but he went 10-for-12 while adding six rebounds and three assists.
Chris Bolden, making only his sixth start this season, added 13 points. Demarco Cox totaled 10 points and seven rebounds.
“We are competitive now with just about everybody,” coach Brian Gregory said. “Now you’ve got to go from competitive to being able to finish the job. You hope this starts some good momentum going.”
Jekiri had 13 points and nine rebounds for the Hurricanes, but their guards struggled. With the offense out of sorts, Miami resorted to a flurry of outside shots and went 6-for-26 from 3-point range.
Six Yellow Jackets scored in the first eight minutes to help them build a 20-6 advantage. They were up 34-26 at halftime.
Georgia Tech scored on four consecutive possessions early in the second half to increase its lead to 41-28.
TIP-INS
Georgia Tech: Forward Robert Sampson left the game midway through the second half when he aggravated a hip pointer. He did not return, but the injury wasn’t believed to be serious.
Miami: Rodriguez went scoreless and shot 0-for-8.
EMPTY SEATS
The small crowd of 5,031 didn’t help the Hurricanes, Larranaga said.
“Kids tend to respond to the energy in the building,” he said. “There wasn’t a whole lot of energy tonight. But you can’t rely on the fans to motivate you.”
UP NEXT
Georgia Tech plays host to North Carolina State on Saturday.
Miami plays at Florida State on Sunday.
