Feb. 9, 2006
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Andrew Wilson’s 3-point shot with 1:31 left capped a 24-9 finish Thursday as Florida State defeated Georgia Tech 80-79, handing the Yellow Jackets their eighth consecutive loss.
Neither team managed to score in the final 91 seconds and Jeremis Smith’s desperation shot from midcourt bounced harmlessly off the backboard as the buzzer sounded.
Georgia Tech (9-12, 2-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) got the ball back for that final shot with 4.4 seconds left after Florida State’s Ralph Mims missed two free throws. Mims had made 39 of 42 tries this season before the misses.
Wilson, a sixth-year senior from the Atlanta suburb of Kennesaw, Ga., made 3 of 5 tries from 3-point distance and finished with 10 points.
Alexander Johnson led the Seminoles (14-6, 5-5) with 14 points, including a slam dunk that tied the ragged contest at 77 with 2:06 left.
The teams combined to commit 46 turnovers and 42 personal fouls.
Georgia Tech, which led for practically all of the game, built a 70-56 lead with 9:17 left on a jumper by Lewis Clinch.
A trio of sophomores paced Georgia Tech. Ra’Sean Dickey and Zam Fredrick each scored 19 points and Anthony Morrow finished with 17 while Smith’s game-high 11 rebounds helped the Jackets to a 37-28 advantage.
The Seminoles leading scorer and rebounder on the season, Al Thornton, was in foul trouble all night and fouled out with 10 points in 16 minutes playing time.
