Chapel Hill, N.C. – Georgia Tech forced 18 turnovers and limited North Carolina to 39% shooting from the floor, but the Yellow Jackets were unable to make enough shots of their own Saturday and fell to the No. 20 Tar Heels, 68-65, in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams at the Dean E. Smith Center.
Lance Terry scored a game-high 22 points on the strength of five three-point field goals for the Yellow Jackets (4-5, 0-1 ACC), while Baye Ndongo scored 19 points with 12 rebounds for his third double-double this season, and Naithan George also reached double digits with 12 points, including a pair of threes.
Tech controlled the pace early and built a 16-8 lead, but the Tar Heels (5-4, 1-0 ACC) took advantage of turnovers and a cold-shooting spell to go on a 13-0 run and take a 21-16 lead. The Jackets were able to trim their deficit to 31-30 by the half.
The teams played nearly even in the second half as well, with Tech forging five ties before edging out front 52-49 with 7:45 left in the game after George and Terry each made a pair of free throws. Ndongo made a pair of free throws to give the Jackets their last lead at 54-53 at the 6:21 mark.
R.J. Davis hit a pair of free throws to put the Tar Heels back in front, and they built their lead to 59-55 after a dunk from Jalen Washington and a layup from Davis, and led by as many as seven in the closing minutes.
Davis led the Tar Heels with 19 points, while Seth Trimble scored 15 and Ian Jackson added 15 for the home team.
Tech returns to action Sunday when it travels to Milwaukee, Wis., to face Northwestern in the MKE Tipoff. The game will tip off at 4 p.m. EST and be televised live on the Big Ten Network.
Baye Ndongo (11) had his third double-double this season with 19 points and 12 rebounds. (photo by Jerome Ibrahim)
POST-GAME NOTES
- Tech is off for a full week for final exams before traveling to Milwaukee, Wis., to take on Northwestern next Sunday, Dec. 15, in the MKE Tipoff at Fiserv Forum.
- Tech fell to 0-3 vs. Associated Press and Coaches Top-25 teams this season.
- Four Tech players are averaging in double-figure points through five games (Lance Terry6, Javian McCollum 12.8, Baye Ndongo 12.8, Naithan George 11.0).
- Tech has used four different starting lineups in nine games this season, all of them occurring as a result of injury. Tech has played without starting guards Javian McCollum and Kowacie Reeves, Jr., for its last two games.
- Eight players saw the court for the Jackets against North Carolina and six of them scored.
- Tech has held each of its last four opponents under 40 percent from the floor (36.2% combined) and done so six times in nine games.
- The Jackets connected on just 31.3% of their shots from the floor against UNC, a season low.
- The 18 turnovers forced by Tech against North Carolina were a season high. Tech’s 14 turnovers matched a season-high.
- Baye Ndongo scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to log his third double-double this season, ninth for his career.
- Ndongo has scored in double digits in seven of nine games and leads the Jackets in field goal percentage at 52.9%.
- Lance Terry has reached double figures seven times in nine games this season and 53 times in his career. He scored 22 points at North Carolina for his third 20-point game this season.
- In Tech’s last 4 games, Terry has averaged 37 minutes, averaged 19 points (25-of-57 FG, 13-of-30 3pt FG) with 14 total rebounds, 7 assists, 4 turnovers and 6 steals.
- Naithan George has 26 assists and 8 turnovers in Tech’s last 4 games, and a 50-to-19 assist/turnover ratio for the season. He ranks among the ACC’s top 10 in assist average (5.6 per game) and assist/turnover ratio (2.6-1).
- George grabbed a career-high 8 rebounds at North Carolina to go with his 12 points.
- Freshman guard Jaeden Mustaf has averaged 14 points while hitting 18-of-40 shots from the floor, 2-of-5 from three-point range
Lance Terry (0) hit five three-point field goals and led the Jackets with 22 points. (photo by Jerome Ibrahim)
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
STOUDAMIRE POST-GAME AUDIO
