Jan. 3, 2006
By PAUL NEWBERRY, AP Sports Writer
ATLANTA (AP) — Anthony Morrow tied his career high with 28 points and Georgia Tech pulled away down the stretch for a 76-67 victory over Vanderbilt on Tuesday.
Morrow equaled the personal mark he set last month in a loss to Georgia. The sophomore connected on 9-of-14 from the field, 3-of-5 outside the 3-point arc and 7-of-9 at the foul line.
The game was tight throughout, but Georgia Tech (7-4) led most of the second half. Julian Terrell put the Commodores (9-2) up for the final time, 39-37, on a dunk with 16:21 remaining.
Morrow answered with two free throws, then swished a 3-pointer that put the Yellow Jackets ahead for good.
Georgia Tech pulled away in the final two minutes. Morrow made four straight free throws, and Jeremis Smith sealed the victory when he broke free on a long inbounds pass, dunking the ball with 28 seconds left to account for the nine-point final margin — the Yellow Jackets’ largest lead of the game.
Shane Foster led Vanderbilt with 19 points, while Terrell chipped in with 16. But the Commodores were dominated on the boards, 35-18, and they didn’t do much defensively against a young Georgia Tech team that had been plagued by sloppy, stale play at the offensive end.
While the Yellow Jackets did have 22 turnovers, they largely thrived in the up-tempo style that coach Paul Hewitt prefers. Fast breaks and crisp passes led to 22 assists on Georgia Tech’s 28 field goals.
Morrow also had nine rebounds, four assists and two steals. Zam Fredrick added 12 points, D’Andre Bell and Ra’Sean Dickey had 10 piece, and Paco Diaw chipped in with eight assists.
This was the start of a four-game series between the former Southeastern Conference rivals, which was arranged after Kansas backed out of a trip to Atlanta this season because of a scheduling conflict.
The teams met on the Georgia Tech campus for the first time since the Yellow Jackets left the SEC in 1964. Their only game since then came in 1993, when Georgia Tech pulled out an overtime victory at the nearby Georgia Dome.
