Florida State Outlasts Georgia Tech, 59-49

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Tallahassee, Fla. –  Abdoulaye Gueye scored 15 points, Michael Devoe added 10 and Georgia Tech played another standout defensive game, but No. 25 Florida State used an early second-half spurt to pull away and hold off the Yellow Jackets, 59-49, Saturday afternoon at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.

Tech (11-11, 3-6 ACC) lost for the fifth time in six games despite limiting a Seminoles team that had averaged nearly 78 points a game to a season low in points. But Saturday, the Jackets also established a season scoring low for themselves. FSU (16-5, 4-4 ACC) shot just 34.8 percent from the floor and just 4-of-16 from three-point range. The Jackets hitting just 28.3 percent from the floor, and just 3-of-21 attempts from bonus range.

Mfiondu Kabengele, who led the Seminoles with 12 points, tipped in a missed layup from Trent Forrest at the halftime horn to give FSU a 33-27 lead at intermission. The Noles then scored the first six points of the second half, getting a basket from Forrest, a three-pointer by Phil Cofer and a free throw by Terance Mann, who also scored 12 in the game, to go ahead 39-27.

The Seminoles’ lead remained between eight and 11 points for the next 12 minutes before the Jackets finally nudged closer to 55-49 on Evan Cole’s layup with 4:23 left. That was a close at Tech could get, however, failing to score another point while FSU converted four free throws in the final minutes.

Georgia Tech returns home Wednesday night to face Clemson at McCamish Pavilion The game tips at 7 p.m. and will be televised regionally on the ACC’s Regional Sports Network (Fox Sports South in Georgia).

Michael Devoe scored 10 points with a pair of three-point field goals.

Post-Game Notes

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

• Georgia Tech starting lineup: Alvarado, Devoe, Haywood II, Gueye, Banks III
• First subs for Georgia Tech: Alston, Moore, Wright for Devoe, Banks, Haywood  – 14:40-1^st half
• On the floor for Georgia Tech at the end: Alston, Devoe, Haywood, Phillips, Cole
• Opening tap won by Georgia Tech: Georgia Tech has won the opening tap 13 times in 22 games this season
• Series record vs. Florida State: Georgia Tech is 29-41 overall, 11-22 on the road, 1-2 under Josh Pastner, 9-15 vs. Leonard Hamilton
• Current series trend: Florida State has won the last two meetings
• Georgia Tech is 9-5 at McCamish Pavilion this season, 81-42 in its sixth season in the building, 38-16 under Josh Pastner
• Georgia Tech is 2-5 on the road this season, 2-6 away from McCamish Pavilion
• Georgia Tech’s next game: Wednesday, Feb. 6, vs. Clemson (7 p.m., McCamish Pavilion)

 TEAM NOTES

• Georgia Tech has gone with the starting lineup that it used to win the Syracuse game – Alvarado, Michael Devoe and Curtis Haywood II on the perimeter, Gueye and James Banks III in the frontcourt – for the last four games and five times this season. Tech also used the same lineup against Notre Dame, Duke, North Carolina and Florida State.
• Devoe, a freshman, has started Tech’s last 13 games, having made his first collegiate start at Arkansas. Haywood started his seventh straight game and 16^th of the season, while Banks has started the last 16 straight games in the post. Gueye has started 11 games, and Alvarado 20.
• Tech has used eight different starting lineups this season. No Yellow Jacket has started every game this season, and 10 different players have started three or more games.
• Tech used eight players in the game for nine or more minutes, and 12 Jackets played altogether, including walk-on Shaheed Medlock, who played in an ACC game for the first time in his career. At least eight players have seen significant minutes in all of Tech’s games this season, despite a variety of injuries and illnesses.
• Tech suffered its worst shooting performance (28.3 pct.) from the floor since its Nov. 13 loss at Tennessee (27.6 percent) and has converted just 31.7 percent (38-of-120) in its last two games. The Jackets also have hit just 5-of-37 three-point attempts (13.5 percent in its last two games).
• Tech’s 49 points were a season low and a low for the Jackets in their series history with Florida State.
• Florida State was the fourth ACC opponent and the 14^th overall that the Yellow Jackets have held under 40 percent (34.8 pct.) from the floor.
• Tech held FSU to its second-lowest offensive efficiency rating of the season (88.8). The Yellow Jackets have previously held Tennessee, Virginia Tech and Duke, all ranked among the top 10 nationally in offensive efficiency, to their season-low ratings.
• Tech entered Saturday’s game No. 2 in the ACC in three-point percentage defense (27.8 pct.) and limited FSU to 25 percent (4-of-16).
• Wake Forest (74.4 ppg, scored 79) and Clemson (71.4 ppg, scored 72) remain the only Georgia Tech opponents to exceed their season scoring averages this season this season against the Yellow Jackets this season. Tech had held every other opponent this season under its season scoring average – breakdown by game: Lamar 81.8 (69), Tennessee 85.5 (66), East Carolina 71.1 (54), UTRGV 70.2 (44), Prairie View A&M 69.2 (54), Northwestern 73.5 (67), St. John’s 83.5 (76), Florida A&M 63.2 (40), Gardner-Webb 82.9 (79), Arkansas 81.8 (69), Georgia 79.2 (70), Kennesaw State 62.5 (57), USC Upstate 70.9 (63), Virginia Tech 81.1 (52), Syracuse 70.9 (59), Louisville 79.9 (79), Notre Dame 74.7 (61), Duke 88.6 (66), North Carolina 88.1 (77), Florida State 77.8 (59).
• After sharing the floor for less than five minutes during the non-conference season, James Banks and Abdoulaye Gueye have played together for increasingly longer periods in ACC play (3:44 vs. Wake Forest, 6:31 vs. Virginia Tech, 19:24 at Syracuse, 36:56 vs. Notre Dame). Foul trouble limited then to 16:56 together at Duke, but they were on the court together for 27:58 against North Carolina and 18:47 against Florida State.

PASTNER’S KEY METRICS

• Assists to made field goals: The Jackets have 161 assists on 261 field goals (61.7 percent) in its last nine games. The Jackets are at 57.8 percent for the season, 44^th n the nation, and 55.8 percent in ACC games. Tech assisted on five of 17 made field goals (29.4 percent) against Florida State, well below its nightly goal of 60 percent.
• Free throws made to opponents’ attempts: Tech is 37-16 under Josh Pastner when attempting more free throws than the opponent. Tech connected on 12-of-14 free throw attempts to Florida state’s 23-of-30 (nightly goal of making more than opponent tries not accomplished).
• Turnovers: Tech has averaged 15.2 turnovers per game this season, 16.1 in ACC games to date (3.1 more per game than opponents). Target each night is 11 or fewer, which Tech has met twice this season (both wins). More telling for Tech under Josh Pastner is that when Tech has committed fewer turnovers than its opponent, it is 22-13. When it has committed more, it is 20-26.
• Guard rebounding: The group of Alvarado, Alston, Devoe, Haywood, Moore and Phillips has combined to take 264 of Tech’s 573 defensive rebounds this season (46.1 percent). Tech’s guards combined for 13 of Tech’s 23 defensive rebounds against Florida State.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

• Abdoulaye Gueye posted his sixth straight double-digit scoring game with a team-high 15 points against Florida State, hitting 6-of-7 shots from the floor. He scored 11 against Virginia Tech and 10 at Syracuse, missed the next two games (Clemson and Louisville), then returned to score 13 against Notre Dame, 14 at Duke and 14 against North Carolina. The 6-9 senior is Tech’s second-leading scorer and rebounder (11.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg over seven games) and has hit 53 percent shots from the floor. Gueye has taken 49 shots over Tech’s last four games, 15 more than Tech’s next player.
• Freshman Michael Devoe has started 13 straight games and logged nine double-figure scoring games this season. The 6-4 guard has averaged 9.4 points while making 39.3 percent of his three-point attempts in conference games, has averaged 2.2 assists and taken a team-high 16 steals.
• Looking to assert himself offensively, Devoe has taken 10 or more shots in three straight games (11-of-33). He had taken as many as 10 only twice previously.
• Jose Alvarado was held scoreless (0-for-10 from the floor, five 3-point attempts) for just the second time in his career. He did not score in 12 minutes in the game he injured his elbow last season (Feb. 11 vs. Duke). The sophomore has 14 double-figure scoring games this season. He averages 11.3 points and 3.9 assists in ACC games, hitting 32.4 percent from three-point range.
• Sophomore forward Evan Cole came off the bench to give the Jackets 19 solid minutes and score seven points with three rebounds. Cole has averaged 5,3 points and 3.0 rebounds in an average of 17.7 minutes over Tech’s last three games.
• Freshman forward Khalid Moore has averaged 4.8 points (6-of-10 FG, 6-of-8 FT) off the bench in Tech’s last four games, averaging 15.3 minutes.
• Senior guard Brandon Alston played for the first time since the Jan. 12 Syracuse game, scoring four points with two rebounds in nine minutes.

Abdoulaye Gueye reached double figures for the sixth straight game, hitting 6 of 7 shots from the floor.

Multimedia

Game Highlights

Coach Josh Pastner Press Conference Audio