Seminoles Outlast Yellow Jackets, 74-61

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Three double-digit scorers led Georgia Tech men’s basketball in its Atlantic Coast Conference opener, but hot shooting from No. 15 Florida State proved to be too much as Tech fell 74-61 at the Donald L. Civic Center on Tuesday night.

The Yellow Jackets (2-3, 0-1 ACC) fell on the road for the first time despite a game-high 21 points from junior Michael Devoe. Seniors Jordan Usher and Moses Wright also reached double digits, each scoring 12 points apiece.

The three-point line played an important role in the league lidlifter as the Jackets shot just 25 percent (5-of-20) from beyond the arc, while the Seminoles (4-0, 1-0 ACC) shot 47 percent (8-of-17). Overall, Tech finished at 43.1 percent (22-of-51) from the field, behind Florida State’s 52.9 percent (27-of-51) performance.

The Jackets trailed 18-8 early in the first half but battled back on a 12-4 run to tie it up at 22-22 at the 4:58 mark, with Usher scoring seven of the 12 points for Tech in that span. Georgia Tech shot 54.5 percent (12-for-22) overall in the first, but the Seminoles drained 6-of-11 shots from three in that half giving them a slight scoring advantage at intermission. Even though Usher and Devoe finished the opening half with 10 points each FSU went into halftime with a 36-29 lead.

The Seminoles got off to a hot start in the second, outscoring the Jackets 13-6 in the opening seven minutes of the half to go up 51-35, their largest lead of the game. Georgia Tech started to mount a significant comeback going on a 17-4 run in just over five minutes of game time to bring the matchup to within three points at 55-52. 11 of Wright’s 12 points came during the second half of play. However, FSU held onto the lead the rest of the way through, finishing the game with five players in double-digits in scoring.

Devoe was the only player on the court to rack up more than 20 points, followed by FSU’s leading scorer Scottie Barnes at 16 points. It was also Devoe’s second time scoring 20-plus this season.

Georgia Tech returns home Friday to take on Florida A&M (0-4, 0-0) at McCamish Pavilion. The game tips at 7 p.m. (EST) and will be televised on the ACC’s Regional Sports Network RSN (Fox Sports South in Georgia).

Michael Devoe (0) scored a game-high 21 points for Tech on Tuesday evening, the second 20-point effort for the junior this season. (photo courtesy of the Atlantic Coast Conference)

 

Post-Game Notes

TEAM NOTES

• Tech is 8-9 away from McCamish Pavilion since the beginning of the 2019-20 season, 7-8 in true road games.
• Tech has averaged just 9 turnovers over its last three games, a total of 27 compared to 37 in its first two games. The Yellow Jackets finished the game at Florida State with 12 after committing just three in the second half.
• Tech has forced 50 turnovers over its past three games and scored 57 points from them.
• Tech continues to struggle from three-point range, connecting on 29.5 percent for the season after hitting just 5-of-20 at Florida State. The Jackets are averaging 7.2 made threes per game, two per game more than they made in 2019-20. Conversely, opponents are connecting on 40 percent from beyond the arc and averaging 9.0 made threes (FSU was 8-for-17).
• Tech’s accuracy from the free throw line is well above its 2019-20 norm. The Jackets have hit 74.1 percent from the charity stripe (12-of-15 at Florida State), compared to 67.7 last season.

INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS

• Michael Devoe has bounced back from the first scoreless game of his career (0-6 FG vs. Kentucky) to score 12 at Nebraska and a game-high 21 at Florida State. The 6-5 junior has hit 11-of-24 shots from the floor combined in the two games, 4-of-12 from three-point range.
• Jose Alvarado (7 points, 1-of-3 on 3-point FG at FSU) has made a three-point basket in 23 straight games, the longest streak for a Tech player since Adam Smith knocked down a three in 24 straight games during the 2015-16 season. Alvarado added one assist and two steals against the Seminoles.
• Alvarado took over sole possession of 36^th place on Tech’s all-time scoring list with 1,112 points. He needs 24 points to reach 35^th
• Alvarado ranks No. 10 on Tech’s all-time list for steals (163), and he is the ACC’s active leader.
• Khalid Moore played major minutes off the bench for the second straight game, scoring four points with six rebounds and four assists (no turnovers) in 26:29 at Florida State. The 6-7 junior has scored 15 points (7-of-14 FG) with 14 rebounds in his last two games. He has not turned the ball over in his last three games.
• Moses Wright, who came into the game as the ACC’s second-leading scorer and rebounder, tallied 12 points but took just six shots and pulled two rebounds at Florida State. He went 6-for-8 from the foul line and has connected on a career-best 67.6 percent for the season.
• Wright has scored in double digits in 29 of 36 games dating back to the beginning of the 2019-20 season.
• Jordan Usher scored in double digits (12 points on 5-of-9 FG at FSU) for the fourth time in five games this season, adding three assists and three steals against the Seminoles. He is hitting 48.9 percent from the floor this season.
• Usher has not shot a free throw since the first game of the season (5-of-8 vs. Georgia State).
• Bubba Parham made his third straight start but went scoreless for the first time this season (0-for-2 FG).
• 7-1 freshman center Saba Gigiberia played 1:54 at FSU, his first action since the season opener.

Senior Jordan Usher (4) finished as one of three double-digit scorers for Tech, finishing with 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals. (photo courtesy of the Atlantic Coast Conference)

 

Game Highlights