THE FLATS – Georgia Tech men’s basketball went on a 16-3 second-half run to take a seemingly comfortable seven-point lead, but an experienced Miami (Ohio) squad scored the game’s final nine points and came away with a 72-69 win over the Yellow Jackets in the season opener for both teams on Tuesday night at McCamish Pavilion.
Georgia Tech trailed by as many as six points early in the second half, but used a 16-3 run to take a 55-48 lead midway through the closing period.
The Yellow Jackets maintained the advantage throughout the final 10 minutes and led 69-63 with less than two minutes to go. However, Miami made three-straight shots over the next minute to cut the Jackets’ advantage to a point at 69-68. After Tech missed pair of shots on the other end, Miami’s Dae Dae Grant missed a jumper in the lane but Mekhi Lairy grabbed the rebound and hit the put-back to give the RedHawks a 70-69 lead with 12 seconds remaining.
On the Yellow Jackets’ ensuing possession, Deivon Smith missed a jumper, the last of six-straight shots that the Jackets missed to close out the game. Miami’s Dalonte Brown made two free throws on the other end to seal the RedHwaks’ victory.
Tech’s Michael Devoe led all scorers with 26 points on 8-of-18 shooting, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range. Jordan Usher scored 14 points and Rodney Howard added 10 to round out three Yellow Jackets in double-figures. Howard added a game-high 14 rebounds for his first-career double-double, while Usher came up just one rebound short of a double-double with nine boards.
The game-winning shot capped a 23-point performance for Lairy, who led four scorers in double-figures for Miami (1-0), a senior-laden team that returned its top nine scorers from last season.
Georgia Tech (0-1) returns to action on Friday when it hosts Stetson at McCamish Pavilion. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.