Terry, Franklin Lead Jackets to Third Win in Four Games

THE FLATS – Lance Terry (College Park, Ga./The Heritage School) led four Yellow Jackets in double-figures with 19 points, JaVon Franklin (Little Rock, Ark./Parkview Magnet) recorded his third-straight double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds and Georgia Tech men’s basketball won for the third time in four games with a 79-56 victory over visiting Florida Tech on Saturday afternoon at McCamish Pavilion.

Playing a late-season non-conference game on its Atlantic Coast Conference bye date, Georgia Tech (11-16) trailed visiting Florida Tech (16-11) by a point at 25-24 with just under seven minutes to play in the first half. But spurred by six points from Jalon Moore (Birmingham, Ala./Gardendale) and five from Terry, the Yellow Jackets went on a 13-0 run to open up a 37-25 lead late in the opening period and never relinquished the advantage the rest of the way.

Georgia Tech shot 47.7 percent (31-of-65) from the field as a team, its highest shooting percentage of the calendar year and its fourth-highest of the season. After going nine-consecutive games without scoring 70 points in regulation, Tech topped 70 for the fourth-straight contest.

Terry scored in double-figures for the fourth time in five games with his game-high 19 points, while Moore surpassed the double-digit plateau for the first time in eight contests with his 15. Franklin’s 13 points came on 6-of-9 field-goal shooting, while his game-high 14 rebounds included eight offensive boards. Miles Kelly (Stone Mountain, Ga./Parkview) rounded out the four Yellow Jackets in double-figures with 12 points.

Deebo Coleman (Memphis, Tenn./West Nassau) led Tech with a career-high five assists. As a team, the Yellow Jackets assisted on 20 of their 31 field goals.

Sesan Russell led Florida Tech with 17 points and five.

Georgia Tech returns to ACC action on Tuesday night when it visits first-place Pittsburgh. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on ACC Network.

Ja’Von Franklin recorded his third-straight double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds in Saturday’s win over Florida Tech. (photo by Danny Karnik)

 

Post-Game Notes

TEAM TRENDS

• Georgia Tech has utilized the same starting lineup for five straight games, only the second time this season that head coach Josh Pastner has sent out the same starting five for the opening tip. The other occurrence happened for the five-game stretch from North Alabama (Nov. 26) and North Carolina (Dec. 10), in which the starting five were Deivon Smith, Miles Kelly, Deebo Coleman, Jalon Moore and Ja’von Franklin.
• Four or more Yellow Jackets have reached double digits in the scoring column in 13 games this season, and Tech has won 10 of those games.
• Tech has scored 70 points or more in four straight games (Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Florida Tech). The Yellow Jackets are 9-2 this season when scoring 70 or more points (3-2 in the ACC), 2-14 when failing to reach 70.
• Tech has outshot four of its last five opponents from the floor, holding them collectively to 40.6 percent overall, 27.4 percent from three-point range. The Yellow Jackets are 10-1 this season when they have a higher field goal percentage.
• Since Lance Terry returned from his hamstring injury (last four games), Tech has averaged 7w points per game, connected on 44.5 percent of its shots from the floor and 39.4 percent (43-of-109) of its three-point attempts. In the four games he missed, Tech averaged 53.8 points, hit 34.5 percent of its field goals and 25.2 percent of its threes.
• Four Tech players (Lance Terry 14.0 ppg, Ja’von Franklin 13.8, Miles Kelly 11.4, Deebo Coleman 10.8) are averaging double digits in points over the Yellow Jackets’ last five games, and a fifth (Kyle Sturdivant) is averaging 9.6.
• Tech has outrebounded each of its last five opponents, doing so by an average of 3.4 per game.
• Tech’s 47.7-percent clip from the floor against Florida Tech was its highest percentage on field goals since Dec. 17 vs. Alabama State (54.4).

PLAYER UPDATES

• Center Ja’von Franklin has averaged a double-double over the Yellow Jackets’ last five games (13.8 points and 11.2 rebounds). He has hit 57.7 percent of his shots from the floor (30-of-52) in that span, and also has totaled a team-high 17 assists, 13 blocked shots and eight steals
• Franklin has posted double-doubles in each of Tech’s last three games (14 pts/15 rebs at Wake Forest, 10 pts/10 rebs vs. Virginia Tech, 13/14 vs. Florida Tech), and has six for the season, three in conference games.
• In five games since returning from his hamstring injury, which kept him out of four games, Lance Terry has averaged 14.0 points, hit 49.1 percent of his shots from the floor (26-of-53 pct.) and 42.9 percent from three-point range (9-of-21).
• Terry has reached double figures in points four times in five games since his return from injury, including highs of 19 points each vs. Notre Dame and Florida Tech.
• Terry surpassed 800 career points in the Florida Tech game, and now had 816, most among the Yellow Jackets. Franklin is next with 642, followed by Sturdivant with 573. Deivon Smith crossed 500 points in his last game.
• Miles Kelly (12 points vs. Florida Tech) scored his second straight game in double figures and fifth in the last 11. Kelly remains the Yellow Jackets’ leading scorer in all games (12.8 ppg) and in ACC games (12.6).
• Jalon Moore reached double figures (15 points vs. Florida Tech for the first time since Jan. 21 vs. Syracuse, eight games ago.
• Deebo Coleman set a career highs in assists (5) and steals (4) against Florida Tech.

Jalon Moore dunks home two of his 15 points on Saturday against Florida Tech. (photo by Danny Karnik)

 

Game Highlights

Post-Game Press Conferences