No. 11 Duke Rallies Past Tech in Durham, 84-79

Durham, N.C. – Miles Kelly scored 16 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for his second double-double this season, while freshmen Naithan George and Baye Ndongo scored 16 points apiece, but Georgia Tech was unable to contain Duke in the latter moments and lost, 84-79, to the 11^th-ranked Blue Devils Saturday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Tech (8-8, 1-4 ACC) led by as many as 10 points early in the second half and held a 69-66 lead at the under-8 timeout before the Blue Devils (13-3, 4-1 ACC) ran off 10 straight points to grab a lead they would not relinquish. The Jackets managed to close the gap to two and then to one in the final three minutes, but ultimately suffered their fifth straight loss while Duke won its eighth game in a row.

Tech was able to go into intermission tied at 39 after trailing 28-18, limiting Duke to one field goal over the final 9:21 despite Ndongo playing only seven minutes due to foul trouble. The Jackets shot 52 percent from the floor and hit 8-of-14 from three-point range.

Out of halftime, the Jackets outscored the Blue Devils 14-2 to take a 53-43 lead five and a half minutes in, forcing Duke to call timeout. The Blue Devils scored eighth straight out of that timeout and the game remained close after that. The game featured nine ties and 11 lead changes, and neither team led by more than 10 points.

Kelly, Ndongo and George scored 29 of Tech’s 40 points after intermission as the Yellow Jackets shot 57 percent from the floor, 54.3 percent for the game. Tech hit 10-plus three-point field goals for the third straight game, making 11-of-20.

Duke shot just 43 percent from the floor, but made 10-of-21 from three-point range and outscored the Jackets 20-8 from the free throw line. Kyle Filipowski led three Blue Devils in double digits, scoring 30 points with 13 rebounds. Jeremy Roach tallied 17 points, and Tyrese Proctor added 16.

Tech stays on the road for its next game, visiting No. 21 Clemson Tuesday night at Littlejohn Coliseum. Tip is at 9 p.m., and the game will be televised live on the ACC Network.

Freshman point guard Naithan George (2) scored a season-high 17 points to lead the Jackets. (photo by Andy Mead)

 

Post-Game Notes

TEAM NOTES

• Tech’s 79 points against Duke were the most the Jackets have scored in a regulation game since Jan. 31, 2004, an 82-74 win at home. Tech has not scored more than 79 points in a game at Cameron Indoor Stadium since Jan. 7, 1996 (an 86-81 win).
• Tech shot better than 50 percent in both of its games against Duke – 54.5 Saturday and 50.9 on Dec. 2. Combined, the Jackets connected on 52.7 percent (57-of-108) in the two games, and 18-of-43 (41.9 percent) from three-point range.
• Tech has outrebounded 11 of 16 opponents and tied one this season, after outrebounding Duke, 34-32, Saturday night. Tech has a plus-4.4 rebounding margin and ranks No. 5 in the ACC, No. 86 nationally.
• Tech is shooting 47.6 percent from the floor in ACC games, 36.2 percent from three-point range, and has a team 83-to-57 assist/turnover ratio.
• Tech’s current scoring average of 75.4 points per game in ACC play would be the highest for the team since the 2007-08 season (77.4) if maintained.
• Tech’s 14 turnovers against Duke were its most in six games, however, the Yellow Jackets have averaged just 10.5 over its last six games, after averaging more than 19 in the three games prior.
• Tech tallied 17 assists on its 30 made field goals against Duke, and has assisted on 58.9 percent of its made field goals in ACC play.
• Tech has made at least 10 three-point field goals in three straight games (Boston College, Notre Dame, Duke) and has connected on 32-of-78 (41 percent) in those games. The Jackets had hit just 28.3 percent over its first 13 games, and are now at 30.9 percent for the season, 36.2 percent across five ACC games.
• Tech blocked eight shots against Duke, most for the Jackets since blocking eight Blue Devils shots on Dec. 2.
• Miles Kelly and Kowacie Reeves, Jr., are the only Tech players to start every game this season.
• Deebo Coleman and Kyle Sturdivant have not started a game this year, but have been on the floor for 12 and 10, respectively, of Tech’s games at the finish.
• Tech is 3-5 against Quad 1 and Quad 2 teams this season (Duke was a Quad 1 opportunity). The Jackets’ remaining ACC schedule has eight Quad 1 and four Quad 2 opponents. Tech was 3-14 last season against Quad 1/2 foes.

PLAYER NOTES

• Miles Kelly is averaging 17.8 points over five ACC games this season, and his shooting percentages are well above his full-season norms – 44.3 percent from the floor, 41.0 percent from three-point range and 73.3 percent from the foul line.
• Kelly has averaged 18.3 points over Tech’s last four games, hitting 45.6 percent from the floor (26-of-57) and 45.2 percent (14-of-31) from three-point range.
• Kelly leads Tech in getting to the free throw line, attempting 78 foul shots this season after trying 59 all of 2022-23 (he went 4-for-5 at Duke).
• Kelly pulled down 11 rebounds to go with his 16 points at Duke, his second double-double this season (had 22 and 12 vs. Mississippi State).
• Baye Ndongo has scored in double digits in Tech’s last eight games, averaging 15.8 points and 10.0 rebounds, and has hit on 69.2 percent of his field goals (54-of-78).
• Ndongo ranks No. 1 in the nation among freshmen in field goal percentage (60.5) and No. 2 in rebound average (8.8).
• Freshman Naithan George has started Tech’s last 12 games at the point guard position and has averaged 8.1 points and 5.0 assists in those games. He scored a season-high 17 points at Duke, knocking down a personal-best six field goals and three three-pointers. He also had five assists and just one turnover in 33 minutes.
• George ranks No. 2 in the ACC in assist average (6.2) against the conference, and he has 32 total assists to just nine turnovers over five games (3.56-to-1).
• Kyle Sturdivant has 16 assists and four turnovers in his last three games, and has a 51/25 (2.04-to-1) ratio for the season, 20/6 vs. the ACC.
• George and Sturdivant have recorded 39 assists and just 10 turnovers combined in Tech’s last four games. For the season the point guard combo has 111 assists vs. 49 turnovers, a 2.27-to-1 ratio (3.47-to-1 in ACC games).
• Kowacie Reeves, Jr., has hit 44.7-percent of his shots from the floor for the season, a team-best 38.8 percent from three-point range and 82.5 percent from the foul line. He is Tech’s No. 3 scorer at 12.1 points per game.
• Three Tech players – Kelly, Baye Ndongo and Reeves, Jr., are averaging 13.4 points or better in ACC games this season, responsible for 62.9 percent of the Jackets’ points in conference play. They have combined to hit 51.4 percent from the floor and 44.4 percent from three-point range.
• Deebo Coleman has just seven turnovers this season in 383 minutes (one in 122 ACC minutes), and has had 11 turnover-free games.

Miles Kelly (13) posted his second double-double this season with 16 points and 11 rebounds. (photo by Andy Mead)

 

Game Highlights

Post-Game Press Conference