Jackets Drop 76-61 Decision at Oklahoma

Norman, Okla. – Down two starters because of injury, Georgia Tech (4-4) battled to lead No. 21 Oklahoma at halftime, but the Sooners (8-0) reeled off nine straight points to open the second half and captured a 76-61 victory over the Yellow Jackets in the SEC/ACC Challenge Tuesday night at the Lloyd Noble Center.

Freshman guard Jaeden Mustaf scored a team-high 16 pints for Tech, which fell to 4-4 on the season and 1-1 in the SEC/ACC Challenge. Lance Terry scored 14 points, including three 3-point field goals to surpass 1,000 points for his career, and Duncan Powell posted his first double-double as a Yellow Jacket with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Tech played shorthanded because of injuries to starters Javian McCollum and Kowacie Reeves, Jr., who both were among the Yellow Jackets’ top five scorers coming into Tuesday night’s game.

Behind nine early points from Terry, Tech raced out to 17-6 lead, making four of first five shots from the floor. The Jackets shot 45.2% in the opening period and took a 34-30 lead into the locker room at halftime, limiting the Sooners to 32% shooting from the floor.

But OU made five of their eight field goals from three-point range and went 9-of-11 from the foul line to keep it close, while the Jackets missed their final seven field goal attempts of the period.

The Sooners scored the first nine points out of intermission to lead 39-34, taking advantage of a pair of turnovers and an 0-for-8 start from the floor for the Jackets. Another 6-0 run gave OU a 57-45 lead at the 8:19 mark. Tech was able to trim its deficit to five (62-57) with 5:24 left, but could get no closer.

Tech limited Oklahoma to 38.5% shooting from the floor for the game, but the Sooners hit 10 3-pointers and made 26-of-30 free throws. Jeremiah Fears led OU with 18 points as five Sooners scored in double digits, and Jalon Moore scored 15 with 11 rebounds.

Tech returns to action Saturday when it opens the Atlantic Coast Conference season at North Carolina in Chapel Hill. The game will tip off at 2 p.m. and be televised live on the ACC Network.

 

Lance Terry scored 14 points and surpassed the 1,000-point milestone for his career. (photo by Chad Hamilton)

 

POST-GAME NOTES

TEAM NOTES

• Tech played a game away from home for the first time this season after opening the season with seven consecutive home games, a first since the 1980-81 season, prior to the Yellow Jackets’ entry into the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• Tech fell to 1-1 in the SEC/ACC Challenge.
• Tech fell to 0-2 vs. Associated Press and Coaches Top-25 teams this season with another ranked opponent ahead Saturday at North Carolina.
• Four Tech players are averaging in double-figure points through five games (Lance Terry6, Javian McCollum 12.8, Baye Ndongo 12.8, Naithan George 11.0).
• Tech has used four different starting lineups in eight games this season, all of them occurring as a result of injury. Tech was without starting guards Javian McCollum and Kowacie Reeves, Jr., for the second straight game.
• Eight players saw the court for the Jackets against Oklahoma and seven of them scored.
• Tech has held each of its last three opponents under 40 percent from the floor (35.1% combined) and done so five times in eight games.
• Lance Terry surpassed 1,000 points for his career with his 14-point effort against Oklahoma. Tech now has two 1,000-point scorers on its roster (Javian McCollum has 1,054 career points).
• Terry has reached double figures six times in eight games this season and 52 times in his career.
• In Tech’s last 3 games, Terry has averaged nearly 37 minutes, averaged 18 points (20-of-38 FG, 8-of-17 3pt FG) with 10 total rebounds, 5 assists, 2 turnovers and 5 steals.
• Naithan George has 23 assists and 3 turnovers in Tech’s last 3 games, and a 47-to-14 assist/turnover ratio for the season. He ranks among the ACC’s top 10 in assist average (5.9 per game) and assist/turnover ratio (3.4-1).
• Freshman guard Jaeden Mustaf has reached double figures in points in Tech’s last three games, averaging 16.7 points while hitting 16-of-33 shots from the floor, 2-of-4 from three-point range and 16-of-20 from the foul line. He also has 9 rebounds, 6 assists and just 4 turnovers across the 3 games.
• Duncan Powell posted his first double-double as a Yellow Jacket against Oklahoma, scoring 11 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. The fourth-year junior has nine double-doubles in his college career.
• Powell has grabbed a season-high rebounds in each of Tech’s last 3 games, 8 against Charleston Southern, 9 vs. Central Arkansas and 12 against Oklahoma (9.7 average).

Duncan Powell (31) notched his first double-double as a Yellow Jacket. (photo by Chad Hamilton)

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

 

DAMON STOUDAMIRE POST-GAME AUDIO

DAMON STOUDAMIRE POST-GAME VIDEO