THE FLATS – A hot start from behind the line provided an early lead and a devastatingly efficient shooting night from Nasir Whitlock kept the Eagles as bey for the entirety of the game as Georgia Tech basketball (2-0) defeated Georgia Southern (1-1) 95-83 on Friday night from inside McCamish Pavilion, in Atlanta.
The Jackets led from the second Kam Craft hit a three in the opening minute of play, to the final whistle, leading by as many as 12 points (83-71) and never allowing the Eagles to cut the margin below five for the whole second half. Tech helped put the game away with its free throw shooting, scoring 36 points from the line, its most in a regulation game since 1988.
All 11 Jackets that saw the court recorded points with Tech’s leading scorer, Whitlock, finishing with 29 points on only 11 attempts from the field (4-for-7 from three and 13-14 from the line). Joining him in double digits was Kam Craft (11 points), who helped Tech to the hot start with three threes in the first 5 minutes of play, Tylis Jordan (11 points) and Colby Garland (11 points). Whitlock stuffed the stat sheet, leading the team in points (29), rebounds (seven) and finishing tied with Garland for the assist lead (six).
The Jackets came out hot in the first half, drilling five of their first six three-point attempts (three from Craft and two from Whitlock) in the first five minutes to take an early, 17-10 lead. Tech led for the entirety of the half, finishing the frame with a 51-45 advantage.
GT spread the ball around incredibly well in the opening 20 minutes, with nine different Jackets recording points and nobody on the team taking more than four shots from the field. Whitlock led the way with 15 points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field (two threes and 7-for-8 from the line), he also led the offense with four assists and was one of four players to lead the team on the glass with three boards.
The Jackets stayed aggressive in the second, forcing their way to the line and taking advantage to the tune of 20 points from free throws on 76.9 shooting (20-for-26). The bulk of the offense came from Whitlock, who drained two more threes and went 6-for-6 from the line to finish with 14 points along with six second half points from Ilja Kurucs, playing in his first collegiate game.
The Yellow Jackets will try to make it 3-0 on Tuesday night when they welcome Eastern Kentucky. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at McCamish Pavilion. Tickets for Tuesday night hoops at the Thrillerdome are still available and can be purchased by clicking HERE.