THE FLATS – The Scott Cross era opened in style on Tuesday night at McCamish Pavilion, as Georgia Tech men’s basketball raced out to a 42-15 halftime lead and never trailed in a 75-55 season-opening win over visiting Hampton.
In Cross’s first game as Georgia Tech’s 16th head coach, his Yellow Jackets dominated visiting Hampton inside, with a 59-33 advantage in rebounds and a 48-22 edge in points in the paint. Tech shot 41.8% (28-for-67) from the field, while holding Hampton to just 27.9% shooting (17-for-61).
Three Jackets scored in double-figures – Colby Garland with a game-high 16, Kam Craft with 12 and Jackson Fields with 10 – but, perhaps even more impressively, four Tech players pulled down at least five rebounds, led by Cole Kirouac's game-high 10. The Jackets were unselfish, dishing out 11 assists on 28 made field goals, including four from Garland.
Georgia Tech needed less than five minutes to take a commanding 11-1 lead and held no less than a double-digit advantage for the final 34 and a half minutes of the game. They stretched the lead to as large as 30 points on a Craft 3-pointer early in the second half.
Nehemiah Lawrence and Etienne Strothers led Hampton with 10 points apiece.
The Yellow Jackets look to move to 2-0 on Friday night when they host in-state foe Georgia Southern. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at McCamish Pavilion. Tickets for Friday night hoops at the Thrillerdome are still available and can be purchased by clicking HERE.