Dec. 5, 2004
By PAUL NEWBERRY
AP Sports Writer
ATLANTA – B.J. Elder scored 19 points, Jarrett Jack added 18 and No. 4 Georgia Tech romped to another easy victory, this time beating Georgia 87-49 on Sunday night.
The Yellow Jackets (5-0) followed up a 31-point rout of Michigan with an even bigger victory over their state rival, though it took them a little longer to get going.
Georgia (1-3) kept it close for about 10 minutes, only to have the Yellow Jackets methodically pull away for a 43-30 halftime lead. Things really got out of hand over the final 20 minutes.
Georgia Tech opened the second half with a 12-0 run while the Bulldogs were missing seven straight shots.
Isma’il Muhammad’s basket made it a 20-point game barely 2 minutes into the half. Ra’Sean Dickey made two free throws for a 30-point lead with nearly 12 minutes remaining. Zam Fredrick swished a 3-pointer to give the Yellow Jackets a 40-point cushion with 5 minutes to go.
At that point, Georgia Tech already had pulled out the starters, letting its younger players finish the game.
The only excitement occurred early in the second half. Jack scored on a nifty drive to make it 59-32, prompting Georgia to call a timeout. As the players headed to the bench, Jack got into it with Steve Newman, leading to a brief scuffle at midcourt.
The teams were quickly separated, Jack and Newman were given offsetting technicals and there were no further problems.
Elder led five players in double figures for Georgia Tech, which shot nearly 54 percent from the field and outrebounded the Bulldogs 44-25. Luke Schenscher, Muhammad and Dickey all had 12 points, with Schenscher pulling down 14 rebounds.
Levi Stukes led Georgia with 17 points.
Georgia Tech has won its first five games by an average of 26 points. The Jackets’ only scare was a 60-59 victory at Illinois-Chicago, their lone road game.
Georgia’s woes were epitomized by its freshman center, Dave Bliss. He picked up two fouls in the first 43 seconds, sending him to the bench for the rest of the first half.
He started the second half but quickly picked up his third foul. After another stint on the bench, he fouled out with two more whistles in succession. Bliss was done with 11:06 left in the game, having played just 3{ minutes.
The Yellow Jackets were eager to avenge one of the most disappointing losses of their Final Four year. After opening last season with 12 straight victories, they lost 83-80 at Georgia in overtime.
But the Bulldogs lost four seniors off that team and are in the beginning stages of a major rebuilding job. The team has only seven scholarship players, and the two seniors are walk-ons who made the team during open tryouts before the season.
