February 7, 2017

Post-Game Notes

Feb. 7, 2017

Recap | Quotes | GT Photo Gallery

–

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

Georgia Tech starting lineup: Heath, Heyward, Okogie, Stephens, Lammers (fifth straight game this season with this lineup)
First subs for Georgia Tech: Jackson, McCormick for Heath, Stephens – 16:22, 1^st half
On the floor for Georgia Tech at the end: Harris, Matthews, Medlock, Price, Rowland
Opening tap won by Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech has won the opening tap in 11 of 24 games this season.
Series record vs. Tusculum: Georgia Tech is 1-0 overall, 1-0 at home, 1-0 at McCamish Pavilion, 1-0 under Josh Pastner, 1-0 vs. Michael Jones
Current series streak: this was the first meeting
Georgia Tech is 12-3 at McCamish Pavilion this season, 55-29 in its fifth season in the building, 12-3 under Josh Pastner
Georgia Tech’s next game: February 11, 2017 vs. Boston College, 5:30 p.m., McCamish Pavilion, Atlanta, Ga. [RSN, 680 AM, 93.7 FM, Sirius 132, XM 193]

TEAM NOTES

Tonight was Georgia Tech’s first regular-season game against a Division II team since Jan. 30, 2010, when the Yellow Jackets hosted Kentucky State in a 98-50 win.
Georgia Tech played its second straight game without backup forward Abdoulaye Gueye (fractured wrist) and backup point guard Justin Moore (abdominal injury).
Tech started Josh Heath, Corey Heyward, Ben Lammers, Josh Okogie and Quinton Stephens for the fifth game in a row and for the sixth time this season. Three Yellow Jackets – Lammers, Okogie and Stephens – have started every game this season.
Tech was able to play 13 players in the Tusculum game, and all 13 of them scored.
Tech got 99 minutes and 50 points from its bench against Tusculum, both season highs. Tech’s previous high for bench points this season was 36 at VCU (24 by Tadric Jackson). Its previous high for bench minutes was 78 against Alcorn State.
Tech’s 96 points were a season high, eclipsing the 86 the Yellow Jackets scored Jan. 15 at NC State, and the most since the jackets scored 107 vs. Green Bay on Nov. 19 of last season.
Tech led at the half (58-31) for the first time in three games and scored its most points in a half this season. It was the most points Tech has scored in one half since the Jackets scored 59 in the second half in their 2015-16 opener against Cornell. The Jackets are 13-2 when leading at the half this season.
Tech reached its magic number for points (70), and remained unbeaten (12-0) when reaching that number offensively.
Tech outshot Tusculum 56.3 percent to 32.8 percent and improved to 14-1 when shooting a higher percentage from the floor than its opponent this season.
Tech’s 56.3-percent shooting from the floor was its highest mark of the year, edging out the 56.0 percent the Yellow Jackets shot in their season opener against Tennessee Tech. It was the highest field goal percentage for the Jackets since shooting 60.3 percent in the 2015-16 season opener against Cornell.
Only Alcorn State (31.4 percent) and North Carolina A&T (32.1 percent) have posted lower percentages from the floor against Tech this year than the 32.8 percent by Tusculum.
Tech had a 46-14 advantage on points in the paint, the first time in three games the Jackets have come out on top in that category.
Tech’s plus-18 advantage on the boards (47-29) was its biggest of the season. The Jackets out-rebounded Alcorn State by 15 and Florida State by 14.
Ben Lammers and Quinton Stephens combined for 11 rebounds. Both players rank among the top 10 in the ACC in rebound average, making Tech the only ACC team to have two players among the top 10.
Lammers and Stephens, who have combined to average 70.6 minutes in ACC games this season, played a combined 40 minutes against Tusculum. No Tech player logged more than 22 minutes in the game.
Four Tech players scored their first career points as Yellow Jackets – seniors Rand Rowland and Jodan Price and freshman walk-ons Norman Harris and Shaheed Medlock.
Tech made 10 three-point field goals in 21 attempts, matching its season high in three-pointers (10-of-16 at NC State). Tech went 8-for-20 at Wake Forest and is 18-of-41 in its last two games.
Pastner meter 1 (assists to made field goals): Tech has a season-high 25 assists on a season-high 36 made field goals (69.4 pct.) vs. Tusculum – 60 percent goal accomplished. Tech is at 63 percent for the season, which ranks 11^th in the nation, and 66.4 percent in ACC games.
Pastner meter 2 (free throws made to opponents’ attempts): Tech made 14 of 18 free throws Tusculum’s 6 of 14 (goal of making more than opponent tries not accomplished). The Yellow Jackets maintain a 72.6-percent clip from the foul line in ACC games, 69 percent in all games.
Pastner meter 3 (guard rebounding): Tech’s guards combined for 17 of Tech’s 35 defensive rebounds.
Georgia Tech has defeated its three top-25 team this season (No. 9 North Carolina, No. 6 Clemson, No. 14 Notre Dame), the most in one season for the program since the Yellow Jackets went 4-3 vs. top-25 teams in 2003-04. Tech has beaten as many as three top-25 teams in one season six times prior to this season.
Tech has beaten two top-10 teams this season – No. 9 North Carolina and No. 6 Florida State – the first time the Yellow Jackets have beaten multiple top-10 teams in the same season since 2004-05 (No. 5 Wake Forest in the regular season and No. 2 North Carolina in the ACC Tournament). It is the first time since 2003-04 that the Jackets have beaten multiple top-10 teams in the regular season (No. 1 Connecticut, No. 10 Wake Forest, No. 3 Duke). It is the 18^th time in program history that Tech has defeated multiple top-10 teams in the same season.
Six of Tech’s first nine ACC games were played against teams ranked in the top 25. The Jackets have only one current top-25 team left on its schedule (Notre Dame on Feb. 26).

INDIVIDUAL NOTES

Josh Okogie scored a team-high 15 points, his 19^th double-digit game out of 24 games overall. He missed his second career double-double by one rebound.
Ben Lammers got back into double digits against Tusculum with 13 points to go with six rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists. Lammers has reached double-digits in 21 of 24 games this season. He ranks No. 2 nationally in blocked shots with 3.25 per game.
Freshman Christian Matthews scored 12 points and posted second double-digit scoring game this season (scored 14 in 13 minutes at Tennessee). He hit one three and has three in Tech’s last two games. He played a career-high 21 minutes, adding four rebounds and three assists.
Tadric Jackson scored 10 points to post his third double-digit game in Tech’s last four games, and added a season-high four assists in 19 minutes, He is averaging 12.3 points and 3.0 assists over that stretch and has hit 19 of 41 shots from the floor.
Backup center Sylvester Ogbonda set career highs with eight points (4-7 FG) and five rebounds in 14 minutes. In Tech’s last two games, he has played 28 minutes, scored 13 points (5-9 FG) and grabbed seven rebounds.
Kellen McCormick went 3-for-3 from three-point range and scored nine points with two assists in 18 minutes. It was his most productive game since he went 4-for-4 on threes for 12 points against North Carolina A&T on Dec. 28. McCormick is 10-for-13 from the floor this season, 9-for-12 from behind the arc.
Former non-scholarship player Rand Rowland, who earlier in the day was named to the AllState NABC Good Works Team, scored the first points of his career on a bucket inside with 6:32 left in the second half. He played a career-high eight minutes.
Freshman walk-ons Norman Harris and Shaheed Medlock saw action for just the second time this season. They both played in the Alcorn State game, which Tech won 74-50 back on Dec. 18.
Quinton Stephens, who had averaged 13.0 points and 10.1 rebounds over his last eight games, had a quiet seven points, five rebounds and two assists in 18 minutes.
Stephens went 1-for-6 from three-point range and has connected on 23 of 61 (37.7 percent) from beyond the arc in his last nine games.
Corey Heyward, who started his fifth straight game, played 18 more turnover-free minutes. In his five starts, he has committed just one turnover in 124 minutes.
Josh Heath dished five assists with no turnovers in 21 minutes, and also scored six points and took three rebounds. It was Heath’s 27^th turnover-free game at Georgia Tech.