Feb. 23, 2016
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– MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
• Georgia Tech starting lineup: Georges-Hunt, Smith, Stephens, Jacobs, Mitchell
• First subs for Georgia Tech: Lammers and White for Jacobs and Mitchell at the 15:44 mark of the first half
• On the floor for Georgia Tech at the end: Georges-Hunt, Tadric Jackson, Smith, Stephens, White
• Opening tap won by Clemson. Georgia Tech has won the opening tap 16 times in 28 games this season.
• Series record vs. Clemson: Georgia Tech is 61-68 overall, 42-24 at home, 2-2 at McCamish Pavilion, 2-9 under Brian Gregory, 2-11 vs. Brad Brownell
• Current series streak: Tech snapped a two-game losing streak, teams have split last four meetings
• Georgia Tech is 12-5 at McCamish Pavilion this season, 41-26 in its fourth season in the building, 41-26 under Brian Gregory
• Georgia Tech’s next game: February 27, 2016, at Boston College, 12 p.m. ET [RSN], Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, N.C.
TEAM NOTES
• Georgia Tech has won three straight regular-season ACC games for the first time since the 2007-08 season (Jan. 19 vs. Virginia Tech, Jan. 23 at NC State, Jan. 27 at Virginia). Tech has beaten three straight ACC teams three other times since, but all of those instances included an ACC Tournament game. The last time the Yellow Jackets beat four straight ACC teams in the regular-season was 2001-02, beating NC State, Virginia, Wake Forest and Florida State to close the regular season.
• With three regular season games remaining, Tech has matched its highest win total, both overall and in the ACC, under Brian Gregory, and has its most wins since the 2009-10 season. The Yellow Jackets have assured themselves of finishing the regular season above .500.
• Tech moved into a tie for 11th place in the ACC standings with Florida State at 6-9, with Virginia Tech a half-game ahead at 6-8. The Jackets must leap over one of those teams to avoid playing on Tuesday at the ACC Tournament. They hold a tiebreaker over FSU, but lose a potential tiebreaker with Virginia Tech.
• Tech improved to 12-5 at home, percentage-wise its best home record, and its most home wins, in five seasons under Brian Gregory. The Jackets have not had a better home record since going 14-2 in 2009-10.
• Tech utilized the same starting lineup it put on the floor against Florida State and Notre Dame — Marcus Georges-Hunt, Adam Smith and Quinton Stephens on the perimeter, Nick Jacobs and Charles Mitchell in the post — and have won all three games it has played with that lineup. The Yellow Jackets have utilized seven different starting fives this season. Marcus Georges-Hunt is now the only Yellow Jacket to start every game this season.
• In Tech’s three-game winning streak, Marcus Georges-Hunt has averaged 39.0 minutes, Adam Smith 34.0 and Quinton Stephens 33.7. They have scored, respectively, 23.7, 18.0 and 8.3 points per game. Collectively they have hit 21-of-52 (40.4 pct.) from three-point range.
• Tech trailed at the half for the seventh time in 15 ACC games this season (44-35), and for the eighth time this season. The Yellow Jackets are 3-5 when trailing at the half. The 44 Clemson points and the nine-point deficit represented largest values in both categories against Tech in ACC games this season. • Tech won its second straight game when trailing inside the 5:00 mark of the second half after losing its first nine such games this season.
• Tech came back from a 13-point second-half deficit to win the game, matching the largest deficit from which the Yellow Jackets have overcome under Brian Gregory (VCU on 11/18/11 and Miami on 3/6/13).
• Tech and Clemson combined to hit 3-of-24 threes in their first meeting on Feb. 13. Tonight, they combined to go 20-for-46.
• Tech shot 54.2 percent against the Tigers, the third time in the last seven games and sixth time overall this season that the Yellow Jackets have shot 50 percent or better from the floor. Tech is 5-1 in those games. The Jackets converted 59.1 percent in the second half against Clemson.
• This was the highest scoring game in the series (148 points) since Clemson took an 87-62 win at Littlejohn Coliseum in the 2010-11 season. In the previous 11 games, only Clemson was able to reach 70 points one time, and that took overtime.
• Tech had a 4-3 edge in second-chance points and was on the short end in points off turnovers (9-11), but those were the key figures in the Tigers’ 66-52 win on Feb. 13. Clemson held a 21-11 and 17-6 edge, respectively, in those categories.
• Tech out-rebounded Clemson, 31-23, for the game. The Yellow Jackets have out-rebounded 23 of their 28 opponents, with two ties, this season; and 12 of 15 ACC foes. Tech remains fourth in the ACC and came into the game 26th in the nation in rebound margin (+7.0 per game, +4.0 in ACC games).
• Tech’s starting perimeter trio of Marcus Georges-Hunt, Adam Smith and Quinton Stephens scored in double digits each for the second time in three games, having also done so at Florida State, an 86-80 win. They combined for 56 of Tech’s 75 points against Clemson, 66 of Tech’s 86 at Florida State.
• Tech out-scored an opponent from the free throw line for only the third time in 15 ACC games (14-3). Tech had won the free throw battle against NC State and Notre Dame before tonight.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
• Marcus Georges-Hunt led Tech with 25 points(8-of-10 FG, 8-of-9 FT), reaching double figures for the 23rd time in 28 games this season, 86th time in 122 career games. He is averaging 18.9 points and shooting 49.7 percent from the floor in ACC games.
• Georges-Hunt went over 20 points for the 10th time this season and for the seventh time in ACC play. He did it for the 19th time in his career.
• Georges-Hunt surpassed John Salley (1,587 points, 1982-86) and Bruce Dalrymple (1,588, 1983-87) for 14th place on Tech’s all-time scoring list against Clemson. Georges-Hunt has 1,600 points in his career, needing 16 to catch B.J. Elder for 13th place.
• Georges-Hunt didn’t hit a dramatic game-winning basket, but he did score the game-winning points on two free throws with three seconds left. His driving basket with one second left gave the Jackets a 63-62 win over Notre Dame Saturday night, his third last-second basket to win a game in his career. He tipped in a miss at the buzzer as a freshman to lift Tech over No. 6 Miami in Coral Gables, and knocked down a three-pointer at the final horn (and was fouled) to win a home game over Boston College as a sophomore.
• Georges-Hunt had four more assists against Clemson. He is Tech’s leader in assist average (3.7) for ACC games.
• Quinton Stephens notched his second double-figure scoring game and his sixth this season with 11 points. Stephens knocked down three threes and also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Stephens has averaged 8.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in his last four games, hitting 13 of 29 shots from the floor, 8 of 22 from three-point range.
• Tech has won all six games in which Stephens has scored in double figures this year, and is 4-2 in the six games he has started.
• Adam Smith scored in double figures for the 22nd time this season and for the 12th time in ACC play. It was also his fifth game of 20 or more points in ACC play this season. He is averaging 15.5 points in conference play.
• Smith has made at least one in 96 of 106 games in his career for a total of 245. His career total would rank fifth all-time Georgia Tech had he played his entire career here.
• In 28 games, Smith has made more three-pointers (82) than Tech’s leader in each of the last 11 seasons. They are the most since Marvin Lewis accumulated 82 (in 38 games) in the 2003-04 season.
• Ben Lammers, “The Laminator,” had another solid game off the bench with four points (2-2 FG), a team-high seven rebounds and four blocked shots in 21 minutes. He has played more minutes in only one game (22 at Syracuse). Lammers leads Tech in blocked shots this season with 37, and 23 of those have come in ACC games.
• Georges-Hunt played 39 minutes against Clemson, one game after playing the full 40 minutes against Notre Dame, which was the first time a Tech player had done so since Jan. 2, 1999. Georges-Hunt has played 36, 38, 38, 40 and 39 minutes in his last five games and is averaging 35.2 in ACC games.
• Stephens played a career-high 34 minutes against Clemson, while Smith’s 35 minutes matched his most in a Georgia Tech uniform.
