Iowa City, Iowa – Miles Kelly scored a career-high 21 points and led four Georgia Tech players in double figures, but Iowa proved superior offensively and on the glass Tuesday night and captured an 81-65 victory over the Yellow Jackets in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Tech (4-3) surrendered 19 offensive rebounds in the game, and the Hawkeyes (6-1) capitalized for 27 second-chance points. Iowa shot 52 percent in the second half and 45 percent for the game, and went to the free throw line 31 times, making 18.
The Hawkeyes had 20 of their second-chance points in the first half to help them take a 40-29 lead into the intermission. Tech came out of the locker room and scored the first seven points of the second half to close the gap to 40-36, but could get no closer.
Kris Murray, who scored 31 points and took 20 rebounds, answered the Tech challenge by scoring Iowa’s first eight points of the half and 12 of the first 22 to help the Hawkeyes build their lead back to 62-46 at the 10:17 mark. The Jackets trimmed the deficit to 72-62 with 3:31 left, but Murray responded with his fourth three-pointer as Iowa closed the game with a 9-3 spurt. Murray finished 11-of-18 from the floor, 4-of-8 from three-point range, and added four assists.
Kelly, shaking off a dislocated finger on his shooting hand suffered in Saturday’s game against North Alabama, hit 8-of-14 shots from the floor, including 4-of-8 from three-point range. Deebo Coleman, who sparked Tech’s opening minutes of the second half, scored 12, while Deivon Smith and Jalon Moore each added 10.
Moore and Smith led Tech on the boards with eight each.
Tech comes back home for its next game at 7:30 p.m. Friday night against Northeastern at McCamish Pavilion. The game will be live streamed on ACC Network Extra and ESPN+.
Miles Kelly scored a career-high 21 points, hitting a career-best four three-point baskets. (photo by Cliff Jette)
Post-Game Notes
- Georgia Tech ended its run in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge with a 9-13 record, 3-4 under head coach Josh Pastner.
- Tech has utilized a nine-player rotation in each of its first seven games. All nine scored points against Clayton State and Northern Illinois, while eight registered in the scoring column at Georgia State. Seven tallied against Utah, nine of 10 scored against Marquette and all eight scored against North Alabama. Seven of nine scored against Iowa.
- Tech has shot under 40 percent in five of its seven games this season, the exceptions being North Alabama (59.6 percent) and Clayton State (47.9 percent).
- Tech has won the turnover battle in five of seven games. The Yellow Jackets committed 11 against Iowa to the Hawekeyes’ nine. have a season turnover margin of plus-2.7.
- Tech has limited its foes to 26.6-percent from three-point range this season. Utah (31.3 percent), Marquette (39.1 percent) and Iowa (34.6 percent) have connected on 30 percent or better.
- Tech has held four of its seven opponents under 90 points per 100 possessions in KenPom.com’s metric, and the Jackets are at 96.8 for the season, No. 83 in the nation. Utah, Marquette and Iowa were above 100, with the Hawkeyes posting a 125.1 efficiency rate, high against the Jackets this season.
- Miles Kelly scored a career-high 21 points against Iowa and dropped a career-best four three-point field goals. Kelly has scored in double figures in five of seven games.
- Kelly snapped a three-point slump of 2-for-19 in the previous four games, 0-for-5 in the last two games, by hitting 4-of-8 against Iowa. He failed to make a three-pointer for the second straight game, however, and is 0-for-5 in the last two games.
- Deebo Coleman has made a three in all seven games this season and has connected on 37.1 percent from distance. Coleman has scored in double figures in five of seven games.
- Deivon Smith has scored in double figures in five of Tech’s seven games.
- Smith remains the Yellow Jackets’ No. 2 rebounder at 6.3 per game after grabbing eight at Iowa.
- Smith has 20 assists in his last five games (4.0 per game) and leads the Yellow Jackets with 3.3 per game.
- Jalon Moore has scored in double figures three times this season, including each of the last two games in which he has averaged 11.5 points on 10-of-16 field goal attempts, and 8.0 rebounds.
- Ja’von Franklin has blocked at least one shot in every game this season and has averaged 2.4 for the season, second in the ACCl He has 17 total blocks, three shy of Rodney Howard’s team-leading total of 20 from 2021-22.
- Last opposing player to score 30 or more points against Tech – Justin Champagnie of Pittsburgh on Feb. 8, 2020. Last opposing player to grab 20 rebounds – Dale Davis of Clemson on March 3, 1990.
Deebo Coleman reached double figures for the fifth time this season with 12 points. (photo by Cliff Jette)
