Chapel Hill, N.C. – Georgia Tech’s sophomore trio of Miles Kelly, Jalon Moore and Deebo Coleman combined for 43 of Georgia Tech’s points, but the Yellow Jackets could not overcome a major disadvantage in size and rebounding Saturday and fell, 75-59, to North Carolina at the Dean Smith Center.
Tech (6-4, 0-1 in the ACC) was beaten 43-22 on the glass and was able to secure just one offensive rebound against the Tar Heels (6-4, 1-1 ACC), who scored 36 of their points in the paint and shot 47.4 percent from the floor.
Kelly and Moore scored 15 points each to lead the Yellow Jackets, while Coleman added 13. They combined to hit 16-of-29 shots from the floor and 7-of-15 from three-point range. The rest of the team managed to connect on just 6-of-25 from the floor and 2-of-11 on threes. Tech’s nine threes and 26 attempts were both season highs.
Tech kept pace with the Tar Heels in the first 15 minutes of the game behind its three-point shooting, hitting 5-of-13 from behind the arc. Deebo Coleman and Miles Kelly made two each from long range, and Terry knocked in another. But after Terry’s shot that gave the Yellow Jackets a 24-23 lead, Tech made only one basket the rest of the half and the Tar Heels reeled off 11 straight points to end the period and take a 39-26 lead into the locker room.
Despite shooting 50 percent after intermission, the Yellow Jackets could not cut into the Tar Heel lead and fell behind by as many as 20 points late in the game.
R.J. Davis led North Carolina with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Armando Bacot returned from a one-game injury absence to score 21 points with 13 boards. Pete Nance added 13 points and Caleb Love 10 for the Tar Heels.
Tech returns to the court next Saturday, Dec. 17, for its next game, a 2 p.m. tip against Alabama State at McCamish Pavilion. The game will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra and ESPN+.
Jalon Moore notched his fifth straight game in double-digit points with 15. (photo by Jaylynn Nash)
Post-Game Notes
- Tech plays its next four games at home – Alabama State next Saturday, Clemson on Dec. 21, Virginia on Dec. 31 and Miami on Jan. 4. The Yellow Jackets do not travel again until Jan. 7 at Florida State.
- Tech is 18-26 in ACC openers, 8-16 in openers on the road.
- Tech has started the lineup of Deebo Coleman, Deivon Smith, Miles Kelly and Jalon Moore around Ja’von Franklin for the last five games and won three of them. Only Coleman and Smith have started all eight games this season.
- Tech has used 10 players for the six times in 10 games this season. Ja’von Franklin was limited to a season-low 6:26 and Deivon Smith to 22:52 due to injuries.
- Tech set season highs for three-point field goals made (9) and attempted (26) against North Carolina.
- Tech has reached its target of 11 turnovers or fewer for seven times in 10 games. The Yellow Jackets have a season turnover margin of plus-2.5, which ranked fifth in the ACC entering Saturday’s game. Its percentage of possessions that end in turnovers (15.2 pct.) ranked 17th
- Tech entered Saturday’s game No. 2 in the ACC in offensive rebounds per game (13.1), and turning those into 14.1 second-chance points per game, but the Yellow Jackets took just one offensive rebound against North Carolina.
- Tech’s sophomore trio of Miles Kelly (15), Jalon Moore (15) and Deebo Coleman (13) combined for 43 of the team’s 59 points. They combined to make 16-of-29 shots from the floor and 7-of-15 from three-point range.
- Miles Kelly has led Tech in scoring in each of the last four games (21 vs. Iowa, 16 vs. Northeastern, 17 vs. Georgia, 15 vs. North Carolina) and has reached double figures in eight of 10 games this season.
- Kelly has started Tech’s last five games (after coming off the bench for the first five), and has averaged 16.2 points and 4.6 rebounds over that stretch. He has connected on 29-of-56 shots from the floor, 14-of-30 from three-point range and 9-of-10 from the line across those five games.
- Jalon Moore has scored in double figures in five straight games since entering the starting lineup, averaging 13.2 points and 6.4 rebounds over that stretch, while hitting 24-of-47 from the floor and 17-of-20 from the line.
- Deebo Coleman reached double figures in points for the first time in three games (13 points) and matched his season high for three-pointers (3-of-5).
Miles Kelly has led Tech in scoring in each of the Jackets’ last four games. (photo by Jaylynn Nash)
Game Highlights
Coach Pastner Post-Game Audio
