South Bend, Ind. – Georgia Tech men’s basketball led or tied for the first 38 minutes of the game, but went scoreless for a 5-minute stretch late in the game and succumbed to Notre Dame in a 71-68 decision Tuesday night at Purcell Pavilion.
Looking for first win in South Bend since the Fighting Irish joined the ACC, Tech (9-12, 3-7 ACC) opened the second half scoring the first six points to break a 37-all tie and led by as many as seven at 62-55 after Naithan George made a pull-up jumper at the 5:35 mark. George led the Jackets with 20 points and five assists.
But the Jackets missed their next eight shots from the floor, and the Fighting Irish (9-10, 4-5 ACC) scored 13 straight points to grab the lead and steal the win. Braeden Shrewsberry started the rally with a three-point basket, and Notre Dame’s leading scorer, Markus Burton, drained a pair of three-pointers on the Fighting Irish’s next two possessions to put the home team ahead for good, 64-62, with 1:49 to go.
After Kebba Njie scored a layup with 37 seconds left, the Irish sealed the game at the free throw line, making 5-of-6, sending the Yellow Jackets to their 11th consecutive loss at Purcell Pavilion.
Tech shot 49.1 percent from the floor and turned the ball over just eight times in a losing effort. Duncan Powell scored 18 for the Jackets, and Baye Ndongo added 10.
Burton scored a game-high 26 points for Notre Dame, 18 of them in the second half, while Shrewsberry chipped in with 15.
Tech returns to action Saturday, Feb. 1 at 3:45 p.m. EST when it hosts No. 25 Louisville at McCamish Pavilion. The game will be televised live on The CW Network.
Naithan George (1) led the Jackets with 20 points, hitting 9-of-11 shots from the floor.
POST-GAME NOTES
- Tech has lost five of its last six games and is 0-6 on the road this season.
- Tech has lost 11 straight games at Purcell Pavilion and has not won there since Feb. 24, 1990.
- Tech has shot 48.1% from the floor in its last 2 games (47.1% vs. Virginia Tech, 49.1% at Notre Dame. The Jackets connected on an aggregate 40.2% during their 4-game losing streak.
- Tech has played 7, 6, 7 and 7 players in its last four games. The Jackets had played 8 or more in every game prior to Clemson, 9 or more in 11 games.
- Tech has had fewer than 10 turnovers five times this season, twice against Notre Dame (8 each time). The Jackets’ starting 5 committed only 2 between them against the Fighting Irish.
- Sophomore guard Naithan George has scored in double digits in 8 straight games, averaging 12.4 points and 6.4 assists per game. He has shot 45.3% (29-of-86) from the floor, 33.3% (13-of-39) from 3-point range, during that stretch.
- Junior forward Duncan Powell has averaged 14.6 points and 5.8 rebounds over his last 8 games, including three games of 20 points or more. The Sacramento State transfer has hit 46.5% (41-of-88) from the floor, 42.9% (18-of-42) from three-point range and 70.7% (29-of-41) from the foul line in that stretch.
- Senior guards Lance Terry and Javian McCollum have failed to reach double-figure points in the same game just 3 times this season – Cincinnati on Nov. 23, Duke on Dec. 21, and Notre Dame on Jan. 28.
- Powell has shot a team-high 39.5% on 43 3-point attempts in ACC play, and has been to the foul line a team-high 50 times (72%).
- Five Tech players are averaging in double figures in ACC games – Lance Terry (15.1 ppg), Javian McCollum (14.1), Duncan Powell (13.3), Naithan George (11.5) and Baye Ndongo (11.0) – and their field goals made range between 40 (Powell) and 45 (George).
Duncan Powell (31) scored 18 points for Tech,
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
POST-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE AUDIO
Head coach Damon Stoudamire and sophomore guard Naithan George
