THE FLATS – It was a tale of two runs in the second half, as Georgia Tech erased a 10-point deficit with a 17-4 spurt, but Georgia responded with a 14-0 run of its own, and Tech went on to drop a 77-69 decision to archrival UGA on Friday evening at raucous McCamish Pavilion.
Georgia Tech, which trailed 27-19 at the half and saw Georgia’s lead swell to 10 in the opening seconds of the second half, went on its 17-4 run early in the second half to turn the 10-point deficit into a 36-33 lead with just under 13 minutes to go in the game.
However, moments later, the Bulldogs went on their 14-0 run to reclaim the double-digit advantage. The Yellow Jackets closed within six points with less than five minutes to go and again in the waning seconds, but couldn’t get any closer en route to dropping the 200th all-time meeting in the hardwood edition of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate. Despite Friday’s defeat, Georgia Tech still leads the all-time series, 107-93.
Lance Terry led all scorers with 20 points for Georgia Tech (2-2), while Baye Ndongo and Javian McCollum rounded out three Jackets in double-figures with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
The Yellow Jackets, which came into the game shooting nearly 45% for the season, shot just 36.5% from the field in the loss, including making just 6-of-23 shots from 3-point range (26.1%). Tech was especially cold in the first half, making just 20.6% of their field-goal attempts, including 1-of-9 from beyond the arc, before the break.
Freshman Doryan Onwuchekwa pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds for the Jackets.
Silas Demary Jr. led four scorers in double-figures for Georgia (4-0) with 18 points.
Georgia Tech has a week-long break before it returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 23 with a home date versus Big XII opponent Cincinnati. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at McCamish Pavilion.
Lance Terry led all scorers with 20 points. (photo by Danny Karnik)
POST-GAME NOTES
TEAM NOTES
- Tech is playing its first seven games of the season at McCamish Pavilion, the longest homestand to start a season for the Yellow Jackets since 1980-81 The Jackets do not play away from home until Dec. 3 (SEC/ACC Challenge at Oklahoma).
- Tech set season lows for points (69), field goal percentage (.365), three-point field goals (6) and assists (11), but a high in fouls committed (28).
- Tech has connected on just 37.2 percent of its field goal tries (45-of-121) in its last two games.
- Javian McCollum and Baye Ndongo each have scored in double digits in all four of Tech’s games.
PLAYER NOTES
- Baye Ndongo has scored in double-digits in all four Tech games this season, getting 14 point against Georgia, including 6-for-6 from the free throw line. He leads the Yellow Jackets in scoring average (15.8 ppg) and is tied for the team lead in rebound average (8.0 rpg).
- Lance Terry scored all 20 of his points in the second half to single-handedly keep Tech in the game vs. Georgia (7-11 FG, 4-4 FT). He has scored 20 or more points three times in a Tech uniform (24 vs. Miami and Syracuse in the 2022-23 season).
- Freshman center Doryan Onwuchekwa has started Tech’s last two games and grabbed a total of 20 rebounds, including a personal best of 11 against Georgia. He also scored a season-high seven points against the Dogs.
- Javian McCollum has scored in double figures 49 times in his career, and in all four games for Tech this season. He had 13 points against Georgia, going 6-for-7 from the foul line. He has at least one three-point field goal in each game this season.
- Kowacie Reeves, Jr., has started all 36 games Tech has played with him on the team.
