November 9, 2023

Kelly Drives Jackets Past Howard, 88-85

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THE FLATS – A Miles Kelly three-pointer with 2:43 left in the game gave Georgia Tech its first lead of the second half, capping a furious comeback from a 14-point deficit, and the Yellow Jackets held hot-shooting Howard scoreless for more than five minutes to help Tech get past the Bison, 88-85, on Thursday night at McCamish Pavilion.

Kelly scored 16 of his game high 27 points during the rally, which saw Tech come back from a 57-43 deficit with three minutes into the second half. His three-pointer and a jumper that followed gave the Jackets an 80-76 lead with two minutes on the clock, and the junior guard made four free throws in the final 15 seconds to seal the victory.

The Yellow Jackets (2-0) held advantages in points off turnovers (15-6), second-chance points (16-11) and points in the paint (50-46), but were unable to cool the Bisons (1-1) offense. Howard shot better than 50 percent for the game (50.8), while Tech shot 42.9 percent.

Georgia Tech finished with four double-digit scorers, led by Kelly, who scored 27 points, including four clutch free throws down the stretch. Tyzhaun Claude recorded 19 points and six rebounds, while Kowacie Reeves had another strong game with 15 points and seven rebounds. Kyle Sturdivant finished with 11 points.

Howard was led by Shy Odom, who finished with 22 points and seven rebounds on the night.

Georgia Tech remains at home to start the season when it hosts UMass Lowell on Tuesday, Nov. 14. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra and ESPN+.

Kowacie Reeves, Jr. (14) recorded 15 points and seven rebounds on the night. (photo by Danny Karnik)

Post-Game Notes

TEAM TRENDS

Ten players saw action in the Yellow Jackets’ season opener vs. Georgia Southern, and seven made at least one field goal.
Tech has played its first two games without senior guard Lance Terry and freshman forward Baye Ndongo, out with injuries. Both are expected to be significant contributors to the Jackets this season.
Only 18 of Tech’s 77 field goal attempts were three-point tries. In the season opener and two pre-season games combined, the Jackets tried 109 threes out of 193 total field goal attempts.
Tech made just 4-of-18 three-point field goals against Howard after hitting 13 of 29 from (44.8 percent) against Georgia Southern. Tech connected on 33 of 70 three-point attempts (47.1 percent) in the two pre-season games combined.
Tech scored 50 of its 88 points in the paint, more than in any game last season except Clayton State (52).
Tech has turned the ball over just 20 times in two games and forced 32, scoring 36 points from them.

PLAYER NOTES

Miles Kelly has reached double figures in points in 10 straight games dating back to last Feb. 11 at Wake Forest (9 pts). With his 27 points against Howard, he has averaged 21.0 points over that stretch.
Deebo Coleman has made at least one three-point field goal in 17 consecutive games, dating back to Jan. 17, 2023 when he went 0-5 vs. NC State. He hit 1-of-2 from distance against Howard and is 4-of-7 for the season.
Kelly’s eight free throws and 13 attempts were both career highs. Kelly set a school record in 2022-23 by making 89.8 percent of his free throw tries..
Tyzhaun Claude has scored in double digits in each game and leads the Jackets in rebounding (8.0 rpg).
Kowacie Reeves, Jr., has hit 58.8 percent of his shots from the floor in two games, 4-of-9 from three-point range, and 6-of-7 from the foul line. Only Deebo Coleman has shot better (8-12 FG, 4-7 on threes).
Kyle Sturdivant has eight assists against one turnover through two games.