THE FLATS – Points were at a premium on Saturday afternoon as Georgia Tech men’s basketball (2-3) suffered an 81-58 defeat at the hands of No. 18/16 Cincinnati (5-0) from inside McCamish Pavilion. Untimely turnovers and uncharacteristically poor shooting foiled the Yellow Jackets hopes for its first top-25 victory of the season.
With both of the Jackets’ starting big men in foul trouble, Tech turned to Duncan Powell off the bench, who finished with a season high 10 points. Naithan George found his three-point stroke in the second half, finishing the day with 13 points off his seventh career game with at least three makes from deep.
Turnover trouble stifled the Yellow Jacket attack in the early stages, allowing Cincinnati to jump out to a 14-4 lead. Doryan Onwuchekwa kept the Jackets in it, scoring or assisting on nine of Tech’s first 11 points from the field before foul trouble forced him to the bench. Tech kept the deficit to around 10 points for a majority of the half, until a 10-0 Bearcat run put the visitors up 33-17 by the final media timeout. Cincinnati managed to hold that 16-point lead into halftime, as the Jackets trailed 45-29 by the end of the opening 20 minutes.
Tech couldn’t close the gap to fewer than 14 points in the second half, eventually falling by a final score of 81-58. GT returns to action on Wednesday, Nov. 27, against Charleston Southern. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m. and will be streamed on ACC Network Extra and ESPN+.
Naithan George (1) led the Jackets with 13 points and three three-point field goals. (photo by Danny Karnik)
POST-GAME 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).
- Eleven players saw the court for the Jackets and 10 of them scored.
- For the second straight game, Tech set season lows for points (58), field goal percentage (.356), three-point field goals (5) and assists (8).
- Tech has connected on just 37.2 percent of its field goal tries (67-of-180) in its last three games, and just 11-of-43 threes (25.6 pct.) in its last two games.
- Four Tech players are averaging in double-figure points through five games (Baye Ndongo6, Javian McCollum 12.8, Lance Terry 12.6, Kowacie Reeves Jr. 10.4), with Luke O’Brien close at 9.4 ppg.
- Duncan Powell reached double digits in points (10 vs. Cincinnati) for the first time in a Yellow Jackets uniform.
- Naithan George was the only other Tech player in double figures against Cincinnati, leading the Jacket with 13 (5-9 FG, 3-6 3pt FG).
- Freshman center Doryan Onwuchekwa has started Tech’s last three games and grabbed a total of 24 rebounds.
- Javian McCollum (5 points) and Baye Ndongo (5) had reached double digits in every game this season until Cincinnati.
- Kowacie Reeves, Jr., has started all 37 games Tech has played with him on the team.
