THE FLATS – Georgia Tech men’s basketball remained hot at home, shooting 44 percent from the field to rout Northeastern, 81-63, on Friday night at McCamish Pavilion.
The Yellow Jackets (5-3) stretched its lead to as large as 23 in the second half after a 42-26 halftime advantage, pulling away thanks to an aggressive second half that featured 20 points in the paint, 11 second-chance points and 21 bench points.
The Huskies (1-6) continued to struggle on offense, only mustering 35.5 percent from the field and a paltry 20 percent from three-point land.
Tech was led by four double-digit scorers on the night. Jalon Moore was once again dominant, amassing a career-best final line of 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. He was also a perfect 10-for-10 from the foul line.
Moore’s perfect night at the free-throw line marked just the 23rd in Georgia Tech history (min. 10 attempts). His perfect game is the first since Marcus Georges-Hunt in 2016 (12-for-12).
Also reaching double figures was Miles Kelly, Rodney Howard and Lance Terry. Kelly tied gor game-high honors with 16 points, including four three-pointers, and four rebounds. Howard also recorded 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench, while Terry pitched in 11 points and five rebounds.
Northeastern was led by Jahmyl Telfort, who finished with 11 points and four assists.
Georgia Tech remains home for its next game Tuesday night against Georgia. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2. Click here to purchase tickets.
Miles Kelly (13 – above) co-led all scorers on Friday night as he scored 16 points to go along with four rebounds. (photo by Danny Karnik)
Post-Game Notes
- Tech has limited its foes to 25.6-percent from three-point range this season, which leads the ACC and ranks 27th nationally (KenPom). Only Utah (31.3 percent), Marquette (39.1 percent) and Iowa (34.6 percent) have connected on 30 percent or better.
- Tech has won the turnover battle in six of eight games and has reached its target of 11 or fewer five times this season. The Yellow Jackets have a season turnover margin of plus-2.7, which ranks fifth in the ACC. It’s percentage of possessions that end in turnovers (15.9 pct.) ranks 40th
- Tech started the lineup of Deebo Coleman, Deivon Smith, Miles Kelly and Jalon Moore around Ja’von Franklin for the third straight game.
- Tech has utilized a nine-player rotation in each of its first eight games. At least seven players have scored in every game, while as many as nine have scored in three games (Clayton State, Northern Illinois, Marquette).
- Tech has held four opponents under 40 percent from the floor this season and ranks third in the ACC in field goal percentage defense (39.3 pct.).
- Tech is No. 2 in the ACC in offensive rebounds per game (14.9), and has turned those into 14.1 second-chance points per game. The Jackets had a season-high 22 second-chance points against Northeastern.
- Miles Kelly has reached double figures in six of eight games and in each of his last three, during which he has averaged 16.3 points and hit 18-of-31 shots from the floor.
- Kelly has hit 8-of-13 from three-point range in Tech’s last two games (4-of-8 at Iowa, 4-of-5 vs. Northeastern).
- Jalon Moore has scored in double figures in three straight games, averaging 13.0 per game and 8.3 rebounds over that stretch, while hitting 13-of-26 from the floor and 13-of-14 from the line. He also has averaged 8.3 rebounds.
- Moore scored a career-best 16 points against Northeastern and missed a double-double by one rebound for the second time this season (had 11 and 9 vs. Clayton State).
- Moore’s 10-for-10 performance at the free throw line was the 23rd occurrence in which a Tech player has made 10 or more free throws without a miss. The last time was Jan. 23, 2016, when Marcus Georges-Hunt went 12-for-12. Moore has made his last 13 in a row dating back to his final attempt against North Alabama.
Jalon Moore (14 – above) went 10-for-10 from the foul line on Friday night, marking the 23rd perfect night from the free-throw line (min. 10 attempts) in Georgia Tech history. (photo by Danny Karnik)
