THE FLATS – Georgia Tech men’s basketball was unable to overcome cold shooting in the first half, falling 80-51 to Wake Forest on Tuesday night at McCamish Pavilion.
The Yellow Jackets (10-13, 3-9 ACC) couldn’t find their rhythm from the start, shooting 13.8 percent from the field in the opening half (4-for-29, 2-of-13 on threes). Meanwhile, the Demon Deacons (15-7, 7-4 ACC) built their lead thanks to 50-percent shooting, and took early control with a 23-0 run after Tech had scored the game’s first basket.
On the night, Tech was led by Naithan George, who finished with 12 points, seven assists and five rebounds, while Baye Ndongo scored 14 points with six boards.
Wake was led by Cameron Hildreth, who recorded 17 points and four assists on the night.
Georgia Tech now looks ahead to two straight road games, beginning at Louisville on Saturday, Feb. 10. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on the ACC Network.
Naithan George scored 12 points with seven assists. (photo by Danny Karnik)
Post-Game Notes
TEAM NOTES
- Tech’s 51 points, 28.5-percent shooting from the floor and 12.5-percent from three-point range were all season lows.
- Tech is 6-10 against Quad 1 and Quad 2 teams this season. The Jackets’ remaining ACC schedule has three Quad 1 and one Quad 2 opponents (Wake Forest was a Quad 2 opportunity). Tech was 3-14 last season against Quad 1/2 foes.
- Nine of Tech’s 12 ACC games have been decided by single digits. Sixteen of Tech’s 22 games this season have been decided by fewer than 10 points, tied for the most in Division I, and the Yellow Jackets are 8-8 in these games. Nine games have been decided by five points or fewer.
- Tech had exceeded a point per possession in seven consecutive games before the Wake Forest game, and have done so in nine of 12 ACC games this season (KenPom.com).
- Tech has made 74.6 percent of its free throws (94-of-126) in its last four games.
PLAYER NOTES
- Freshman point guard Naithan George has reached double digits in points seven times in Tech’s last eight games with his 12-point effort against Wake Forest. The 6-3 guard has averaged 14.4 points over that stretch, hitting 42.5 percent (37-of-87) from the floor and 38.5 percent (15-of-39) from three-point range. He also has 48 assists against 14 turnovers across those eight games.
- George’s seven assists at Wake Forest gave him 103 for the season in 20 games (5.1 per game). He became the 11th Tech freshman to dish 100 assists in a season, and first since Iman Shumpert in 2008-09. The list is a star-studded one that includes Dennis Scott, Kenny Anderson, Travis Best, Drew Barry, Stephon Marbury, Tony Akins and Jarrett Jack.
- Tafara Gapare has scored 21 points (6-20 FG, 5-11 FT) with 18 rebounds, playing 46 total minutes, in Tech’s last three games, his best three-game scoring stretch since early December.
- Freshman Baye Ndongo returned to double digits in points for the first time in three games, scoring a team-high 14 points. He had scored just two points against North Carolina, leaving the game with an injury five minutes in, then scored only five at NC State when foul trouble limited him to 19 minutes.
- Either Ndongo or George has led Tech in scoring in nine of its last 13 games. Ndongo has led the Jackets in points in eight games.
Tafara Gapare has eight points and five rebounds. (photo by Danny Karnik)
