Nov. 12, 2001
ATLANTA – Marvin Lewis scored 19 points to lead five Yellow Jackets in double figures as Georgia Tech defeated EA Sports Southeast All-Stars, 112-85, in an exhibition game at Alexander Memorial Coliseum at McDonald’s Center.
Tony Akins contributed 14 points, nine assists, six rebounds and six steals for the Jackets. A pair of freshmen were impressive off the bench as Isma’il Muhammad scored 17 points and B.J. Elder 16, while Halston Lane added 12 points.
Lewis hit seven of 11 shots from the field with three three-pointers as Tech shot 53.2 percent from the field, including a 61-percent clip in the second half. The Jackets outrebounded EA Sports, 49-33, led by seven rebounds by Luke Schenscher, forced 26 turnovers, and blocked seven shots.
“The overall effort was better,” said Tech head coach Paul Hewitt, comparing this game to the Jackets’ exhibition loss to Nike Elite. “It’s going to take that kind of effort every day in practice and every game.
“We made some corrections in the press that allowed us to match up better in the halfcourt, but we’ve still got a long way to go defensively. We gave up 85 points.”
Tech led most of the game, building a 53-44 advantage at the half, paced by 13 first-half points from Lewis. EA Sports pulled within three points, 69-66, with 12:39 to play and trailed by only five points at the 10:51 mark but were outscored 37-15 down the stretch.
“In the second half, we did the things we wanted to do, and we ran the floor well,” said Hewitt.
Former Alabama player Schea Cotton led EA Sports with 24 points, while former Gonzaga player Richie Frahm added 21 points. Curtis Staples added 12 points, but Tech held the former Virginia standout to 4-for-12 shooting from the field.
Tech opens the regular season Friday, when the Jackets host Florida A&M in a 7:30 p.m. game at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.
