Jackets pick up first ACC win at home, start seven-game home winning streak
#BestofGT (January 25, 2020) – Two second-chance tip-ins by James Banks III and a driving layup by Jose Alvarado with under two minutes left gave Georgia Tech the edge it needed to defeat NC State, 64-58, at McCamish Pavilion. The Yellow Jackets, led by a 26-point explosion by junior guard Alvarado, trailed by five points with 6:21 left in the game, but outscored the Wolfpack 14-3 and gave up just one field goal down the stretch. Banks’ first putback gave the Jackets a 56-55 lead with 2:37 left, and the second snapped a 58-all tie with 22 seconds on the clock.
Note of the game: Alvarado set a Georgia Tech single-game record with nine steals against the Wolfpack. He made his eighth and ninth steals of the game on the Wolfpack’s final two offensive possessions and hit a pair of free throws in the final minute to keep NC State at bay.
Little did we know: Tech’s win over NC State was its first ACC home win of the season after losses to Syracuse, Duke, Virginia and Notre Dame. The Yellow Jackets would not lose at home again during the 2019-20 season, winning seven in a row to finish out.
Jose Alvarado made a number of clutch baskets, rebounds and steals in the win.
Highlights: Moses Wright takes a feed from Alvarado and finds himself wide open for a dunk.
