Feb. 6, 2010
ATLANTA (AP) — Zachery Peacock scored 22 points, freshman Derrick Favors added 16, and No. 21 Georgia Tech held off North Carolina State 73-71 on Saturday.
The Yellow Jackets (17-6, 5-4) improved to 12-1 at home, and they have won four of six in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Georgia Tech struggled to hold off the last-place Wolfpack, however, despite leading by 16 points with 5:01 remaining.
Switching to a full-court press late in the game, N.C. State (14-10, 2-7) frustrated Georgia Tech into committing several turnovers and possession arrow miscues before Julius Mays stole D’Andre Bell’s backcourt pass and hit a layup to make it 70-69 with 2:09 remaining.
After Dennis Horner’s two free throws cut the lead to 73-71, the Yellow Jackets again failed to make an accurate inbounds pass from the baseline, and N.C. State had a chance to tie or win the game.
But Javier Gonzalez missed a jumper, and Mays’ straightaway 3-point attempt bounced off the front of the rim at the buzzer.
Tracy Smith scored 22 points for the Wolfpack, who have lost four straight in the ACC.
Horner finished with 14 points for N.C. State, which had won nine of 12 against Georgia Tech.
Freshman Scott Wood had 12 points, and Gonzalez added 13 for the Wolfpack.
Peacock and Favors combined to hit three of four free throws in the final minute to give the Yellow Jackets a 73-69 lead.
Iman Shumpert, who added 14 points for Georgia Tech, hit a straightaway 3 to give the Jackets their biggest lead, 66-50.
