Nick Petrus
Thursday, Jan 28th 2016 at 10:08am EST
RALEIGH, NC – The second half started to look familiar. A 14-point Yellow Jackets halftime lead evaporated to just one in the blink of an eye. The Wolfpack had full momentum after an Abdul-Malik Abu dunk with 11:19 to go.
Also in familiar form, Tech looked to Marcus Georges-Hunt to make a play. He delivered, knifing his way to the basket to convert an old fashioned 3-point play at the rim. A technical foul by N.C. State allowed for two additional free throws and just like that the Jackets were back on top by 6.
This time, unlike the Jackets’ prior two games where halftime leads of 7 and 10 were all for naught, Tech closed the door and added a second tick mark to their ACC win total.
“It’s hard to win on the road in this league. It’s a monster,” said Head Coach Brian Gregory after the team’s first ACC road win this year.
Marcus Georges-Hunt led the way for the Yellow Jackets, scoring 14 of his team high 26 points after the under-12 minute media timeout in the second half. Adam Smith and Nick Jacobs helped carry the load offensively with 20 points apiece for the game.
“Our seniors led us, and that’s what we need,” said Gregory. “Those guys need to carry us to be honest with you, and Marcus, Adam, and Nick did just that.”
Wednesday’s game was the first time in seven ACC games that Tech shot more free throws than their opposition. During the first six, Tech opponents shot 174 free throws compared to the Yellow Jackets’ 108. Against the Wolfpack, Tech held the advantage 34 to 24.
The discrepancy has been noteworthy in recent Gregory postgame press conferences. “The free throw thing has been unbelievable,” he said following Wednesday night’s win. “Two things that we have focused on. We have to defend better without fouling, in the low post and on the drives. I thought we did a better job of that tonight. And we have to limit teams to one shot.”
On the other end of the court the Jackets’ aggression and execution created 34 attempts from the charity stripe, exceeding their previous ACC game high of 23.
Said Gregory, “We wanted to drive the ball more and we wanted to get the ball inside, and I thought that was a big key for us to get to the free throw line.”
Next up is a trip to Syracuse for a noon tipoff Saturday against Orange. The Carrier Dome will be the setting for two teams looking to regain traction in the ACC.
"If you look at the schedules in the league this year, two teams that really got hammered were Syracuse and Georgia Tech," said ESPN analyst Jay Bilas. "I know people say, 'Hey, everyone is playing the same people and all that.' But who you're playing, when you're playing, and where you're playing is a big deal."
For Georgia Tech, Saturday is an opportunity to generate momentum prior to a three game home stand that includes #24 Duke and #15 Miami. In a league that features multiple teams still looking to claw their way into the NCAA tournament, including Syracuse and Georgia Tech, Saturday is an opportunity the Jackets can ill afford to squander.
