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ATLANTA, GA - The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1-0) tipped off their season with a bang against rival Georgia Bulldogs (0-1) Friday night at McCamish Pavilion. Hustling out to an early 14-5 lead the Jackets never allowed the Bulldogs to get within striking distance en route to an 80-73 statement victory.
Competing against a Georgia team projected by many to make NCAA tournament, the Jackets responded to the challenge in resounding fashion. Tech's starting five of Travis Jorgenson, Marcus Georges-Hunt, Quinton Stephens, Charles Mitchell, and Demarco Cox energized the crowd from the opening tip. Mitchell and Cox dominated the paint from the get-go, finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks respectively.
Stephens, however, may have been the star of the show. Known last year for his perimeter prowess Stephens picked up where he left off by going 6 for 8 from the 3-point line, including one off the glass late in the second half that sent the home crowd into a frenzy. He finished with 22 points off of only 11 total field goal attempts.
Friday night's win was a tremendous start to the season for the Jackets. It secures both a resume-building victory and a fourth consecutive year of in-state bragging rights.
Of equal importance is that the Jackets did so without any obvious flaws. Offensively Tech moved the ball well using a combination of pick-and-rolls, inside-out post play, and breaking down Georgia's defense off the dribble in both unsettled and 1-on-1 situations. Defensively the Jackets accounted for the loss of defensive All-American Daniel Miller by stuffing the lane, drawing charges, and winning the battle on the boards.
In head coach Brian Gregory's fourth season he may finally have a squad capable of competing consistently at the highest level. As he stated in his post-game press conference though, there were certainly correctable mistakes and continued improvement is imperative. Regardless there is no better starting position than 1-0 and no better way to do so than by dispatching their hated rival to the East.
Competing against a Georgia team projected by many to make NCAA tournament, the Jackets responded to the challenge in resounding fashion. Tech's starting five of Travis Jorgenson, Marcus Georges-Hunt, Quinton Stephens, Charles Mitchell, and Demarco Cox energized the crowd from the opening tip. Mitchell and Cox dominated the paint from the get-go, finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks respectively.
Stephens, however, may have been the star of the show. Known last year for his perimeter prowess Stephens picked up where he left off by going 6 for 8 from the 3-point line, including one off the glass late in the second half that sent the home crowd into a frenzy. He finished with 22 points off of only 11 total field goal attempts.
Friday night's win was a tremendous start to the season for the Jackets. It secures both a resume-building victory and a fourth consecutive year of in-state bragging rights.
Of equal importance is that the Jackets did so without any obvious flaws. Offensively Tech moved the ball well using a combination of pick-and-rolls, inside-out post play, and breaking down Georgia's defense off the dribble in both unsettled and 1-on-1 situations. Defensively the Jackets accounted for the loss of defensive All-American Daniel Miller by stuffing the lane, drawing charges, and winning the battle on the boards.
In head coach Brian Gregory's fourth season he may finally have a squad capable of competing consistently at the highest level. As he stated in his post-game press conference though, there were certainly correctable mistakes and continued improvement is imperative. Regardless there is no better starting position than 1-0 and no better way to do so than by dispatching their hated rival to the East.