Georgia Tech turned a close game into a rout in the final two minutes, beating the Hokies 72-57 in Atlanta on Tuesday night. Virginia Tech dropped to 13-6 overall, and 3-3 in the ACC with the loss. The Yellow Jackets improved to 10-9 overall, and 3-3 in conference play.
Virginia Tech led much of this game, but Georgia Tech got excellent guard play from point guard Iman Shumpert, and the Yellow Jackets were too much down the stretch. Shumpert finished with a triple double – 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. Perhaps his biggest contribution came defensively, locking down Malcolm Delaney and holding him to just eight points on 3-of-11 shooting. Delaney also had eight turnovers.
Erick Green made his first three shots, but missed his last 12, going 3-of-15 from the field and scoring just nine points in 39 minutes. Jeff Allen finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Victor Davila had 13 points and seven boards. The Virginia Tech backcourt, which had played so well in recent wins, was the major culprit on Tuesday night.
The VT zone was gashed for the first time this season, with Brian Oliver dropping 28 points on 11-of-18 shooting against the Hokies. Virginia Tech played just seven players, and that includes just one minute of playing time for Jarell Eddie off the bench.
Virginia Tech shot just 39.3% from the field, while Georgia Tech spread out offensively and were able to get the ball to the middle against the Hokie zone, which opened up their offense. The Yellow Jackets had 19 assists and just 12 turnovers.
The Hokies committed 18 turnovers for the game, despite an early 6-0 advantage in the turnover battle. After that, it turned into an 18-6 Georgia Tech advantage, and the Yellow Jackets scored 20 points off turnovers.
The Hokies led 39-36 at halftime, and the game was tied with 8:29 remaining following a three-pointer by Terrell Bell. The Yellow Jackets held a slight advantage for most of the remainder of the game, but this was still anyone’s contest when Malcolm Delaney hit two free throws to make the score 62-57 with 2:47 left in the game.
However, Georgia Tech ended the game on a 10-0 run. The Hokies had the ball looking to cut into the five-point lead, but Iman Shumpert picked Delaney’s pocket and took it coast to coast for a layup, extending the lead to 64-57. Erick Green turned the ball over on VT’s next possession, and two Glen Rice free throws mad the score 66-57.
At that point the Hokies fell apart, and were blown out over the closing seconds of the game.
Virginia Tech will return to action this Sunday when they host Miami. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30pm, and the game will be televised by
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