Gameday Live Blog/Open Thread: Yellow Jackets vs. Cougars

Good afternoon and welcome back to the Stan Sherriff Center in Honolulu, Hawai'i, where there Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (5-5, 1-1 ACC) are continuing their run through the 2019 Diamond Head Classic. Prior to their trip out to the Hawaiian Islands, the Yellow Jackets found themselves on a 3 game losing streak where they lost 2 home games by a combined 52 points.

Fortunately with junior point guard Jose Alvarado making his return to the court and junior forward Jordan Usher getting his second consecutive start, the Jackets were able to take down the Boise State Broncos in their first game of the Diamond Head Classic. Next up, Tech will do battle with the Houston Cougars (8-3, 0-0 AAC) in the semifinal of the DHC.

Tipoff is set for 7:00pm, and you can catch the game on ESPN2.

PREGAME/PREVIEW

Ahead of today's 7:00pm tip, be sure to check out our preview of the Cougars and other related readings:

Tale of The Tape: Houston Cougars

Get To Know The 2019 Diamond Head Classic

Probable Starters:

- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

G Jose Alvarado

G Michael Devoe

F Jordan Usher

F Moses Wright

C James Banks III

- Houston Cougars

G Quentin Grimes

G Caleb Mills

G Nate Hinton

F Fabian White Jr.

C Brison Gresham

FIRST HALF:

18:39: Georgia Tech already calling timeout after a quick 4-0 opening by Houston.

17:18: Tech has not connected on any of their 4 shots, while Houston has gone 3-4 thus far.

14:06: Georgia Tech is playing with the level of energy that they had in the second half against Boise State yesterday. Houston went on a 7-0 run to take an early 10-1 lead, but Tech responded with a 6-0 run of their own including an emphatic dunk from Jordan Usher. Houston leads 13-8.

11:46: Tech is doing enough to keeping themselves in the game, but not enough to get over the hump early on in the game. They have connected on 2 of their 6 deep shots, but Houston has countered with 3-6 from beyond the arc.

7:28: Houston is starting to run away with it. The Cougars are on an 11-1 run, while tech has gone 3:29 without scoring. Tech has also committed 4 turnovers in the last 4:46 and have missed their last 4 shots. Houston leads 26-14.

4:46: Tech has hit on their last 4 shots to cut the Houston lead to 6. Moses Wright has hit a couple buckets in that span, and has a team high 9 points on 4-8 shooting.

3:45: The offense has started to come together for the Yellow Jackets, but Houston continues to drive up and down the court at a fast pace. Quentin Grimes has done almost whatever he wants against Tech, leading all scorers with 14 on 6-7 from the field.

2:12: Pastner calls yet another timeout. Houston is on a 6-0 run and Grimes has 16 on 7-8 shooting.

1:57: Moses Wright is the first Tech player in double figured with 11.

0:53: Houston's Quenton Grimes already has 20 points.

HALF: Houston 43, Georgia Tech 32.

Stats at the Half:

SECOND HALF:

17:07: Neither team is having much success offensively, as they are a combined 2-8. Jose Alvarado also picks up his 3rd foul of the game.

15:54: Georgia Tech has switched it up a bit, primarily sticking with the 1-3-1 zone to start the second. Houston is 1-6 to start the second half.

10:36: Georgia Tech has clawed themselves back into the game based on their defense. Houston has hit just 1 of their last 11 and have not scored in the last 2:59. While they trail only 50-44, the offensive movement has been sloppy at times.

9:34: The Cougars have turned it over 4 times in the last 7 and a half minutes, and continue on their scoring drought. They've hit just 1 of their last 13, but Tech continues to trail by 6 as they cannot capitalize on their defensive stands.

7:35: Neither team can seem to buy a basket. Tech has hit 1 of their last 8 and Houston has only connected on 1 of their last 9. Both teams are a combined 8-33 in the second half. The Cougars maintain a 53-44 lead.

6:57: Josh Pastner calls his final timeout for a possession that had just 1 second left on the clock.

3:11: It's starting to feel like Houston might be taking control. The Cougars have hit on 4 of their last 5 and Tech has only hit 1 of their last 10, and have not had a field goal in over 3 minutes.

2:37: Houston is on a 7-0 run.

0:48: James Banks III fouls out.

FINAL: Houston 70, Georgia Tech 59

Full Stats: