Gameday Live Blog/Open Thread: Maroon Tigers @ Yellow Jackets | Game 21
Good afternoon from McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, GA, where the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-11, 4-6 ACC) are taking a brief break from ACC play and squaring off against the Division II Morehouse College Maroon Tigers (9-9, 6-5 SIAC). This will be Tech's first ever regular season matchup against Morehouse, with their sole previous meeting being an exhibition matchup in 2006 where GT won 96-52.
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Tipoff is set for 7:30pm, and you can catch the game on ACC Network Extra (link here)
PREGAME/PREVIEW
Ahead of today's tipoff, be sure to check out our preview of the Maroon Tigers and other related readings:
What To Watch For Vs. Morehouse
Tale of The Tape: Morehouse College Maroon Tigers
Head Coach Josh Pastner Previews Morehouse
Jose Alvarado Named ACC Player of the Week
Alvarado & Pastner Share Their Thoughts On Kobe Bryant
Josh Pastner Not Overlooking Morehouse
Probable Starters:
- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
G Jose Alvarado
F Khalid Moore
F Jordan Usher
F Moses Wright
C James Banks III
- Morehouse College Maroon Tigers
G Michael Olmert
G Chris Brown
G Robert Andrews
G/F Tremell Gooden
F/C Kairo Whitfield
Personell Update: Sophomore shooting guard Michael Devoe is still "day-to-day" and is questionable for tonight's game.
Additional Update: Devoe is currently wearing a boot on his left foot. Expect him to miss tonight's game.
FIRST HALF:
17:33: Tech is doing a good job spacing the floor, with their first three buckets coming from 3 different players.
15:59: It's pretty obvious from the start of this game that Tech is in complete control. GT is 3-4 from the field and has held Morehouse to just 1-5. The one knock against them so far is that some passes look a little too lackadaisical.
15:31: Pastner makes his first subs of the game, bringing in Evan Cole in favor of James Banks. He immediately hits a there pointer.
14:53: After a difficult up-and-under from Jordan Usher, Tech has made their last 3 field goals and is shooting 5-6.
13:17: Following an airball, Morehouse has now connected on just 1 of their last 9 field goals.
11:16: Georgia Tech's shots now are seemingly refusing to fall, as they have only made 1 of their last 6 attempts. and are now 50% from the field.
11:04: Tech has hit just 1 of their last 7 shots.
8:46: Morehouse has turned the ball over 4 times in 4 minutes and Tech is on a 9-0 run
7:17: Now Tech is starting to separate themselves. The Yellow Jackets are now on a 13-2 run and the Maroon Tigers have not even score in 4:12. Morehouse has also turned it over 5 times in the last 5:29.
3:54: It's there's anything that GT needs to improve on so far in this game, it's that more shots need to fall. While they have a 32-18 lead, they are only shooting 11-24 from the field. Like always, their defense is their strong suit tonight. Morehouse is just 7-20 on their shots and they have committed 8 turnovers.
2:00: James Banks III is slow to get up after colliding with a Morehouse player in the post. Though he is up and walking around after a couple minutes.
HALF: Georgia Tech 44, Morehouse 22.
Stats at the Half:
SECOND HALF:
20:00: James Banks III returns to the floor.
17:06: Like in the first half, Georgia Tech is firing on all cylinders. They are 4-5 from the field and are outscoring Morehouse 9-2 in the first 3 minutes of the second half.
15:30: Tech is continuing to build on their momentum from the first half. They are on a 14-3 run and have made 4 of their last 5 field goals. Both James Banks III and Jordan Usher have 4 second half points, with Banks III leading all scorers at 12 points.
11:29: The majority of the bench is getting meaningful playing time at this point. Instead of a normal 7 man rotation like Pastner usually favors, Tech has played 10 players thus far. They lead 64-33. Tech's current starting 5 is not on the floor.
7:45: Morehouse is trying their hardest to make a last minute run. They have made their last 3 shots and Tech has missed their last 5. However the Jackets still have a 28 point lead.
6:58: GT has only hit 2 of their last 10 shots.
2:17: It's all over but the crying here from McCamish. Even with the bench players missing a ton of shots (13-33 in second half), the Jackets are still up by 26.
FINAL: Georgia Tech 82, Morehouse 54.
Full Stats:
