Tech looks flat in 81-64 loss to Jacksonville State in the NIT opener
ATLANTA- Georgia Tech fell behind early and never really got back in the game with Jacksonville State falling 81-64 on Tuesday night in the NIT opening round. The Jackets fell to 17-17 on the season with the loss and closed the book on Damon Stoudamire’s second season on a sour note.
“Disappointed, I just felt like for the most part, we were in quicksand the whole night. Jacksonville played really well and the Pierre kid is pretty good and he did a really good job and shot the ball well. He was the best one of a perimeter player translating to making some money. I’m not talking about a college guard, I’m talking about a guy with good size and athleticism who can score on all three levels. I was very impressed by that,” Stoudamire said.
Stoudamire views the loss as a galvanizing moment for his program.
“It happens. It is unfortunate we played this way this evening. I don’t want to take away what our guys have done this year. We didn’t end the year on a great note, but as we move into the spring and summer. I told the guys coming back, it is time to do everything like a winner. You have to train and eat like a winner. When you are moving in the streets you have to move like a winner and have your chest out and exude confidence in the next man. We were under siege all season trying to keep our head above water. We learned how to fight and how to prepare and we have some big wins, but now it is time, you have to do everything like a winner. You have to do it like a winner,” Stoudamire said.
Tech started the second half slow again and ended up down 20 points to the Gamecocks who improved to 23-12 on the year after coming up just short in the Conference USA Tournament Championship to Liberty 79-67.
“We just lost a tough game in the championship game and we battled all year with just eight scholarship guys,” Jacksonville State coach Ray Harper said after the win.
It was the 600th career win for Harper.
“It means I was surrounded by some great coaches and players, it will look better with 600 Georgia Tech than with a non-division one team that will we open up with,” Harper said of that milestone.
Senior guard Lance Terry scored 15 points on 14 shots in his final game as a Yellow Jacket in 38 minutes of action. Terry is hopeful this isn’t the end of the line for his career playing basketball.
“Definitely not the way I wanted to go out, especially at home,” Terry said. I’m looking forward to the future and I have a lot of stuff planned and I’m looking forward to that stuff,” Terry said.
Duncan Powell ended up tying Terry for the most points for Tech with 15 points on 13 shots as well.
Point guard Naithan George had his worst overall game of the season with six turnovers and just five assists while scoring 14 points on 12 shots.
Double-double machine Baye Ndongo had his worst game in months with just four points and five rebounds. He was 2-9 from the field offensively in 32 minutes. It was the lowest scoring output for Ndongo since the loss at Florida State in mid-January and the lowest rebounding total since the win over Boston College at home when Ndongo had just four in 21 minutes.
Tech shot a putrid 35.5 percent from the field and was only slightly better from three at 13-35 (37.1).
Star Jacksonville State guard Jaron Pierre Jr. scored 30 points on 11-18 shooting with five rebounds, seven assists and three steals. He did have five turnovers in 39 minutes of action.
The Gamecocks shot 15-30 from three but and had 20 assists on 31 made field goals in the game.
“We took good shots and we had 20 assists, when we hit a little bit of a funk late in the year our assist numbers were low, we were having to take some difficult shots, but tonight we got paint touches and had multiple guys hit,” Harper said.
Georgia Tech struggled in the first half on both ends of the court digging a 12-point hole 45-33. The Jackets were 4-13 from inside the arc and 7-19 from outside. Jacksonville State shot 9-20 from three (45%) led by Jaron Pierre Jr.’s 15 points and Marcellus Brigham Jr.’s 154 points. Lance Terry led the Jackets with 9 points in the first half. Naithan George struggled with 1-4 shooting from three and three assists and three turnovers.
“That is exactly what happened they came out with more energy than us and played harder than us and that was the whole game,” Duncan Powell said of the quick start of the hole the team dug.
Tech trailed 12-8 at the first media timeout with 14:35 left in the game after a slow start. Jaeden Mustaf hit a pair of free throws and a three to cut the Gamecocks lead to four, 25-21 forcing a timeout by Jacksonville State with 8:22 left in the half. Tech used a 7-0 run to cut the lead to two, 25-23, but the Gamecocks answered back with another three and pushed the lead back to seven 30-23 leading to a Tech timeout with 6:08 left in the half. The Gamecocks pushed it to 13 38-25 before a Terry three with under four minutes to play pulled the Jackets within ten. Tech trailed 45-33 at the half.
Jacksonville State used a 10-2 run to go up 55-35 with 16:11 left in the game forcing a Stoudamire timeout. Tech cut the lead to 14 60-46 with 10:58 left in the game but Jacksonville responded with a pair of buckets to push the lead back to 18, 64-46. A Pierre three with 6:22 left put Jacksonville State up 21, 70-49 with 6:22 remaining.
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