Georgia Tech came into Saturday’s contest limping, having lost four straight. The hope was to
turn things around against a mediocre Syracuse team and former player Moses Wright believed
in this hope as he showed up to cheer on the Jackets. However, it was not to be as the Syracuse
fans outnumbered the Tech fans in McCamish on Saturday and it was the Orange fans who
cheered in the end as Tech dropped another game: 80-63.
The contest saw an opening burst from the Yellow Jackets as they pulled up 10-3 behind Miles
Kelly and Deebo Coleman hit two three-pointers. Deivon Smith then joined the action as he
made an electrifying block and followed it up later with a huge walk-on-air dunk to put Tech up
12-5. Deebo Coleman then hit his second three of the game which was reassuring as it had been
a while since Deebo had a hot hand. He said before the game he would deliver at least five
three-pointers for the team, and he was on pace to do so and then some.
Georgia Tech had another poor shooting performance against Syracuse
Behind Syracuse’s bad shooting and Tech playing outstanding defensively, the Yellow Jackets
found themselves up 21-10 early. This was nothing new for this season though as Tech tended to
have an early surge which was usually followed up by a large scoring drought. Today proved to
be no different for the Jackets as Syracuse went on a ludicrous 23-4 run to pull ahead 33-25.
During the run, Tech had a lot of mental mistakes that led to Syracuse being in the bonus with
over nine minutes left in the half, proving to be a large issue as it aided Syracuse in building their
lead.
Coleman finally broke the run with his third three-pointer of the game to pull within five points,
but Syracuse steadily kept scoring to put the game at 40-33 in favor of the Orange at halftime.
Pastner needed to regroup his guys quickly if there was to be any chance in this game, but the
game only got worse as Tech came out of the tunnel and picked up right where they left off with
bad fouls and falling behind by 11.
Coleman, however, was proving to be a light in the dark as he knocked down his fourth
three-pointer, just one away from what he promised pregame, to take the game to 44-36. Kelly
tried his hand at a three-pointer and knocked down a deep three to pull the game closer, but
Syracuse was having no problems offensively and Tech was dependent upon shots beyond the
arch which were not sustainable. Coleman hit his promised mark with his fifth three-pointer,
cutting the lead to eight at 52-44.
It was a tough watch for Buzz as Georgia Tech lost by double-digits again
Matthew Kistner
There was still hope for the Jackets if they could get some defensive stops and knock down some
shots. This did come when Kyle Sturdivant came off the bench and knocked down a huge three
to pull Tech within seven. A defensive stop then led to Miles Kelly knocking down a jumper,
putting the score at 59-54 in favor of the Orange, but this was the last push Tech would make.
Syracuse proved they could get to the basket easier and the Jackets were just not enough to stop
the Syracuse attack as they fell behind quickly. Georgia Tech only made one field goal in the last
six and a half minutes to close out the game, falling for the fifth straight time: 80-63.
Coleman led the team with 17 points and a fulfilled promise of 5 three-pointers. Smith played a great all-around game with 7 assists, 4 defensive rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals, and
9 points. Kelly had 13 points and Moore had 11. The team just could not find a good
rhythm after the initial 21-10 burst and it resulted in a big loss.
The Yellow Jackets will be back in action on Tuesday at 9 PM as they travel to take on a very
experienced Clemson team, that is currently atop the ACC.
Follow us on social media for the latest on Georgia Tech Athletics!
Facebook: All Yellow Jackets
Twitter: @AllYellowJacket
Follow Jackson on Twitter: @jacksoncaudell
See all of the latest Tech News at AllYellowJackets.com
Check out the Georgia Tech Homepage
Listen to the Goal Line Stand Podcast for the best Georgia Tech and national college football coverage!
More Georgia Tech Related Content:
Georgia Tech vs Syracuse: First Half Thoughts
Former Georgia Tech running back Dylan McDuffie transfers to Kansas
Demaryius Thomas selected for the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame
2024 Athlete Devin Collier will visit Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech Basketball injury report ahead of matchup with Syracuse
Georgia Tech vs Syracuse: Preview, How to watch, and prediction
2024 Four-star athlete Jalewis Soloman set to visit Georgia Tech
Former Yellow Jackets ready for NFL divisional round
Ladies snag first ACC win take down Syracuse 69-57
How did Georgia Tech do in the first transfer portal window?
