Big buckets and great defense lead the Jackets past ACC leaders FSU 75-61
ATLANTA- Georgia Tech came very close to upsetting some of the top teams in the ACC and after a hot-shooting game against Clayton State, the Jackets put together the best game of 2021-22 with a 75-61 win over Florida State. The Noles entered the game sitting in a tie for first place in the ACC and Tech was 1-6, but the Jackets had Florida State’s number again. It was the third straight win for the Jackets over Florida State including the ACC Tournament Championship game last year and the previous game in McCamish Pavilion in 2021.
Tech head coach Josh Pastner scheduled the Clayton State game in hopes of warming up his team on the offensive side of the ball and amping up the defense after a tough run of ACC games and his theory paid off.
“I thought we had great energy in the crowd with the students and they have been so good for us and I was happy we were able to come through for the students, happy for Georgia Tech and Yellow Jacket nation and Todd Stansbury and president (Angel) Cabrera. That Clayton State game was good for us and got us back in the game,” Pastner said.
Florida State cut the lead to four with eight minutes to go, but Tech was able to slowly pull away late possession by possession even countering three-point buckets after going ice cold from the arc in the second half. Tech held the Seminoles to just eight buckets in the second half and just three of those came inside the arc after getting 24 points in the paint out of the 33 FSU scored in the first half.
“I was proud of our guys and I thought our transition defense was so good. We were hot in the first half shooting and 8-for-19 from three and that goes a long way. Our defense has been so good and that was also our transition defense and it was really good. I was really proud of the way we defended and got after it and our defense is who we are and do a great job in transition defense and that allowed us to get our defense set up and get in the passing lanes,” Pastner said.
The Jackets actually took 50-percent of their shots from the arc in the game hitting on just 10 of 27 shots after shooting 42.1-percent in the first half. They hit just two threes in the second half, but both were big shots. One by Jordan Usher and one by Kyle Sturdivant.
“I’m not a math major, but 50-percent of our shots were from three, I think it is a balance, we don’t live and die by the three and when we are smaller and some of our scoring issues are when we don’t make shots and when we have good looks we have to let it go. Deivon (Smith) had a big play on the reverse when we had a scoring drought. If half our shots are threes this year, if it feels good let it go,” Pastner said.
Usher led the way for Tech with 19 points, eight rebounds, five steals, five assists and zero turnovers. Usher overcame a cold first half that included an 0-6 slump shooting and two missed free throws to close the game 4-for-six shooting and a team-leading nine points in the second half.
“Basketball is a game of runs and I am an emotional player and I play with the team and when I feel their charisma I can’t help but play well for them,” Usher said. “Life is all about progression and every time we show building blocks it is big. The game got down to four and earlier this year, we might have folded, but we didn’t and I feel like we hit a big turning point in the season.”
Khalid Moore played huge minutes adding nine points and five steals while hitting seven of his ten free-throw attempts before fouling out on a questionable call.
“Big props to Khalid Moore and Rodney Howard and Kyle Sturdivant coming in and being gritty and I can’t wait to get back out to practice and do some things,” Usher said. “You have to keep playing and keep working. I could’ve fouled out with three straight fouls too but I didn’t and that is how you do it.”
Howard had his best game of the season despite a slow start in the game-ending the night with four points, seven rebounds and Tech was plus 18 on the court with him thanks to his defense and ability to help them space the ball on both ends of the court.
“Rodney Howard and Khalid Moore were the MVPs for us with the 50/50 plays they made,” Pastner said. “Rodney has been out with an injury and that throws you out of sync and rhythm and it takes the game against Wake Forest and Clayton State to get better. I told him before the game he has to be a motor big and that is what he did tonight. I told him to stick out like a sore thumb in a good way. He did that tonight and he is one of our MVPs.”
The Jackets held Florida State to just nine fastbreak points and 61 points total their fourth-lowest total of the season.
“That is our defense, when our zone is working like that, it gets me excited getting tips and using energy and getting rebounds and contesting the ball, I have super fun playing like that,” Usher said.
Deebo Coleman had 14 points including a key bucket when FSU had Tech on the ropes and the lead down to just five during a nearly five-minute stretch without a field goal.
“Deebo hit big shots for us and had some tough hardnosed plays. He had a big pull-up that rimmed in for us during a scoring drought and I’m proud of Deebo,” Pastner said.
Kyle Sturdivant added 12 points, four rebounds and four assists. Sturdivant said he enjoyed the energy going against Florida State’s full-court press.
“I feel like our energy, I want to thank the fans, the crowd was electric and made us play like our hair was on fire, we played as hard as we possibly could,” Sturdivant said. “Florida State is one of the best defensive teams in the country and they pressure you at all positions and it was do or die time, I’m glad our guys stepped up.”
Tech's players were hopeful this is a sign of what is to come as the Jackets enter a more favorable stretch of games in February.
“I think we will continue to take it one day at a time, we can play with anyone when we play defense like that and play unselfish ball,” Sturdivant said.
Mike Devoe struggled in the second half but was big early ending the game with 15 points, five rebounds and five assists.
The Seminoles had a more balanced attack with Anthony Polite leading the way with 11 points and giant big man Naheem McLeod with 10 points and seven rebounds, but he only had three points and one rebound in the second half.
“We played small for ten minutes of the game, but small can be effective for us, I was concerned when he fouled out and Khalid hit big free throws for us, whether we were small or big, we played hard and we stopped the ball and loaded to the ball, we got it done, it is not easy and we’ve had quite a few losses in the ACC and you are playing the number one team in the ACC and our guys dug in and credit to our staff and our guys. Jordan Usher’s energy, how far has he come from Ball State or the trip to Hawaii. He had was a floor general and a positive energy giver for us,” Pastner said.
Tech forced 17 turnovers by Florida State while keeping their own in single-digits with just nine. The Jackets did a lot of damage at the free-throw line as well hitting 17 of 24 attempts (70.8%) in the game.
Despite the size disadvantage Tech had, the Jackets were only outrebounded by eight in the game.
“I thought our defense was really good and we only had nine turnovers and FSU leads the ACC in steals and just three turnovers in the first half. I usually play six or seven guys and this year I have played a lot to search to find our group. Our team is a work in progress and it doesn’t mean it will also work itself out or be the same guys. Everyone has to stay ready, it doesn’t mean it can’t be more guys or other guys in the seven for us. Guys made plays, I’m so proud of our young men,” Pastner said.
Pastner was effusive as ever in his praise of FSU coach Leonard Hamilton after the game.
“Tremendous credit to Florida State and everyone knows how I feel about coach Hamilton, he deserves to be in the college basketball Hall of Fame, he has won 55 games against ranked opponents when his team is not ranked, that shows you he is an incredible coach and their program is an awesome program,” he said.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Jordan Usher hit a pair of threes and Mike Devoe hit another to keep Tech alive early as the Noles took a 12-10 lead at the first media timeout. The Jackets came out strong after the first media timeout retaking the lead three times before FSU led 18-17 at the next media timeout. All seven-foot-four of Naheem McLeod kept the Noles in the lead at the next media timeout 24-22 with a pair of dunks. Howard picked up his third foul with 6:58 to go in the first half on an offensive push-off. Howard returned with 4:54 to go in the first half. Deebo Coleman hit a corner three and Sturdivant had a steal and layup to give Tech a 33-28 lead with 3:31 to go. After missing a free throw, Tech got a steal and Devoe cashed in from three to push the lead to nine, 39-30 with under two minutes to go. After a defensive stop, Coleman hit a three to push it to 12 and Usher hit a tough late shot-clock runner to make it 14, 44-30, but Caleb Mills hit a three after Devoe missed a layup at the buzzer to make it 44-33 at the break. The Jackets forced 12 turnovers by FSU and attempted 16 free throws in the first half while only turning the ball over three times and allowing just four free-throw attempts. Florida State was just 2-for-9 from three while Tech hit eight-of-19 from the arc in the first half. Deebo Coleman led all scorers with 12 points off the bench for Tech while Devoe had 11 points and Usher had 10 points. Usher and Moore combined for seven steals in the first half.
At the first media timeout of the second half, Tech led 50-39 with 15:24 left in the game. Tech went into the typical scoring funk going 4:03 without a point allowing FSU to trim the lead to 50-42 during that stretch. Khalid Moore had a steal and got fouled with 13:05 to go and Pastner burned a timeout ahead of Moore’s free throws. Tech went 4:43 without a field goal before Usher hit a bucket in the paint to put Tech up 53-42 ahead of the second media timeout. Khalid Moore picked up his third and four fouls in a two-minute span of gameplay with 10:25 left. Anthony Polite scored five straight points to make it a five-point game with 8:45 to go as part of an 8-0 run. John Butler hit a three to make it 57-53 with under eight minutes to go. Tech clung to a 57-53 lead at the 8-minute media timeout with 7:39 remaining in the game. Khalid Moore fouled out with 6:05 remaining and Tech up 61-53 after free throws by Usher extended the lead back to eight. Polite hit another three and Coleman answered with a two putting Tech up seven. Smith had a turnover and Usher fouled RayQuan Evans with 3:54 leading to the final media timeout. Evans hit both free throws to make it a five-point game. Sturdivant answered with a three to put Tech up 8, 66-58. Evans hit another pair of free throws to make it 66-60. Devoe hit a turnaround jumper and Usher hit a corner three to make it 71-60 with 1:58 to go. Sturdivant hit a jumper with 1:27 left to put Tech up 73-60.
UP NEXT
Georgia Tech hosts the other half of the first-place tie in the ACC, Miami on Saturday at noon. Florida State plays Virginia Tech in Tallahassee at 3 pm on Saturday.