Tech blows a huge lead, falls 95-87 to BC

ATLANTA- Georgia Tech blew a large first-half lead to fall to Boston College 95-87, but the story of the game wasn’t made field goals or plays, but rather a sequence of calls by the officials around the final media timeout as Tech trailed by three 82-79.

Devin McGlockton led all scorers with 30 points on 12-15 shooting and 3-4 from three including a junk layup to end the game. Claudell Harris Jr. scored 26 points including hitting all four of his threes. McGlockton was 8-9 shooting in the second half with 18 points and Harris was 4-5 shooting and 3-3 from three with 17 points.

"We have to give Boston College credit, we did a good job of limiting (Quinten) Post but the other guys Harris and McGlockton had good games," Stoudamire said. "We have just got to do better with leads and there are a lot of growing pains. I understand it and it is frustrating as I am sitting here thinking about the loss of the game. We've got to continue to grow because we didn't get it done."

Both Kyle Sturdivant and Baye Ndongo registered double-doubles. Sturdivant was one assist shy of a triple-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists. Ndongo had 18 points and 10 rebounds.

“We didn’t have the same intensity that we had in the first half guarding them. We have to come out with the same intensity that we played in the first half,” Sturdivant said.

Closing with an 11-0 run, Georgia Tech went to the half with a 51-38 lead over Boston College behind 15 points and 7 first-half rebounds by Baye Ndongo. Tech shot 57.1 percent from the field in the first half and 9-18 from three. The Eagles led by 13 points by Quinten Post and 12 points from Devin McGlockton hung around in the first half despite Tech’s hot run late.

Ndongo was 1-5 shooting in the second half with just 3 points, 1-5 from the free throw line and three rebounds. Tech missed 11 free throws in the game while Boston College missed just six of 19 free throw attempts.

Boston College shot 66.7 percent from the floor in the second half and 7-10 from three.

"We haven't put two halves together all season. We play 28 minutes here and 30 minutes there," Stoudamire said after the game. "Most teams are better when they limit the opponent to one shot and you get out and run. Everybody likes to run. So when it becomes a halfcourt game now you are asking everybody to think and it becomes tough."

Tech committed eight second-half turnovers and 11 overall yielding 20 points off turnovers for Boston College.

Like Ndongo, Kowacie Reeves was hot in the first half with 11 points but only added

Veteran Tech guard Miles Kelly had 12 points but he also had five turnovers and a flagrant foul in the final three-plus minutes of the game.

Tech limited talented BC big man Quinten Post to 15 points on 13 shots in the game and just two second-half points.

“We can’t put the game in the refs' hands, but we gave up a lot of easy shots and backdoors so the loss is on us,” Kelly said. “I thought in the first half we stuck to the game plan and the scouting report and then we we kind of got a little lackadaisical whether that was fighting over screens, getting over screens or letting up the backdoor. We have to pay better attention to detail in the second half and be more mature in the second half and leave the first half the first half."

Guard Amaree Abram and forward Ibrahim Souare were not on the bench as they battled illness.

Tech trailed early 13-7 thanks to hot shooting from Boston College including a banked three Devin McGlockton. The Eagles hit on five straight shots to open the game. Tech clawed back clamping down defensive to take a 22-21 lead on a corner three by Reeves at the second media timeout. Tech went on a 6-0 run out of the timeout to take a 30-23 lead off a pair of baskets by Ndongo off bounce passes in the lane from Nait George. Georgia Tech closed the half with an 11-0 run to take a 51-38 lead over Boston College.

Reeves hit a three to start the second half and then the Jackets gave up an 8-0 run to BC to cut their lead to eight 54-46 before Stoudamire was forced to use his second timeout of the half on a trap on Sturdivant. The Eagles extended the run to 12-0 before Sturdivant hit a runner to end it 56-50. The Eagles worked the lead down to three by the second media timeout and Claudell Harris Jr. hit a three to tie the game at 63 with under 11 to play. The Eagles went on a 9-0 run to take a 74-66 lead thanks to some missed offensive opportunities for the Tech offense. Ndongo hit a putback to make it 74-68 at the third media timeout. Tech hit four straight baskets and a Sturdivant free throw to tie the game at 76. Claude picked up three points on a dunk and was free to put Tech up three, but Harris answered with a three. McGlockton added a three of his own to put BC up 3, 82-79 at the final media timeout with 3:02 left. A foul called against Harris was reversed into a flagrant foul on Miles Kelly and Harris hit one of two and then after another questionable call, Stoudamire was hit with a technical foul. Those two calls led to a seven-point BC lead 86-79. The Eagles held on to win 95-87.