THE FLATS – Georgia Tech men’s basketball (6-7) finished off non-conference play in style, defeating Alabama A&M (4-9) 92-49 on Saturday afternoon at McCamish Pavilion. Senior Lance Terry led the Yellow Jackets with a game-high 22 points, his fourth 20-point outburst of the season, in a dominant performance on the home floor as Tech held the Bulldogs to just 20.8 percent shooting from the field while tallying season-bests in steals (12) and assists (27).
Senior Javian McCollum, who delivered his 50th career double-digit scoring performance, tying his season-high with 18 points, all in the first half and his most since the fourth game of the season. Redshirt freshman Ibrahim Souare delivered a career-high eight points and six rebounds, while freshman Jaeden Mustaf posted 13 points, seven boards and six assists, and sophomore Naithan George dished a game-high nine assists.
The Jackets established their defensive intensity early on, holding Alabama A&M to just two points through its first five possessions, forcing three turnovers along with George’s third block of the season. Tech began to pull away midway through the first half, using momentum from a thunderous alley-oop by Terry to spark a 7-0 scoring run. Tech never relinquished the lead from that point on, holding the Bulldogs scoreless for nearly six full minutes to establish a double-digit lead.
From that point on, it was McCollum’s show as the Fort Myers, Fla. native scored 10-straight points for the Jackets. His offensive spark off the bench resulted in 18 first half points, helping Tech go into the break, leading 50-25, the fourth 50+ point half of the season.
Tech maintained their dominant defensive effort into the second period, holding A&M to 16.2% from the floor on the way to the 43-point victory.
The Jackets return to Atlantic Coast Conference action on Tuesday (New Year’s Eve ) when they host Notre Dame (7-5, 1-0 ACC) at 2:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network.
