Monday, March 22, 2004
Star Telegram | 03/22/2004 | Georgia Tech crawls to a win
MILWAUKEE - Winning ugly takes on new meaning during the NCAA Tournament. Aesthetics are meaningless when teams enter the survive-and-advance mode.
Third-seeded Georgia Tech survived and advanced Sunday, even though it played poorly enough to be voted off the island. The Yellow Jackets scored only 13 points over the final 16 minutes, but squeezed out a 57-54 victory over sixth-seeded Boston College.
Georgia Tech will face 10th-seeded Nevada in the semifinals of the St. Louis Regional on Friday.
"I'm sure it wasn't the prettiest game to watch," Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt understated.
The Eagles (24-10) finished with more turnovers (22) than field goals (20). The teams combined to commit 39 turnovers and score 43 field goals. There were only four field goals made over the last 4:17.
Georgia Tech started each half with strong spurts. In the second half, the Yellow Jackets took a 44-33 lead in the first four minutes.
"When it got to 44-33, you could see them start to grit their teeth," Hewitt said. "We didn't react well to their stepped-up defense."
And the Eagles didn't react well to the Jackets' pressure and switching defenses. Wide-bodied post players Craig Smith and Uka Agbai combined for only 10 points and nine rebounds.
"Clearly, the number of turnovers was the difference in the game," BC coach Al Skinner said. "It was a struggle all afternoon, but we put ourselves in position to win the game. That shows the resiliency of this team."
Boston College's Jermaine Watson made one of two free throws with one minute remaining to give the Eagles a 54-53 lead. Georgia Tech countered when Jarrett Jack made two free throws with 30.6 seconds remaining.
BC committed its final turnover when Steve Hailey tried to pass out after driving to the baseline. Jack intercepted the pass and drove for a dunk with 5.5 seconds remaining to make it 57-54. But that also gave the Eagles one last possession to tie. Watson's 3-pointer, though, kicked out.
"I didn't know how close anybody was to me when I stole it," Jack said in trying to explain what could have been a season-ending gaffe. "I thought I might as well make it a three-point game."
Hewitt assessed the bottom line.
"I definitely wanted him to dribble [the clock] out," he said. "But all year, we've been an aggressive team that attacks. As it worked out, it was the right decision."
BREAKDOWN
WHY GEORGIA TECH WON
The third-seeded Yellow Jackets forced 22 turnovers that helped them build a 20-4 edge in fast-break points.
WHY BOSTON COLLEGE LOST
The sixth-seeded Eagles couldn't find enough offense to take advantage of Georgia Tech scoring only 13 points during the final 16 minutes.
NOTABLE
• In its last seven games, Georgia Tech has allowed its opponents to shoot only 39.2 percent from the field.
• Georgia Tech is in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1996.
• Boston College lost for the first time all season when holding its opponent under 60 points, finishing 11-1 in those games.
MILWAUKEE - Winning ugly takes on new meaning during the NCAA Tournament. Aesthetics are meaningless when teams enter the survive-and-advance mode.
Third-seeded Georgia Tech survived and advanced Sunday, even though it played poorly enough to be voted off the island. The Yellow Jackets scored only 13 points over the final 16 minutes, but squeezed out a 57-54 victory over sixth-seeded Boston College.
Georgia Tech will face 10th-seeded Nevada in the semifinals of the St. Louis Regional on Friday.
"I'm sure it wasn't the prettiest game to watch," Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt understated.
The Eagles (24-10) finished with more turnovers (22) than field goals (20). The teams combined to commit 39 turnovers and score 43 field goals. There were only four field goals made over the last 4:17.
Georgia Tech started each half with strong spurts. In the second half, the Yellow Jackets took a 44-33 lead in the first four minutes.
"When it got to 44-33, you could see them start to grit their teeth," Hewitt said. "We didn't react well to their stepped-up defense."
And the Eagles didn't react well to the Jackets' pressure and switching defenses. Wide-bodied post players Craig Smith and Uka Agbai combined for only 10 points and nine rebounds.
"Clearly, the number of turnovers was the difference in the game," BC coach Al Skinner said. "It was a struggle all afternoon, but we put ourselves in position to win the game. That shows the resiliency of this team."
Boston College's Jermaine Watson made one of two free throws with one minute remaining to give the Eagles a 54-53 lead. Georgia Tech countered when Jarrett Jack made two free throws with 30.6 seconds remaining.
BC committed its final turnover when Steve Hailey tried to pass out after driving to the baseline. Jack intercepted the pass and drove for a dunk with 5.5 seconds remaining to make it 57-54. But that also gave the Eagles one last possession to tie. Watson's 3-pointer, though, kicked out.
"I didn't know how close anybody was to me when I stole it," Jack said in trying to explain what could have been a season-ending gaffe. "I thought I might as well make it a three-point game."
Hewitt assessed the bottom line.
"I definitely wanted him to dribble [the clock] out," he said. "But all year, we've been an aggressive team that attacks. As it worked out, it was the right decision."
BREAKDOWN
WHY GEORGIA TECH WON
The third-seeded Yellow Jackets forced 22 turnovers that helped them build a 20-4 edge in fast-break points.
WHY BOSTON COLLEGE LOST
The sixth-seeded Eagles couldn't find enough offense to take advantage of Georgia Tech scoring only 13 points during the final 16 minutes.
NOTABLE
• In its last seven games, Georgia Tech has allowed its opponents to shoot only 39.2 percent from the field.
• Georgia Tech is in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1996.
• Boston College lost for the first time all season when holding its opponent under 60 points, finishing 11-1 in those games.
