Tech survive Georgia Southern and the flu 61-59

ATLANTA- It was significantly from pretty with 4 scholarship gamers out for the video game in opposition to Ga Southern and Mike Devoe being forced to pull a Willis Reed and perform by means of the flu but the Jackets defeat the Eagles sixty one-fifty nine on Friday afternoon in McCamish Pavilion to enhance to 5-one on the season. The Eagles fell to four-2. Devoe finished up with 26 factors in thirty minutes off the bench for the Jackets hitting eight of his 16 photographs which includes 5-for-nine from 3 and 5-for-seven from the no cost-toss line.

Tech head coach Josh Pastner was a lot more relieved than everything after the earn.

“It was a fantastic earn,” he stated. “Ga Southern is a genuinely very good basketball group and I assume they are quite very well-coached. I assume coach (Brian) Burg does a fantastic occupation. I explained to them just before the video game if we are privileged plenty of to earn this video game it will be a very good earn for our program mainly because they are a very good group and they are likely to earn a ton of video games in their conference. I am genuinely happy of our youthful males.”

The Jackets started out the video game devoid of Devoe, place guard Deivon Smith, backup major man Jordan Meka and guard Tristan Maxwell as very well as wander-ons Jermontae Hill, Jehloni James and Brayden Daniels who ended up all out with the flu, and Bubba Parham who was also even now out recovering from knee operation. Tech started out the video game with 8 scholarship gamers and just one wander-on just before Devoe joined the video game midway by means of the 1st 50 percent.

“We have just been hit with the flu terribly this 7 days,” Pastner stated. “It has been jogging by means of our group. Tuesday we experienced to cancel follow mainly because we didn’t have plenty of men. Wednesday we experienced 5 men so we ended up in a position to shoot and lift but that was all we experienced. Yesterday, we confirmed up with 10 whole men which includes Coleman Boyd a wander-on and we just did taking pictures and the only way we could put together for the video game was by means of film. I was scheduling on Michael Devoe enjoying and then he bought unwell once more.”

Pastner stated that Devoe was a quite late scratch to the starting lineup after he fell unwell throughout early heat-ups just before reappearing midway by means of the 1st 50 percent dressed in his uniform.

“I was executing the pre-video game radio with Andy Demetra and he was walking in and seemed like a little something occurred to him. He was wonderful at breakfast this morning. I observed coach (Julian) Swartz at the rear of him and he was shaking his head and I stated to Demetra I guess Devoe is not enjoying currently. He explained to me he was unwell once more and I explained to him to lay down in the locker room mainly because he stated I am lightheaded. He arrived out in the middle of the 1st 50 percent and stated coach I am completely ready to go and I didn’t choose him out after that, he performed all thirty minutes.”

Devoe who experienced 26 factors, also experienced 5 helps and 4 turnovers in a ragged functionality as he battled the flu.

“I genuinely just preferred to go out there and fight with my brothers,” he stated of his conclusion to perform. “I observed their vitality and things and I just preferred to go out there and contribute. I sense pretty very good now but I assume it is the adrenaline but just before the video game, I did not sense so very well and I did not know if I would be in a position to go or not.”

Kyle Sturdivant experienced 11 factors, 5 rebounds and two steals and Rodney Howard experienced 10 factors, 3 helps with just just one turnover and 6 rebounds. Jordan Usher struggled offensively but included 10 rebounds and a steal.

“How about Rodney Howard’s advancement,” Pastner stated. “That person and how a great deal better he has gotten from the 1st video game in opposition to Miami (OH) to now, where he experienced a heck of a video game. Very last yr I pretty much could not set him in video games and now it is difficult to choose him off the courtroom. We pride ourselves on participant advancement and we could possibly not get 5-star recruits, but we’ve finished a 5-star stage occupation in participant advancement receiving men better and coach Eric Reveno has finished a fantastic occupation with Rodney Howard.”

Elijah McCadden and Cam Bryant each experienced fourteen factors, Bryant experienced 11 in the 1st 50 percent and Kamari Brown also experienced 11 in the 1st 50 percent and was held to just two in the next 50 percent as the Jackets altered defensively keeping Southern to just 28.6-percent taking pictures in the next 50 percent in comparison to fifty five.2 in the 1st 50 percent. Southern only scored twenty factors in the next 50 percent and ended up just just one-for-9 in the next 50 percent.

“We held them to twenty factors in the next 50 percent off our defense and we’ve been a very good defensive group but we held them to one-for-nine from 3 and we ended up privileged mainly because we did miss some no cost throws (twelve-24 FTs),” Pastner stated.

Burg stated the Jackets did a very good occupation changing to his group at the 50 percent as very well and his group performed with fewer discipline in the next 50 percent as very well.

“I considered it was a difficult-fought video game performed for forty minutes and give credit score to Ga Tech and the adjustments they designed at halftime. We arrived out the 1st twenty minutes and performed genuinely very good basketball and I considered we ended up really disciplined executing the video game strategy and jumped out to a major direct but give credit score to Ga Tech they are a very well-coached group and they designed adjustments at halftime,” Burg stated.

1 of the turning factors in the video game was a technical foul accessed in opposition to Burg that fired his group up likely on a seven-one operate that was finished with a Devoe no cost toss on the remaining Tech possession.

“I train our men to be really unselfish just about every single working day no matter if it be in follow, no matter if it be off the courtroom, on the courtroom and to get no technicals throughout the video game, so I choose possession in regards to the technical foul,” Burg stated. “I am just preventing for my gamers and I requested these men to do an dreadful ton just about every single working day and I am also really demanding of our employees. I am appropriate there with them.”

Tech shot the ball at a 48-percent clip in the next 50 percent after struggling at 34.6-percent in the 1st 50 percent.

Skipped no cost throws stored the video game near as the Jackets missed twelve of the 24 attempts at the charity stripe.

It was a low-scoring affair early with Ga Southern foremost 11-10 at the below twelve timeout. Trailing fourteen-10, Mike Devoe arrived off the bench with 10:seventeen remaining in the 50 percent. The Eagles continued a nine- extending their direct to 10, twenty-10 with nine:44 remaining in the 1st 50 percent. Tech finished up down twelve at the split 39-27 with Devoe foremost the way with 11 factors off the bench. Ga Southern shot fifty five.2-percent from the discipline while Tech shot just 34.6 percent. Jordan Usher was one-6 taking pictures, -three from 3 and -2 from the line with two turnovers in the 1st 50 percent. Cam Bryant and Kamari Brown each experienced 11 for the Eagles both of those on four-seven taking pictures from the discipline.

Rodney Howard bought likely to begin the next 50 percent with 5 factors swiftly in the 1st ninety seconds of the 50 percent to make it a seven-place video game. Kyle Sturdivant hit a basket to make it a forty-36 video game foremost to a timeout by the Eagles. Usher out of the below-16 timeout hit a 3 to make it forty-39. Southern snapped a 4-minute scoring drought and a seven- operate by Tech to make it 42-39, but Devoe hit again-to-again baskets to give Tech the direct 43-42. The Eagles fought again retaking the direct 48-47 with nine:25 to go. Devoe hit a stepback 3 and the Eagles hit a pair of no cost throws to tie the video game at 50. Devoe hit a corner 3 to make it 53-50 at the below-eight media timeout. Ga Southern coach Brian Burg bought a technical foul with three:twenty remaining for arguing about a non-foul connect with in opposition to Tech. Devoe hit the two no cost throws to make it a fifty nine-fifty two video game. Skipped no cost throws and turnovers stored the Eagles in the video game. Bryant hit a 3 with 53.6 remaining to make it a just one-place video game sixty-fifty nine after 3 straight turnovers by the Jackets. Devoe turned the ball more than on the next possession. Usher bought a critical defensive rebound and bought the ball to Devoe who was fouled. Devoe hit just one of his two no cost throws to make it sixty one-fifty nine with seven.eight seconds remaining. Elijah McCadden missed a 3 and Tech bought the rebound to seal the earn.

Ga Tech hosts Wisconsin on Wednesday at nine:15 pm as the closing video game of the ACC/Big Ten Problem. The Eagles perform at Morehead Point out on Wednesday in Kentucky. The Badgers are red hot coming off successful the Maui Invitational. The Jackets will elevate the 2020-21 ACC Championship banner at the video game.