Hoops roundup: Georgia Tech knocks off No. 16 Hokies
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, February 24, 2021
Associated Press
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Moses Wright scored 17 of his 26 points in the second half, helping Georgia Tech pull away from No. 16 Virginia Tech for a 69-53 victory Tuesday night.
Wright also grabbed 10 rebounds in the Yellow Jackets’ third straight victory. They also posted back-to-back ACC road wins for the first time since 2008.
Jose Alvarado had 13 points for Georgia Tech (12-8, 8-6), and Michael Devoe finished with 12. Alvarado also had five steals.
Keve Aluma had 12 points and 14 rebounds for Virginia Tech (14-5, 8-4). The Hokies’ 53 points were a season low.
The Yellow Jackets grabbed control with a 12-0 run in the second half. Wright scored seven points during the decisive stretch on three dunks and a free throw.
Georgia Tech shot 62% (16 of 26) from the field in the second half. The game was tied at 24 at the break.
Nahiem Alleyne had 12 points for the Hokies.
The veteran Yellow Jackets are pushing for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. It was the Yellow Jackets’ fourth win over a ranked team this season. With plenty of experience and talented guard play, they are a team to watch in the final two weeks of the regular season.
Virginia Tech played for the first time since Feb. 6 after a pause because of COVID-19 protocols. The Hokies looked a little rusty, struggling against a 1-3-1 zone, missing open shots and turning the ball over 16 times. They host Wake Forest on Saturday.
Mich. St. 81, No. 5 Illinois 72
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Aaron Henry scored 20 points and Joshua Langford had 15 points and a career-high 16 rebounds to lead the Spartans past the Fighting Illini.
The Spartans (12-9, 6-9 Big Ten) earned a desperately needed quality win to bolster their chances of playing in 23 straight NCAA Tournaments.
The Fighting Illini (16-6, 12-4) had won a Big Ten-best seven straight games, putting them in contention for a No. 1 seed. Trent Frazier scored 22 points for Illinois, whose star players weren’t as productive as usual against a suddenly stingy defense.
Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu, coming off his second triple-double in a 94-63 win over Minnesota, had 17 points on 6-of-18 shooting.
Rocket Watts and Joey Hauser each scored 13 points for the Spartans, who were in control for much of the game with balanced offense and aggressive defense.
No. 10 W. Virginia 74, TCU 66
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Taz Sherman scored 23 points, Derek Culver had 18 points and 14 rebounds, and the Mountaineers continued solid play on the road with a victory over TCU. Miles McBride added 11 points for West Virginia (16-6, 9-4 Big 12).
RJ Nembhard led TCU (11-10, 4-8) with 17 points, his 18th straight game in double digits.
Louisville 69, Notre Dame 57
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Carlik Jones scored 18 points, Jae’Lyn Withers had 12 points and 13 rebounds and Louisville beat the Fighting Irish.
The Cardinals (12-5, 7-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) were playing at home for the first time since Feb. 1, and did so without second-leading scorer David Johnson.
Juwan Durham led Notre Dame (9-12, 6-9) with 18 points.
Georgia State 85, Appalachian State 71
ATLANTA (AP) — Kane Williams scored a career-high 24 points and Jalen Thomas added 22 as Georgia State topped the Mountaineers. Williams shot 6 for 8 on 3-pointers.
Corey Allen had 16 points and six assists for Georgia State (12-5, 6-4 Sun Belt Conference), which earned its fourth straight victory.
Michael Almonacy scored a career-high 24 points and had six rebounds for the Mountaineers (12-10, 6-7), who have now lost five consecutive games.
Campbell 68, High Point 48
BUIES CREEK (AP) — Cedric Henderson Jr. had 19 points and Messiah Thompson posted 14 points as Campbell won its seventh consecutive game.
Campbell (15-9, 11-6 Big South Conference) held a High Point to a season-low 16 points in the first half. John-Michael Wright had 13 for the Panthers (8-14, 6-11), whose losing streak reached four games.