Georgia Tech is one game away from a trophy.
Subjecting Cal State Bakersfield to the defensive heat that wilted many ACC opponents, Tech won its first NIT semifinal game in 46 years with breathing room, a 76-61 victory Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
Closing out on the ball, deflecting passes and sealing off the defensive glass, the Yellow Jackets took the game away from the Roadrunners in the first half and never gave it back.
“It’s a great win for us, an opportunity to play for a championship on Thursday,” coach Josh Pastner said.
With the win, the Jackets advanced to Thursday night’s NIT final, where they can win the first NIT championship in school history. The Jackets will play the winner of Tuesday night’s TCU-UCF game that followed the Tech game.
It extended by another two days a most unlikely chapter in the team’s 102-season history, one that began with the most modest of expectations and will conclude with a shot at a championship, albeit a second-tier one.
Mixing defenses up and employing its length, Tech (21-15) hounded the Roadrunners into 35 percent shooting from the field, well off their season average of 44.2 percent. Bakersfield (25-10) never led in the game.
Here are five things to know about the game:
How the game was won
Ahead 22-18 with 7:43 to play in the first half, Tech put together a 7-0 run to extend the lead to 29-18 that, even at that juncture, began to significantly reduce Bakersfield’s chances of winning. Exploding to the basket to draw fouls, guard Josh Okogie contributed three free throws, and forward Quinton Stephens knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner and added a free throw of his own for the seven points.
With the way that Tech was challenging shots and making it so difficult for the Roadrunners to score, the 11-point margin was able to hold up the rest of the way. Bakersfield got within seven late in the first half and eight twice in the second half, but the lead grew to as wide as 19 in the second half.
“They did a really good job (Tuesday),” Roadrunners coach Rod Barnes said. “Really caused us a lot of problems out there.”
Could do better
After the game, Stephens was not ecstatic with the team’s play, even in victory. The defensive activity let down slightly as the game wore on, and Pastner jumped on the team, Stephens in particular, when players began looking for their own shots rather than working the ball to the open man.
Pastner said that Bakersfield’s 13 offensive rebounds were too many, although center Ben Lammers’ ability to deny and alter shots limited the damage to 12 second-chance points.
“I would say I’m happy with us winning, but, like I said earlier, we’re not really satisfied,” Stephens said. “I feel like I could have played better.”
On his game again
Lammers displayed his ACC defensive player-of-the-year form, reading the Roadrunners’ drives to challenge shots or intercept or deflect passes. Bakersfield was 13-for-37 on 2-point shots (35.1 percent), well below its season average of 48.5 percent. Lammers had nine defensive rebounds and 11 overall, blocked five shots and had two steals. With 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting, he picked up his 16th double-double of the season.
Help off the bench
With point guard Josh Heath under the weather, sub Justin Moore gave the Jackets quality minutes and an energy boost. In 14 minutes, the freshman scored eight points with an assist, going to the basket fearlessly for scores at the rim.
He made one of the plays of the game in the first half, hustling to the sideline to retrieve a ball and extend a possession after Lammers had been blocked at the basket. With the extra chance, Stephens made a 3-pointer, one of two he made in the game, to build Tech’s lead to 22-15. The play stood up when Bakersfield guard Dedrick Basile made one of his five 3-pointers on the next possession to return the lead to four.
Taking care of the ball
Perhaps the greatest challenge that Tech faced Tuesday night was taking care of the ball against Bakersfield’s pressure. The Roadrunners entered the game ranked in the top 10 nationally in opponent turnovers per game at 16.9. They employed full-court pressure and aggressive man to man in hopes of eliciting the ball from the Jackets’ possession.
However, Tech turned the ball over just seven times, tying its season low. The Roadrunners scored just six points off turnovers. Pastner credited work done in practice to get the team acclimated to being uncomfortable against Bakersfield’s pressure.
