CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S.V.I. - Anthony Morrow scored 19 points to lead Georgia Tech to an 82-77 victory over Charlotte in the opening round of the Paradise Jam on Friday afternoon in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Jeremis Smith added 15 points while Lewis Clinch posted a season-high 14 points. D'Andre Bell came off the bench to contribute 12 points and a team-leading eight rebounds. The Jackets will next face the winner of the UIC vs. Winthrop game in the tournament semi-finals on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The game will be televised by Fox College Sports and air in Atlanta on SportSouth.
Morrow scored 12 of his 19 in the second half, first canning a three-point basket after the 49ers had scored the first eight points of the period to erase a 40-34 Tech haftime lead.
The teams exchanged leads eight times in the second half before Clinch's jumper gave the Jackets the lead for good, 65-64, at the 6:46 mark. Tech maintained the lead with some clutch free throw shooting by Smith and Bell, as well as a pair of big putbacks off missed shots by Smith.
The 49ers stayed close behind three-point baskets from Ian Andersen and An'Juan Wilderness, bringing Charlotte within 78-77 with nine seconds to go.
Bell missed the back end of a two-shot foul with six seconds left and Tech ahead 79-77, but grabbed the rebound and gave the Jackets a three-point lead by making the first of two free throws with four seconds remaining. After Bell missed the second, the 49ers Charlie Coley threw a pass out of bounds in the backcourt, and Tech's Alade Aminu iced the game with a pair of foul shots.
Monday
November 25th, 2024
2:35AM
