The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defeated the Belmont Bruins on Sunday afternoon 71-57 behind senior Quinton Stephen’s career high 23-points.
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Sunday defeated the Belmont Bruins in the second round of the NIT Tournament 71-57. The victory made it a historic day for the Yellow Jackets as they earned their program-record 17th home victory of the season.
The victory helped the Yellow Jackets close their season at McCamish with a 17-4 record at the Thunderdome. Quinton Stephens lead the way for the Yellow Jackets on Sunday, scoring a career-high 23-points while bringing down eight rebounds and four assists.
In the first half, it was a back-and-forth game, the two programs exchanging runs throughout. Heading into halftime, the Jackets began to cool off at one point missing eight consecutive shots. Two quick possessions in the final minute, however, allowed the Yellow Jackets to close out the half on a 5-0 run and head into halftime up 30-26.
After halftime, it was all Yellow Jackets as they quickly got out to a 20-5 run in the second half. Belmont, who relied on the three-point shot throughout the season, struggled Sunday, hitting just 11-of-33 attempts.
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Sunday’s victory also marked the last time that Quinton Stephens, Corey Heyward, and Josh Heath would play at McCamish as they look to keep their senior season alive on Tuesday night.
While Stephens lead the way with his 23 points, Heath contributed to the Jackets with three rebounds, seven assists, and three steals.
While a bittersweet moment for the seniors, Sunday’s win could also mark the new era that features Ben Lammers and Josh Okogie as the faces of the program heading into next season.
Lammers, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year earned his second consecutive double-double and his 15th of the season, scoring 14 points and bringing down 10 boards. Okogie, on the other hand, dropped 15 points and had eight rebounds of his own.
Tadric Jackson who will return for his senior year next year alongside Lammers also contributed 12 points of the bench throughout his 30 minutes on the court.
As a team, the Yellow Jackets shot 46.4% (26-56) from the field on Sunday and 40% (6-15) from beyond the arch. A quick look at Belmont’s shooting percentages and one of the major keys for Georgia Tech can be seen as the Bruins shot just 33% from both the field and beyond the arch.
The other major advantage area for the Jackets was turnovers, where the Jackets forced 17 turnovers while only allowing eight. Compare that to their 16 forced turnovers against Indiana and nine turnovers allowed against Indiana, and it’s easy to see how strong the Jackets are when limiting their turnovers.
The most amazing stat of the day, however, will be the Jackets amount of assists on Sunday afternoon. On their 26 made field goals, the Jackets had a total of 23 assists.
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The Yellow Jackets will hit the court again on Tuesday night in Oxford, Mississippi against the fifth-seeded Ole Miss Rebels.