Heading into yesterday's matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were in an uphill battle in the ACC standings, trying to stay relevant for a spot in the conference tournament with a win. However their hopes would take another blow, as they would fall to the Fighting Irish 71-68.
The Yellow Jackets made ample opportunities for themselves throughout the game, as they would lead by seven on two different occasions in the contest, but it was a late Fighting Irish run that would seal the deal.
With 5:35 left in the game, a jumper by sophomore guard Naithan George would put the Yellow Jackets up 62-55, in prime position to close out the game, but that would be the last points that the Yellow Jackets would score for the next 5:22 seconds of game time, as they watched the Fighting Irish go on a 13-0 run to go up by six with 18 seconds remaining in the game.
George would lead the Yellow Jackets in points, with 20, and assists, with 5. Forward Duncan Powell had another great scoring night, as he dropped 18 points, and the only other Yellow Jackets player to score in double digits would be Baye Ndongo, with ten. Ndongo would also lead the team in rebounding with seven.
The defense for the Yellow Jackets stood up to the challenge of the Notre Dame offense, only allowing two players to score at least ten points, but it was the shooting of sophomore guard Markus Burton, who made four of his five three-point shots in the contest and put up a total of 26 points, that was the dagger to the heart of the Yellow Jackets.
The Yellow Jackets will be back in action on Feb. 1 as they host the No. 21 ranked Louisville Cardinals.