McCollum’s performance fuels Georgia Tech’s victory over Alabama A&M
Georgia Tech senior guard Javian McCollum was the difference between what happened to the Yellow Jackets during their previous game against Duke (a 26-point loss) and what went on Saturday against Alabama A&M (a 92-49 victory). McCollum scored all 18 of his points during the first half, including several three-pointers. His assist to senior Duncan Powell for a dunk just before halftime has to be included in his highlight film for the game.
Though McCollum would leave the game with a leg injury early in the second half, his early impact could be felt for the remainder of the game. Fellow senior Lance Terry took the mantle and scored a team-high 22 points during the game.
“Today showed a lot. Our defense was good today and as long as we stay aggressive on defense we’ll be OK,” Terry said after the game. Tech had a season-high 13 steals and 27 assists during the game.
The Yellow Jackets, now 6-7 overall, 0-2 in ACC, have four victories by more than 20 points this season, including wins over West Georgia and Charleston Southern. Alabama A&M now had lost five games by 20 or more points this season, including in Athens to Georgia on November 19.
Sophomore forward Baye Ndongo had a quieter game than usual after dealing with early foul trouble. He reached double-figures in scoring (10 points) on a layup with 3:26 remaining in the game. On a better note, sophomore Marcos San Miguel and freshman and former OTE star Darrion Sutton got an opportunity to get some minutes late in the game. Sam Miguel, a former Campbell High School star, even took three shots and made two during the game
Georgia Tech jumped out to a two-point advantage, 11-9, following a dunk from senior yard Lance Terry from sophomore point guard Nathan George (four points, nine assists). The play that led to that exchange ended with a rebound for Terry and an outlet pass. Before taking the early lead, The Yellow Jackets got a fight from the visiting Bulldogs, who have five players on its roster who played their high school basketball in Georgia.
The Yellow Jackets had its largest lead of the game, 23-15, after going on an 8-3 run that was capped by consecutive dunks from freshman guard Jaeden Mustaf (13 points, six assists, five steals) and fellow freshman Ibrahim Souare. The 6’9″ Souare, who came into Saturday’s game averaging less than two points per game and just over two rebounds per game, flexed toward the crowd after his dunk. There were several other hustle plays by Souare during the game that got Tech head coach Damon Stoudamire and his staff off their feet.
Ahead by 22 points with a minute to play in the second half, George found Mustaf for another dunk that forced an Alabama A&M timeout. Ahead 5025 at halftime, Tech started the second half with a 10-1 run that included another Souare dunk and a three-pointer from Powell.
Georgia Tech’s defense held Alabama A&M without a basket for the first five minutes of the second half. A three-pointer from London Riley, an Atlanta native and former Georgia Highlands Community College standout, gave the Bulldogs its first basket at the 14-minute mark. They were down 60-30 at the time, however.
HBCU Ties: There’s an HBCU tie in this game with Yellow Jackets redshirt junior forward Duncan Powell having been a starter at North Carolina A&T before transferring to Sacramento State and then to Georgia Tech.
Celebrating New Year’s Eve with Some Hoops: The Yellow Jackets will host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-5 overall) on New Year’s Eve. The game is scheduled to tip off at 2:30 p.m. Georgia Tech, currently 0-2 in the ACC, will be looking for its first conference victory.
