The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets stung the UCA men’s basketball team with an 87-68 loss at McCamish Pavilion on Nov. 30.
UCA coach John Shulman said, “We are the 16th least experienced team in division one, and we are banged up and only dressed eight scholarship players vs. Georgia Tech.”
UCA (2-5) won its previous game, beating the University of North Carolina Asheville Bulldogs at home Nov. 24.
Georgia Tech (4-3) opened with a 10-0 run, featuring two three-pointers from sophomore guard Naithan George and senior guard Lance Terry, along with a dunk by sophomore forward Baye Ndongo.
UCA, missing five players, fought back with three 3-pointers, including two from sophomore guard Brayden Fagbemi and one from freshman guard Layne Taylor, narrowing the score to 13-9.
The Yellow Jackets took a 49-38 lead in the first half after making 9 out of 18 3-pointers.
Taylor led the Bears with 20 points, including five 3-pointers on 13 attempts, and dished out a game-high five assists.
Senior guard/forward Elias Cato contributed 17 points with three 3-pointers, while Fagbemi added 15 points, six rebounds and three assists.
“Layne and Elias continue to lead us in scoring, along with Brayden, but that is expected. They are all leaders and really good players,” Shulman said. “We need others to step up and continue to get better. Our nonconference schedule has been extremely tough, which will make us grow up quicker.”
UCA battled back but was unable to close the gap, losing the second half 38-30.
Early on, Taylor’s 3-pointer pulled UCA within 51-45. Later, Fagbemi added another 3 points, cutting the lead to 58-51 with 13 minutes remaining. However, Georgia Tech responded with a 10-2 run, stretching its lead back to 15 points and keeping the Bears from closing the gap.
“Georgia Tech is a really good power four team out of the ACC [Atlantic Coast Conference], and for 35 minutes, we had a chance to win the game,” Shulman said.
He said UCA shot well from the 3-point range but struggled with rebounds.
“They shot it well from three, but we got hurt on the glass, which allowed them to get paint points, which we strive hard not to allow,” Shulman said. “They didn’t shoot it as good in the 2nd half, but we just didn’t do a great job on the glass. They had great size and length, ACC size and length, which is really difficult to play against.”
Georgia Tech extended its lead with a series of free throws and a jumper from Terry, making it a 13-point game with about 10 minutes left.
The Bears managed two 3-pointers and two free throws in the final five minutes.
The Yellow Jackets finished with three 3-pointers, including one from George, to secure its largest lead with 30 seconds remaining.
“In November and December, you either win or learn. We are young, we are inexperienced,” Shulman said. “We will continue to learn and grow up. We had three freshmen and two sophomores on the court vs. Georgia Tech at one time, so that will hopefully pay off during January and February. We are a work in progress and will use every game as a learning opportunity.”
The Bears will play the Little Rock Trojans on Dec. 4 and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Golden Lions on Dec. 7.