Georgia Tech got 18 points from guard Curtis Haywood II and rolled to a 79-54 win over visiting East Carolina on Friday night.
Haywood, a sophomore, missed the final six weeks of last season because of a stress reaction that required a metal rod be inserted in his right leg. He was 5-for-9 from the field and added three rebounds in 20 minutes.
Ten players scored for the Yellow Jackets. Freshman Michael Devoe scored a career-high 13 points off the bench and point guard Jose Alvarado had nine points, six assists and four rebounds.
Georgia Tech played without starting forward Evan Cole, who turned his ankle late in the Yellow Jackets' game against Tennessee on Tuesday.
Georgia Tech (2-1) bounced back from a poor shooting night on Tuesday against the No. 5 Volunteers. The Yellow Jackets were 9-for-17 on 3-pointers on Friday, exceeding coach Josh Pastner's goal of 42 percent from beyond the arc.
East Carolina (2-2) got 13 points from Jayden Gardner and 12 points from DeShaun Wade off the bench. Seth LeDay added nine points and nine rebounds. The Pirates shot only 35.6 percent from the floor, including 2 of 17 on 3-pointers.
Georgia Tech suffered from poor shooting early in the first half, and East Carolina had an 11-10 lead with 10:12 left.
But the Yellow Jackets went on a 13-4 run to take control and had a 40-24 lead at halftime, thanks to shooting 5-for-10 on 3-pointers. Haywood scored 12 and Alvarado scored nine in the first half.
Georgia Tech improved to 4-1 all-time against East Carolina. The two schools had not met since 1994.
The game was part of the Deep South Showcase, a round-robin event played on campus sites. It also features Lamar, Prairie View A&M and Texas-Rio Grande Valley.
East Carolina hosts Texas-Rio Grande Valley on Monday. Georgia Tech hosts Rio Grande on Wednesday.
--Field Level Media
East Carolina | Georgia Tech | |
Jayden Gardner 13 | Scoring | Curtis Haywood II 18 |
Deshaun Wade 3 | Assists | Jose Alvarado 6 |
Seth LeDay 9 | Rebounds | James Banks III 6 |
Deshaun Wade 4 | Free Throws Made | Curtis Haywood II 5 |
Tae Hardy 3 | Steals | Michael Devoe 4 |
Seth LeDay 2 | Blocks | James Banks III 3 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
East Carolina | 54 | 35.6 | 2-17 | 10-19 | 7 | 35 | 4 | 8 | 22 |
Georgia Tech | 79 | 49.1 | 9-17 | 18-25 | 12 | 34 | 5 | 13 | 18 |