Malik Williams blocked a potential go-ahead layup by Georgia Tech's Moses Wright with 24 seconds left, then connected on three clinching free throws to help No. 6 Louisville eke out a 68-64 home win Wednesday night.
Williams' heroics enabled the Cardinals (16-3, 7-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) to survive going the last 5:15 without a field goal. Louisville nearly blew an 11-point lead in the final five minutes, but the Yellow Jackets (8-11, 3-6) failed to score on their final three possessions, missing four shots.
Williams and Steven Enoch each scored 13 points for Louisville while Jordan Nwora and David Johnson added 10 apiece. The Cardinals hit just 41.4 percent from the field but won the game with depth, as their reserves outscored Georgia Tech's sparsely used bench 32-0.
Four starters finished in double figures for the Yellow Jackets, led by Michael Devoe with a game-high 21 points. Jose Alvarado added 13 points and 10 rebounds but also committed six of the team's 17 turnovers. James Banks III scored 12 points, and Wright finished with 11.
Georgia Tech made just 9 of 27 shots in the second half, the prime reason it coughed up a 45-35 lead.
Louisville got off to a blazing start from 3-point range with three treys in the first 3 1/2 minutes, but it couldn't stop Georgia Tech from connecting from anywhere. Alvarado sank a pair of 3-pointers in a 61-second span, and the Yellow Jackets led 12-11 at the first TV timeout.
Georgia Tech kept converting shots, overcoming its propensity to turn the ball over, and kept the Cardinals at bay throughout the first half. A Wright layup upped the advantage to 23-16 at the 8:39 mark.
Louisville closed within 32-30 on a Darius Perry layup with 2:43 left, but the Yellow Jackets rattled off six straight points for their biggest lead of the half. They went to the locker room with a 38-32 advantage as the result of 61.9 percent field-goal shooting and 10 of 14 marksmanship at the foul line.
--Field Level Media
Georgia Tech | Louisville | |
Michael Devoe 21 | Scoring | Steven Enoch 13 |
Michael Devoe 3 | Assists | Lamarr Kimble 3 |
Jose Alvarado 10 | Rebounds | Jordan Nwora 7 |
Michael Devoe 5 | Free Throws Made | Malik Williams 7 |
Jose Alvarado 1 | Steals | David Johnson 3 |
James Banks III 2 | Blocks | Malik Williams 3 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Georgia Tech | 64 | 45.8 | 5-17 | 15-20 | 11 | 30 | 4 | 4 | 17 |
Louisville | 68 | 41.4 | 6-20 | 14-23 | 12 | 31 | 3 | 9 | 10 |