Georgia Tech 67, Illinois 64: Daniel Miller scored the go-ahead bucket with 24 seconds left as the host Yellow Jackets rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit to upend the Illini in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Robert Carter Jr. scored a career-high 21 points and Marcus Georges-Hunt added 20 points, both hitting clutch baskets down the stretch for Georgia Tech (6-3). The Yellow Jackets closed the game on a 19-4 run.
Rayvonte Rice scored 24 points and Joseph Bertrand contributed 10 for Illinois (7-1), which squandered a 60-48 lead midway through the second half.
Georgia Tech battled back with a 12-0 run to tie the game at 60 on Georges-Hunt’s layup with 1:48 to play and, after Illinois pushed ahead 64-60 on a Nnanna Egwu three-point play and a Tracy Abrams free throw, Carter’s 3-pointer brought the Yellow Jackets within one. Egwu committed a turnover on the ensuing possession and Miller worked free on the baseline for the winning basket.
Betrand missed a 3-pointer from the right corner with six seconds to play, Carter hit two free throws with three seconds left and Abrams’ desperation 3-pointer from midcourt at the buzzer fell well short. Rice scored 10 consecutive points during a 21-4 second-half spurt for the Illini, turning a five-point deficit into a 60-48 advantage with 9:13 remaining.
GAME NOTEBOOK: G Trae Golden, Georgia Tech’s leading scorer at 13.5 points, finished 0-for-3 from the field and scored three points. … Illinois led by nine with 6:20 left in the first half, but the Yellow Jackets erased the deficit with a 19-7 run and led 36-33 at halftime. … The Illini return to Atlanta on Sunday to face Auburn at Philips Arena.
Illinois | Georgia Tech | |
Rayvonte Rice 24 | Scoring | Robert Carter 21 |
Jaylon Tate 5 | Assists | Robert Carter 3 |
Jon Ekey 9 | Rebounds | Robert Carter 9 |
Tracy Abrams 5 | Free Throws Made | Robert Carter 7 |
Rayvonte Rice 2 | Steals | Trae Golden 1 |
Nnanna Egwu 2 | Blocks | Daniel Miller 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Illinois | 64 | 41.8 | 7-23 | 11-15 | 13 | 25 | 7 | 3 | 11 |
Georgia Tech | 67 | 41.1 | 6-19 | 15-19 | 13 | 29 | 2 | 2 | 9 |