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Notre Dame Basketball

Buzzer Beater Beats Irish 62-60 in Atlanta

January 28, 2017
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No. 15 Notre Dame (17-5, 6-3) traveled to McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta on Saturday afternoon to take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (13-8, 5-4). Josh Okogie made a transition layup as time expired to give the Jackets their third consecutive win against a Top 25 opponent 62-60.

Notre Dame was coming off a home loss to 12th-ranked Virginia last Tuesday night 71-54. Georgia Tech upset sixth-ranked Florida State last Wednesday night at home 78-56. The Yellow Jackets came into the game 10-3 at home. The Jackets got a game-high 25 points from Tadric Jackson and shot 48.1% from the field. V.J. Beachem led the Irish with 23 points but the Irish shot just 40% in the loss.

The Irish were able to take the lead back thanks to some heads-up plays from Steve Vasturia and Beachem. The Irish used a 9-0 run spanning both halves to regain the lead. The back and forth nature of the second half continued as the two teams traded baskets for a few minutes.

The Jackets did a good job staying aggressive and taking the ball to the basket as they stayed in the lead towards the midway point of the half. Ben Lammers continued his strong game with a nice jumper to give the Yellow Jackets a 48-42 lead with 11:43 to go.

Beachem hit a big three out of the timeout and continued to have a solid game after a three-point effort against Virginia. The Irish continued to have problems with ball control as they went over their season average of turnovers midway thru the second half. Georgia Tech led 48-47 at the midway point.

Cold shooting for the Irish prevented them from taking a large enough lead and Georgia Tech just would not let up as Jackson continued his outstanding game with a couple of nice drives. Jackson set his new career-high with 25 with a fade away bank shot with about five minutes to go. The Jackets still led 60-58 going into the last TV timeout with 3:18 to play as Matt Farrell stole an outlet pass and drilled a three. Beachem tied up the game with a tough shot over two defenders to give him 23 for the afternoon.

Ben Lammers chipped in 15 points and 10 boards for the Yellow Jackets, while Bonzie Colson registered his 13th double-double of the year with 13 points and 13 rebounds on the day.

Both teams struggled from the field early on as they seemed somewhat tired. The Irish put a stop to that after a deep three from Matt Farrell and a nice drive by Beachem to give them a 7-4 lead. Martinas Geben was a playmaker early with some beautiful feeds for a couple easy buckets.

The Irish extended the lead to eight after Vasturia knocked down an open three which quieted the rambunctious Georgia Tech crowd. The shot capped an 8-0 run for Notre Dame. The Yellow Jackets stayed in the game, however, thanks to their solid offensive rebounding. The Irish lead was 21-14 midway through the half.

The Yellow Jackets started to get more into the game thanks to a couple good drives to the basket and a huge block by Lammers. Four straight made field goals by Georgia Tech made it a 23-20 game. Rebounding was a big story in the first half and allowed for Tech’s comeback, as they outrebounded Notre Dame 21-10 in the first half.

The Jackets took their first lead after yet another second chance basket by Lammers. The Irish were dominated on the glass in the first half almost by Lammers himself. Going into the final TV timeout of the half, the Yellow Jackets led 26-25.

Georgia Tech sprinted ahead with a 17-2 run over five minutes to take an eight-point lead, their largest of the game. The Irish went scoreless for over four minutes and didn't look themselves at all late in the half. V.J. Beachem stopped the bleeding with a wide-open three to cut the lead to five with 1:36 remaining.

The Jackets led 35-31 at the break, shooting 51.7% while the Irish shot just 42.3% and missed seven of their last nine shots of the half. Jackson led Georgia Tech with 14 points on 6-11 shooting. Beachem led the Irish with 12 points on 5-8 shooting, 2-3 from downtown.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Tadric Jackson. Georgia Tech got 25 points from its bench and all of those came from Jackson. On the day, Jackson shot 11 for 19 and 3 for 6 from behind the arc.

STAT LINE OF THE GAME: Georgia Tech won the battle on the glass 37-29 and had three more offensive rebounds than Notre Dame. The Irish only lost the second chance points battle 16-15, but in a two-point loss, it was a huge factor in the game.

TURNING POINT: Georgia Tech went on a 21-4 run over eight minutes to take away a 10-point Notre Dame lead. The Yellow Jackets also gained the lead at the break 35-31.

WHAT’S NEXT: Notre Dame will look to rebound from back-to-back losses on Monday night as Duke comes to town for a 7:00 p.m. tip.

 

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Buzzer Beater Beats Irish 62-60 in Atlanta

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