Georgia Tech falls to NC State in brutal overtime loss

Saturday afternoon was brutal for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Brian Gregory’s team battled for 45 minutes (with the last five coming in overtime), but thanks to some faulty execution in the final seconds, the Ramblin’ Wreck fell to the NC State Wolfpack by a final score of 81-80.

Quinton Stephens, who played only 9 minutes total in the game, was inserted late in the overtime period, and he missed two free throws with 4.7 seconds remaining that would have provided Tech with an insurmountable 4-point lead. Following the miss, NC State guard Trevor Lacey connected on a game-winning three as time expired, and the Wolfpack emerged with an unlikely win to ruin the day of any Tech supporter.

The Jackets trailed by as many as 14 points on multiple occasions in the first half, and this one was shaping up as a positive and triumphant story of a comeback. Marcus Georges-Hunt made big play after big play, finishing with 23 points and 7 rebounds, and his play helped to lift Georgia Tech to the lead several times in the latter stages.

Still, the offense (once again) takes the blame for this loss, as the Jackets shot just 39.7% from the floor and 29% from three-point distance, in addition to the two crucial missed free throws. Georgia Tech likely isn’t “supposed” to beat NC State, even in their home building, but this game appeared to be fully in control, and it will simply go down as another unfortunate loss for a team with a 1-8 record in ACC play.