Atlanta, GA – In a back and forth physical contest, Georgia Tech never trailed en route to a 64-58 upset win over the No. 5-ranked Louisville Cardinals in front of 5,801 fans at McCamish Pavilion.
The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 12-2 lead early in the game led by junior point guard Jose Alvarado, who scored a game-high 18 points (3-6 3PT, 5-6 FT). Alvarado showed great poise leading the offense with his shooting ability off the pick and roll. Junior forward Moses Wright added 12 points and six rebounds. Wright was a physical presence in the paint for the Jackets by rebounding and driving to the basket. Georgia Tech took a 31-26 lead into halftime.
Louisville’s junior forward Jordan Nwora, the ACC’s leading scorer and Player of the Year candidate, was held to two points (1-6 FG) in his lowest scoring output of the season. Early foul trouble and good defense from multiple Georgia Tech defenders did not allow Nwora to get into rhythm. As a team the Cardinals were held to 12.5 percent three point shooting and 33.9 percent overall from the field.
In second half, the Cardinals would fight back cutting Georgia Tech’s lead to 50-49 on back to back three pointers at the 4:32 mark. Louisville would close the gap again and trail by one at 57-56 with 26.4 seconds remaining in the game. Georgia Tech would close the game out at the free throw line. The Yellow Jackets shot a season high 28 free throw attempts.
The Cardinals were led by junior center Malik Williams with 16 points and eight rebounds. Freshman guard David Johnson was impressive with 16 points.
Georgia Tech (12-13, 6-8 ACC) next travels to Wake Forest on February 19th. Louisville (21-4, 12-2 ACC) is back on the road at Clemson on February 15th.
This article was written by Damian Smith, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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