Georgia Tech got the sort of win it really needed Sunday night. The Yellow Jackets took an early lead and continued to build on it in a 97-69 win over Delaware State at McCamish Pavilion.
In its first blowout win of the season, coach Josh Pastner was able to rest his starters and give his backup big men needed playing time as the ACC season quickly approaches. It was the team’s scoring high for a regulation game. Tech improved to 4-3, its first time above .500 this season.
Point guard Jose Alvarado tied his career scoring high with 29 points on 11-for-14 shooting, including 4-for-5 from 3-point range. Starters Michael Devoe, Bubba Parham, Jordan Usher, Moses Wright and Alvarado all played fewer than 30 minutes two days after Florida A&M pushed Tech into the final two minutes of the game and kept four of the five on the floor for at least 30 minutes, including Devoe for 37.
After that win, Pastner lamented that his team couldn’t deliver a knockout punch and that its second-half defense was lax. Neither was the case against Delaware State (0-3). Usher gave Tech at 4-3 lead at the 17:28 mark of the first half on a drive to the basket and the Jackets built the lead to as many as 11 points in the first half, ending it at 10.
Tech forced Delaware into 13 first-half turnovers, creating 14 points off the mistakes. Unlike the win over Florida A&M, which closed Tech’s lead to within five points on four occasions after falling behind by as many as 17, the Jackets put the game out of reach and didn’t relent.
A 25-1 run pushed the lead from 51-43 to 76-44 at the 11:05 mark of the second half. With the advantage, Pastner gave substantial playing time to backup post men Saba Gigiberia and Rodney Howard. Both played 10 minutes, with Gigiberia two points on 1-for-6 shooting with six rebounds while Howard scored seven on 3-for-3 shooting with one rebound.
The Jackets shot 55% from the field while creating 20 turnovers and committing nine.
In the first six games, Howard had played a total of 24 minutes and Gigiberia 13. Pastner has relied heavily on a small lineup with Wright at center but has repeatedly acknowledged that the team will need one or both of the big men over the course of the season.
Tech continues play Wednesday at UAB before players will be off for a short break. The Jackets will begin the ACC schedule in full on Dec. 30 against No. 22 North Carolina.
