Georgia Tech will look to extend its winning streak to four games on Friday when it faces Hawaii in the semifinal at the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu.
The Yellow Jackets (7-3) rallied from down 11 points with a little more than nine minutes remaining in regulation in its 73-70 defeat of UMass on Thursday. Kyle Sturdivant scored a career-high 21 points off the bench for Georgia Tech.
Georgia Tech has recorded three victories by just four points or fewer this month. The Yellow Jackets posted a 72-68 win over Duke on Dec. 2 and survived an 82-81 overtime decision to Penn State last Saturday in New York.
“It gives us a lot of momentum, being that this is our first kind of road victory. It gives us confidence in knowing we can stay connected and pull through on the road,” Kowacie Reeves Jr. said following the win over the Nittany Lions.
Now, after scoring their first two wins away from home this season but both on neutral courts, the Yellow Jackets will play a true road game in the semifinals.
Tournament host and reigning Diamond Head Classic champion Hawaii (8-2) began its defense of its crown with a 69-56 win over Portland on Thursday. Matthue Cotton scored 15 points and Bernardo da Silva and Noel Coleman each added 14.
Four of Hawaii’s five starters made multiple 3-point attempts, with Cotton (3-of-7) leading the way. Coleman went 2-of-5 from beyond the arc deep while both Justin McKoy and Jovon McClanahan shot 2-of-6 from outside en route to eight points.
“Being defending champions, we want to hold our heads (high) on that because it’s a big deal,” McClanahan told WarriorInsider.net.
Coleman averages a team-best 16.6 points per game, followed by da Silva (10.9) and McKoy (10.8) for the Rainbow Warriors.
Miles Kelly averages a team-leading 15.3 points per game and Reeves contributes 12.4 for Georgia Tech.
–Field Level Media