Ayinde Hikim scored 24 points and Brayden O’Connor added a career-high 18 to lead visiting UMass Lowell to a 74-71 upset of Georgia Tech on Tuesday in Atlanta, giving the program only its second all-time victory over an opponent from a Power 5 conference.
UMass Lowell led by 11 points with 6:24 remaining, but Georgia Tech stormed back to tie it 69-69 on a goaltending call off Miles Kelly’s shot. The River Hawks then regained the lead when Cam Morris converted a three-point play with 1:04 left.
Georgia Tech’s Kyle Sturdivant scored with 48 seconds remaining in regulation to make it a one-point game, but Max Brooks stuffed Sturdivant’s drive to the basket with 3 seconds left to preserve the win.
Andres Fulgencio made two free throws with 2 seconds left for the final three-point difference.
UMass Lowell (3-0) also got 16 points and nine rebounds from Abdoul Karim Coulibaly. Brooks added nine rebounds and four blocked shots.
The River Hawks other Power 5 win came on Dec. 6, 2015 against Boston College.
Georgia Tech (2-1) was led by Deebo Coleman, who scored a career-high 24 points with five rebounds. Sturdivant had 12 points and five assists. Kelly, who entered the game averaging 26 points, was held to 11 on 5-for-19 shooting and was 0-for-6 on 3s.
UMass Lowell jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead but went cold from the field and Georgia Tech took advantage by going on a 16-0 run. Coleman scored eight points during the run, including a pair of 3-pointers, and UMass Lowell went 7:50 without scoring.
Despite the River Hawks’ inability to score — they shot just 32 percent in the first half — Georgia Tech could not pull away due to 30 percent success from the field. The Yellow Jackets led by as many as eight (20-12) but UMass Lowell trimmed the lead to 26-23 at halftime.
UMass Lowell plays the third leg of its six-game road trip on Thursday at Arizona State. Georgia Tech doesn’t play again until Nov. 22 at Cincinnati.
–Field Level Media