Chapel Hill, NC – Georgia Tech’s sophomore trio of Miles Kelly, Jalon Moore and Deebo Coleman combined for 43 of Georgia Tech’s points, but the Yellow Jackets could not overcome a major disadvantage in size and rebounding Saturday and fell, 75-59, to North Carolina at the Dean Smith Center.
Tech (6-4, 0-1 in the ACC) was beaten 43-22 on the glass and was able to secure just one offensive rebound against the Tar Heels (6-4, 1-1 ACC), who scored 36 of their points in the paint and shot 47.4 percent from the floor.
Kelly and Moore scored 15 points each to lead the Yellow Jackets, while Coleman added 13. They combined to hit 16-of-29 shots from the floor and 7-of-15 from three-point range. The rest of the team managed to connect on just 6-of-25 from the floor and 2-of-11 on threes.
Tech kept pace with the Tar Heels in the first 15 minutes of the game behind its three-point shooting, hitting 5-of-13 from behind the arc. Deebo Coleman and Miles Kelly made two each from long range, and Terry knocked in another. But after Terry’s shot that gave the Yellow Jackets a 24-23 lead, Tech made only one basket the rest of the half and the Tar Heels reeled off 11 straight points to end the period and take a 39-26 lead into the locker room.
Despite shooting 50 percent after intermission, the Yellow Jackets could not cut into the Tar Heel lead and fell behind by as many as 20 points late in the game.
RJ Davis led North Carolina with 22 points and 10 rebounds, while Armando Bacot returned from a one-game injury absence to score 21 points with 13 boards. Pete Nance added 13 points and Caleb Love 10 for the Tar Heels.
Tech returns to the court next Saturday, Dec. 17, for its next game, a 2 pm tip against Alabama State at McCamish Pavilion. The game will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra and ESPN+.
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