In the 750th game in Alexander Memorial Coliseum, Georgia Tech came away with an impressive 66-57 win over the Miami Hurricanes. The game was the final appearance for two Tech seniors and was the last one in the league's second oldest arena.
Georgia Tech went into the locker room at halftime down 34-27. The halftime speeches and adjustments were effective because the Jackets dominated the second half, outscoring the Hurricanes 39-23 in the final 20 minutes.
Tech had great scoring diversity from its starting lineup. Iman Shumpert led the way with 19, Lance Storrs had 15, Maurice Miller had 14, and Jason Morris had 11. Daniel Miller was the only starter who didn't reach double figures, but he had six rebounds and three blocks. As well as the starting five played, the bench was the exact opposite, with Mfon Udofia as the only player scoring and he only had one point.
The Miami defense saw a three-point barrage from the Jackets who hoisted 28 shots from behind the arc and connecting on 12 of them. Tech shot 44% overall.
Both of the Tech seniors followed the senior night script to perfection. Lance Storrs hit five three-pointers for a career high 15 points and had a team high seven rebounds. Maurice Miller had the 14 points, five assists, and three steals.
The Tech defense dominated for most of the game, forcing 21 turnovers and coming up with 15 steals.
The game was a perfect goodbye to the arena. Unlike most of the season, the stands were packed and very loud. Afterwards, with Auld Lang Syne playing over the speakers, the players walked around the stands and gave students high fives. There were many memorable moments in a season that has seen few otherwise.
The Jackets will open the ACC tournament Thursday night when they face Virginia Tech. The two teams split the season series with the home team winning each.