Notre Dame loses to Georgia Tech 63-62 on last-second shot
ATLANTA (AP) - Notre Dame coach Mike Brey thought his team had difficulty matching up with Georgia Tech's experience and physicality all night.
Finally, with the game on the line in the final seconds, the Fighting Irish lost the most important physical battle - and a chance to remain close to the Atlantic Coast Conference lead.
Marcus Georges-Hunt scored on a short jumper with 2 seconds remaining, lifting the Yellow Jackets to a 63-62 win over No. 19 Notre Dame on Saturday.
Brey said he geared his defense to try to stop Georges-Hunt. Steve Vasturia, a junior guard, was in good position to defend the senior.
Brey, however, said Georges-Hunt delivered on "a big-time drive."
"Even though Steve was in great position, I don't know that he physically could withstand Georges-Hunt's physicality," Brey said.
Zach Auguste and V.J. Beachem each had 13 points for Notre Dame (18-8, 9-5 ACC), which had won three straight.
Georges-Hunt made a spin move past Vasturia before stopping near the basket and lofting a shot that hung briefly on the rim before falling in.
"As I spun I had the opportunity to lock in on the rim a little bit," Georges-Hunt said, adding he "stopped and paused" as the ball hung on the rim.
"It finally went in and everybody exploded," he said.
Notre Dame didn't have enough time to get off a final shot, and Georges-Hunt was mobbed by teammates near midcourt.
Vasturia said Georges-Hunt made "a great shot."
"I thought we had pretty good defense on him," Vasturia said.
Auguste was the only Notre Dame senior who played. Georgia Tech has several key seniors.
"They're old and they're men," Brey said about the Yellow Jackets. "They're physical. We had a hard time dealing with them in the post with those big guys early."
Georgia Tech senior forward Nick Jacobs, who helped to keep Auguste in check, smiled when told of Brey's comment.
"He said we're old men?" Jacobs asked. "What are we, the Spurs?"
Georges-Hunt had a game-high 19 points for Georgia Tech (15-12, 5-9), which has won back-to-back ACC games for the first time since late in the 2013-14 season.
Georgia Tech led for most of the first 30 minutes but needed a late comeback after Notre Dame went ahead 60-54. Back-to-back baskets by Charles Mitchell trimmed the margin to two.
Following a missed jumper by Irish guard Demetrius Jackson, the scramble for the loose ball led to a tie up, and possession was awarded to Georgia Tech with 17.6 seconds remaining. The Yellow Jackets called timeout with 10.4 seconds left to set up the winning play.
Notre Dame's last lead was 3-2 before the Fighting Irish fought back in the first 10 minutes of the second half. A 3-pointer by Beachem cut Georgia Tech's lead to 46-45, and a layup by Auguste finally gave Notre Dame the lead at 47-46. Beachem quickly padded the advantage with another 3.
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IRON MAN
Georges-Hunt became the first Georgia Tech player since Jason Floyd in 1999 to play the full 40 minutes. It came one game after Georges-Hunt set a career high by logging 38 minutes in a win at Florida State.
Clearly, Georgia Tech is going to ride the high-scoring senior down the stretch.
"I felt fine," he said with a shrug.
TIP-INS
Notre Dame: Auguste heard from the Georgia Tech student section when he shot an airball on a free throw attempt in the second half. He then hit iron on the second attempt. ... Jackson had 12 points and shot 5 of 13.
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets improved to 2-4 against Top 25 teams, including a 68-64 upset of then-No. 4 Virginia on Jan. 9. ... Mitchell had 14 points and six rebounds. ... Georgia Tech had not won back-to-back ACC games since winning three straight from March 4-12, 2014.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame plays at Wake Forest on Wednesday night.
Georgia Tech hosts Clemson on Tuesday night.