Rayshaun Hammonds, Free Throws Sink Jackets in Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate Matchup

The 82-78 loss is Tech's 5th straight loss to Georgia.

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The Yellow Jackets tried their best to complete a comeback against the Bulldogs in front of a hostile road crowd, but poor free throw shooting and a dominant performance from UGA's Rayshaun Hammonds were enough to take down Georgia Tech 82-78 in Stegeman Coliseum. The 4 point loss now makes it 5 losses in a row to their in-state rival.

"We didn't execute really well," sophomore guard Michael Devoe said in response to the loss. "We only had 3 kills [3 stops in a row], and our objective is 7."

Defensively, Georgia Tech might not have had their best game, but offensively they actually outperformed the home squad. They shot 47.5% from the field and 42.1 from beyond the arc, both of which were better then Georgia's 42.2% and 37.5% marks respectively. What ended up killing Georgia Tech's chances at breaking their losing streak was shooting just 12-23 (52.2%) from the free throw line.

"You gotta make free throws," head coach Josh Pastner said in his postgame press conference. "And we missed a lot throughout the course of the game."

Free throws weren't the only factor that played into the 4 point loss. While there were 20 NBA scouts present to view UGA's Anthony Edwards, it was Rayshaun Hammonds who stepped up to the plate. He finished with 26 on 11-20 from the field while Edwards had 18 on 5-15. "He was able to exploit us and get some open shots," senior center James Banks III said about Hammonds.

The game itself got off to a sluggish start, with both teams missing their first 11 shots combined. A 3 from Devoe got the scoring started in the game, and he didn't stop there. He finished with a career high 34 points, and a career high 5 made three pointers.

But he wasn't the only player to stand out for the Yellow Jackets. After scoring only 2 points in the first half, junior forward Moses Wright took off in the second half. He went 7-11 from the field in the second half alone, with his 16 second half points being more than all but 2 UGA players had in the entire game.

The Bulldogs lead by as much as 16 with 6:57 left in the game, but Devoe's efforts made it competitive. In the final minute of the game he sank a trio of three pointers, but it proved to be too little too late.

The Yellow Jackets are back in action this upcoming Monday, taking on the Arkansas Razorbacks at McCamish Pavilion. Tipoff is set for 7:00pm.

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top righthand corner of the page. Also be sure to like us on Facebook & follow us on Twitter at @GeorgiaTechSI and Matthew McGavic at @GeneralWasp.