Yellow Jackets stun Deacons
Published 1:08 am Sunday, February 1, 2009
By By CHARLES ODUM, AP Sports Writer
ATLANTA — It took a lot to overshadow a rare Atlantic Coast Conference matchup of brothers, both of whom had a double-double.
Iman Shumpert found a way.
The freshman hit a pull-up jumper with one second remaining to lift Georgia Tech to its first Atlantic Coast Conference win, a 76-74 upset of No. 6 Wake Forest on Saturday.
Shumpert had only five points before tying the game on a basket with 20 seconds remaining and then faking a drive to the basket before stopping to hit his winning shot.
Shumpert made his last shot over Jeff Teague, who is 6-2.
Wake Forest committed two turnovers in the final 35 seconds and lost to the ACC’s last-place team only three days after beating top-ranked Duke.
Wake Forest players insisted they did not experience a letdown after the win over Duke.
Georgia Tech senior Alade Aminu had 10 points, 13 rebounds and career-high six blocks while younger brother Al-Farouq Aminu led Wake Forest with 17 points, 11 rebounds and five steals.
The last-second drama stole the spotlight from only the second matchup of brothers on opposing teams in ACC history. On Jan. 3, 1969, Wake Forest’s Jerry Montgomery faced his brother Roger of Maryland in a game won by the Demon Deacons.
The younger Aminu turned down offers from Georgia Tech and North Carolina to sign with Wake Forest. He posted his eighth double-double of his freshman season.
Said Al-Farouq: ‘‘I didn’t want to beat him personally, just beat his team. He wanted to win as much as I did.’’
Gani Lawal had 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Yellow Jackets (10-10, 1-6), who ended a five-game losing streak. Lawal played with Al-Farouq Aminu at Norcross High near Atlanta.
Georgia Tech was the last ACC team to pick up its first conference win.
Teague had 16 points for Wake Forest (17-2, 4-2).
Gaudio noted his team had a full week to prepare for wins over Duke and North Carolina, while Georgia Tech had six days to practice for the Demon Deacons.
Wake Forest led 74-72 after the Aminu brothers traded baskets. Following a miss by Georgia Tech’s Lewis Clinch, who had 19 points, the Demon Deacons were called for a shot clock violation with 34 seconds left.
Shumpert’s jumper with 20 seconds left tied the game, and the Demon Deacons turned the ball over again when Harvey Hale’s inbounds pass went untouched out of bounds with 7 seconds left.
Hale tried to throw the ball to Johnson after Georgia Tech’s Nick Foreman had Teague covered.
Wake Forest led by 10 points midway through the first half but Georgia Tech rallied to trail only 43-41 at halftime. The Yellow Jackets’ biggest lead in the second half was only three points.
It was a long-awaited win in a close game for Georgia Tech, which already has lost three overtime games in the conference and led in the final 10 minutes of each of its three ACC road losses.
Gaudio said he never doubted the Yellow Jackets would play a tough, physical game, and he tried to make sure his players understood the challenge ahead in a film review on Friday night.
Led by Lawal and Alade Aminu, the Yellow Jackets had a 44-35 rebound advantage and won despite going 3-of-18 on 3-pointers.
GEORGIA TECH 76, No. 6 WAKE FOREST 74
WAKE FOREST (17-2)
Aminu 8-15 1-3 17, Johnson 4-11 4-4 13, McFarland 3-4 2-2 8, Teague 6-14 1-3 16, Williams 2-6 2-2 7, Clark 0-1 0-0 0, Hale 1-1 0-1 3, Smith 3-7 0-2 6, Weaver 0-1 0-0 0, Woods 2-5 0-0 4. Totals 29-65 10-17 74.
GEORGIA TECH (10-10)
Lawal 7-10 11-14 25, Peacock 0-6 3-4 3, Clinch 7-17 5-6 19, Shumpert 4-10 0-2 9, Miller 2-6 0-0 5, Foreman 1-1 0-0 2, Storrs 1-2 0-0 3, Sheehan 0-0 0-0 0, Aminu 3-9 4-4 10. Totals 25-61 23-30 76.
Halftime—Wake Forest 43-41. 3-Point Goals—Wake Forest 6-11 (Teague 3-5, Hale 1-1, Williams 1-1, Johnson 1-2, Smith 0-1, Aminu 0-1), Georgia Tech 3-18 (Storrs 1-2, Shumpert 1-5, Miller 1-5, Clinch 0-6). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Wake Forest 35 (Aminu 11), Georgia Tech 44 (Aminu 13). Assists—Wake Forest 10 (Johnson 6), Georgia Tech 13 (Miller 5). Total Fouls—Wake Forest 25, Georgia Tech 18. A—8,853.