Looking to snap a season-long three-game skid, Georgia Tech vies to get back on track when it hosts UMBC on Wednesday in Atlanta.
The Yellow Jackets (4-6) enter play following power conference losses to Oklahoma, North Carolina and most recently a 71-60 defeat against Northwestern in Milwaukee.
Head coach Damon Stoudamire’s team has turned the ball over 39 times during the three-game losing streak, highlighting an aspect he knows the team needs work on.
“We’ve got to be smarter in situations and we can’t continue to lose games and put ourselves in holes based on the things we’re doing,” Stoudamire said. “If somebody’s taking things away from us, then fine. But we are our own worst enemy at times. … I’m disappointed, but we’ll get back on track.”
Led by Lance Terry’s 15.6 points per game and Baye Ndongo’s 12.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest, Georgia Tech has still yet to take down a power conference team, with wins coming against West Georgia, Texas Southern, Charleston Southern and Central Arkansas.
A recent bright spot for Stoudamire’s group was the play of Ryan Mutombo in Sunday’s loss to Northwestern. The Georgetown transfer, and son of the late Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo, tallied 10 points and seven boards in his season debut.
“He’s had a whole lot of things going on, he’s been in and out, but one thing I’ll say about Ryan is that he was ready to play,” Stoudamire said. “I’m proud of him for that. It wasn’t easy, he hadn’t played all year. I think it’s something for him to build on and I look forward to getting him out there more.”
For UMBC (7-5), the key is playing with pace. The Retrievers pair their 83.1 points per game mark with a 39.1 percent 3-point shooting mark, tied for 25th in the nation.
“I think this group is significantly further ahead than last year with playing with pace and understanding what pace is,” UMBC head coach Jim Ferry said. “It is something that’s difficult to do. We’re still getting these guys on the same page.”
UMBC has won two straight, most recently toppling Division III Cairn, 103-57, on Dec. 10. Tuesday marks the Retrievers’ third major opponent this season, following a 49-point loss at Penn State and 24-point defeat at Georgetown.
The Retrievers are led by Bryce Johnson’s 14.4 points per game and Marcus Banks Jr.’s 13.8.
–Field Level Media
