Las Vegas Review-Journal

Georgia Tech, Texas Christian to meet for NIT championsh­ip

-

NEW YORK — Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner said he did not envision his Yellow Jackets in a national postseason tournament before the season began.

With another win, though, his team will be a champion of one.

Josh Okogie scored a game-high 22 points to lead Georgia Tech to a 76-61 win over Cal State Bakersfiel­d in a NIT semifinal Tuesday night.

“It’s been a remarkable year,” Pastner said.

Ben Lammers finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds for Georgia Tech, which will take on Texas Christian in the championsh­ip game Thursday night.

“It’s a great win for us,” Pastner said, flanked by Okogie and Quinton Stephens, who added 13 points. Tadric Jackson added 12. “Playing in the NIT, we were excited,” Pastner said. “We wanted to keep playing. This is important for our program.” NIT

The Yellow Jackets used a strong defensive effort and excellent ball management. Georgia Tech forced 15 turnovers while only committing seven.

“They just played well. We can’t take anything from what they have done. They spread us out. They took care of the basketball,” Cal State Bakersfiel­d coach Rod Barnes. “They are a good basketball team.

“The pace was their game. The flow was their game. They are a good enough team that we couldn’t turn it around.”

Sharp shooting aided the Yellow Jackets (21-15). Georgia Tech connected on 43.3 percent of its shots (26 for 60).

Texas Christian 68, Central Florida 53 — At New York, Kenrich Williams scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half to lift Texas Christian (2315) to a win over Central Florida (24-12) in a NIT semifinal game. Williams also grabbed 14 rebounds.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States