LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Chinanu Onuaku made two free throws with 30.9 seconds remaining and Damion Lee added two more with 10.7 left to help No. 11 Louisville survive Georgia Tech 56-53 on Tuesday night.
Onuanku's underhanded free throws provided a 54-49 lead and loomed large as the Yellow Jackets stormed back with four straight points over the next 18 seconds. Marcus Georges-Hunt made two free throws after a Flagrant 1 foul on Ray Spalding while Adam Smith followed with a layup to create a tense ending.
Lee then converted the 1-and-1, bouncing the last one through for the edge that left the Yellow Jackets needing three points to force overtime. Smith's 3-point attempt bounced off the rim, and the horn sounded as Georges-Hunt grabbed the offensive rebound.
Onuaku had 17 points and 11 rebounds while Lee added 14 points as Louisville (23-7, 12-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) won its home finale.
Charles Mitchell had 15 points for Georgia Tech (17-13, 7-10).
Quentin Snider added 11 points for Louisville, which twice led by 11 points but needed late heroics as Georgia Tech kept fighting back and gave itself one last chance.
The outcome was ultimately sealed by Lee, one of Louisville's two graduate transfers with Trey Lewis, in their final collegiate game. Lee was just 5 of 16 from the field but made a key 3-pointer during a 15-2 run that provided some space before finishing at the free throw line.
Lewis had just three points on a 1-of-8 shooting, but those proved critical for a Cardinals squad that needed every one in a game in which they shot 36 percent.
Georgia Tech was slightly better at 37 percent and outrebounded Louisville 42-35 but lost a second close game to the Cardinals. Smith added 12 points for the Yellow Jackets.
The victory was special and emotional for Louisville, which self-imposed a postseason ban on Feb. 5 for recruiting violations found during an investigation of an escort's allegations of sex parties at the team's dormitory. The Cardinals would have been a lock for the NCAA Tournament, but the ban quickly shifted their focus to making the most of its remaining games.
Lee and Lewis have been especially motivated to go out strong with their postseason dreams dashed, but their home finale started shakily as the graduate transfers began a combined 1 of 9 from the field and were 3 of 15 overall in a back-and-forth first half. Their teammates struggled as well, shooting 31 percent but somehow leading 28-27 at the break thanks to a 20-10 edge in the paint.
Georgia Tech shot much better (44 percent) but committed 10 turnovers. Georges-Hunt missed all six shots and had two fouls, but the Yellow Jackets remained close by making a few more outside shots than the Cardinals.
That dynamic soon changed as shots started falling for Louisville. The Cardinals used nine straight points during the pivotal spurt that came in handy when they went cold for more than 5 minutes and the Yellow Jackets rallied down the stretch.
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TIP-INS
Georgia Tech committed 17 turnovers leading to 15 Louisville points.
Louisville missed its first 10 3-point attempts before Lee made one with 13:46 remaining to go over 2,000 career points combined at Drexel and Louisville. ... The Cardinals were 2 of 17 from long range. ... Lewis finally scored on a free throw midway through the second half.
UP NEXT
Georgia Tech hosts Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Louisville visits No. 3 Virginia on Saturday.
