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Ogokie, Yellow Jackets upset No. 9 North Carolina

By The Associated Press
Posted 3:14PM on Saturday 31st December 2016 ( 7 years ago )

ATLANTA — Josh Okogie scored 26 points, Ben Lammers had 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Georgia Tech pulled off a major upset with a 75-63 victory over No. 9 North Carolina on Saturday in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.

Justin Jackson finished with 16 points and Nate Britt scored 13 for the Tar Heels, who committed a season-high 20 turnovers. North Carolina (12-3, 0-1) never led after Okogie hit two free throws with 11:59 remaining.

In its first season under coach Josh Pastner, Georgia Tech (9-4, 1-0) has the league's youngest and least experienced roster, and the Yellow Jackets didn't beat North Carolina A&T until the closing minutes on Wednesday. North Carolina A&T is 1-12.

Josh Heath scored 15 points and Quinton Stephens had 11 for Georgia Tech.

The Tar Heels, who lost to Villanova in the national title game last season, had won three straight overall and seven straight in the series, but they shot poorly, missing 21 of 26 3-point attempts and hitting just 33 percent overall.

North Carolina had a big advantage in the stands as their fans outnumbered Georgia Tech's about three to one. The Tar Heels gave them few chances to get charged up.

BIG PICTURE

North Carolina: Joel Berry II, the team's second-leading scorer, finished with eight points. He needed intravenous fluids to combat a virus early in the week. He played 23 minutes in blowout win over Monmouth, but scored just six points on free throws. ... The Tar Heels began the game leading the ACC with an 89.6 scoring average and plus-14 rebound margin. ... They lead the series 66-24, 16-6 in Atlanta and 13-9 under coach Roy Williams. ... North Carolina had won three straight at Georgia Tech.

Georgia Tech: The Jackets pulled off second big upset in the last 13 months at McCamish Pavilion. They beat Notre Dame, which advanced to the Final Four, last January. ... Began the game ranked last in ACC scoring 68.1 points. ... Closed first half by missing 13 of 15 from the field.

TREYS HARD TO COME BY

The Tar Heels were averaging nearly seven 3s per game, and Jackson, the team's leading scorer, began the game with 33. He went 0 for 5. In Wednesday's win over Monmouth, Jackson had five.

UP NEXT

North Carolina: Visits Clemson on Tuesday.

Georgia Tech: Visits No. 5 Duke on Wednesday.

North Carolina guard Kenny Williams (24) gets a pass off from the floor as Georgia Tech guard Tadric Jackson (1) defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Dec 31, 2016, in Atlanta.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/12/485272/ogokie-yellow-jackets-upset-no-9-north-carolina-75-63

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