Wake Forest Athletics
Men's Basketball Edges Georgia Tech in ACC Action
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
February 16, 1999
By DAVID DROSCHAK
AP Sports Writer
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) - Robert O'Kelley scored 19 of his 25 points in the final 14:01 - including 12 in a key 3 1/2-minute span - as Wake Forest beat slumping Georgia Tech 67-58 Tuesday night.
The young Demon Deacons (14-11, 5-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) used their 13th different starting lineup to break a three-game losing skid in the series.
Meanwhile, Georgia Tech (14-12, 5-8) has now lost four of five and are fading from NCAA tournament consideration. Jason Collier led the way with 23 points - 19 in the second half.
After shooting 26 percent in the first half and trailing by as many as 11, the Yellow Jackets surged back behind the long-range shooting of the 7-foot Collier, who nailed three 3-pointers in the first 7:10 of the second half as Georgia Tech closed to 39-38.
But O'Kelley then caught fire, scoring on a pair of driving layups, two 3-pointers and a pair of foul shots as Wake Forest went up 54-42 with 8:21 left.
The only two shots O'Kelley missed in his offensive barrage were a pair of free throws that came after he and T.J. Vines went chest-to-chest after a foul call on Vines. Each were assessed technicals.
Josh Shoemaker's two free throws capped the 17-4 run and gave Wake Forest a 14-point lead with 7:43 left. Georgia Tech never got closer than six the rest of the way as Wake Forest iced it from the foul line.
Georgia Tech, coming off a 20-point loss at Louisville on Sunday, started the game 0-for-12 and missed 16 of its first 17 shots to fall into a hole early.
In fact, the Yellow Jackets were halfway through the first half and still had only one basket - a 3-pointer by Vines.
Wake Forest wasn't faring much better on offense, but did manage to get Rafael Vidaurreta on track as he scored 11 of his points in the opening 20 minutes. That included his second 3-pointer of the season to open the scoring and a three-point play over ACC shot-blocking leader Alvin Jones that gave the Demon Deacons a 29-18 intermission lead.
It marked the fourth time this season Georgia Tech was held under 20 points in the first half.
