College basketball

Men: Tech wrecks upset bid

By wire services
Published February 3, 2005

ATLANTA - Will Bynum made up for a poor first half by hitting a 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds left to give No. 25 Georgia Tech a 64-61 victory over Florida State on Wednesday night.

Bynum, who shot 1-of-8 in the first half, hit the winner after FSU erased a 12-point deficit with a 19-7 run and tied it at 61 on Von Wafer's 3-pointer with 1:29 left.

Georgia Tech (13-6, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), which last month was ranked No. 8, needed the win badly after losing four of five.

The Seminoles (11-10, 3-5) had a chance to go ahead with 35.5 seconds left, but Diego Romero missed two free throws. Georgia Tech called timeout with 16.3 seconds left to set up Bynum's basket.

Bynum finished with 19 points. He quickly made up for his first-half woes by scoring 11 on 5-of-5 shooting during a 15-7 run to give the Yellow Jackets a 42-40 lead 4:30 into the second.

The rest of the Yellow Jackets took over. Luke Schenscher scored six and Mario West five during a 27-9 run for a 54-42 lead with 9:55 left.

The Seminoles, however, allowed only seven points in the final nine minutes until Bynum's big basket.

Bynum finished 7-of-18 and made 3 of 8 3s. Schenscher and West added 10 points each.

FSU took a 33-27 lead on Jason Rich's 3-pointer as time ran out in the first half.

The Seminoles got off to a quick start, leading 18-10 with 9:13 gone on a 3 by leading scorer Wafer, who had eight first-half points and finished with 18.

Romero was the only other FSU player in double figures with 10.

Georgia Tech went on an 11-2 run capped by Anthony McHenry's 15-foot jumper to claim its first lead at 21-20 with 7:02 left in the half.

FSU had won two of three, including a 91-83 overtime win over then-No. 5 Wake Forest. The Seminoles snapped a 26-game ACC road losing streak in their previous game, a 70-64 win at North Carolina State on Jan. 26.

FAMU 92, SAVANNAH ST. 68: Darius Glover led six players in double figures with 26 points for the host Rattlers. Jonathan Kelly and James Pattman scored 12 each for Florida A&M, Jon Mason and Tony Tate had 11 and Michael Harper had 10.

TAMPA 73, FLA. TECH 71: Shane Thorson hit a layup at the buzzer to help the visiting Spartans snap a three-game losing streak.

SAINT LEO 83, ECKERD 73: Marquis McCullough scored 30 to lead the visiting Lions.

[Last modified February 3, 2005, 01:08:13]