Javaris Crittenton leads Jackets over FSU
Georgia Tech 88, Florida State 80
By MATT WINKELJOHN
January 14, 2007
There were times Saturday night when Paul Hewitt was happy to have athletes with instincts, individuals with the ability to fix plays that break down. It is better still for Georgia Tech's coach to have a group that can improvise en masse, to adapt as necessary.
After the Yellow Jackets' 88-80 win over Florida State at Alexander Coliseum on the strength of Javaris Crittenton's 23 points, there was greater cause for optimism not just because Tech won its second straight ACC game after losing two, but for the way the Jackets are scripting their season.
Tech (13-4, 2-2) may not have been as inspired against Florida State (12-5, 0-3) as in beating Duke Wednesday. Yet the Jackets are proving difficult to typecast while winning in different ways.
How often does Mario West come off the bench to score 18 points? That was a career high for the senior, yet nobody acted surprised.
A team of versatile players keeps recasting itself, Saturday by getting 40 points off the bench when two starters, center Ra'Sean Dickey and guard/forward Mouhammad Faye, combined for 10 points and nine turnovers.
"Right now I feel we're good, and we have all the potential in the world to be great," said West, who hit four of six shots and nine of 13 free throws without turning the ball over once in 26 minutes. "We still have some gaps, but once we put it all together we can be really good."
Lately, even in a one-point loss a week earlier at Clemson, the Jackets have been pretty good at filling their gaps.
Again Saturday, they fell behind fast, 8-0, turning the ball over four times in the first few minutes. "We've been starting out games, and teams have been getting on us," freshman Thaddeus Young said. "But most teams don't battle with us. We can wear them out."
Perhaps. Dickey surprised with a season-high 21 against Duke, but struggled while committing five of his six turnovers in the first half as Tech was outscored in the paint 20-8 by a team thought to be inferior in the interior.
Then the Jackets went on a 35-12 run.
The engine? The outside shot, and Jacket reserves. Tech hit 14 of 24 shots in the first half, six of 10 from 3-point range. Anthony Morrow came off the bench, like West, to score 17.
In the second half, Tech's defense was less effective than in recent memory as Florida State hit 14 of 25 shots, including five of nine 3-pointers.
But the Seminoles still helped the Jackets, turning the ball over on seven straight possessions as Tech's lead went from six to 13 points, and FSU never caught up. "I don't know if [Tech] had much to do with any of those turnovers, with the exception of one," FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. "It was a comedy."
Wednesday, when they committed 28 turnovers against Duke, the Jackets won with shooting and defense.
The defense was less of a factor Saturday, but the Jackets turned the ball over just six times while hitting 19 of 25 free throws after halftime.
There were times script didn't matter, Tech making several baskets as the shot clock wound down.
"It's nice to have guys who can make plays when their coach can't think of anything," Hewitt said. "Just guys making plays, and that's what the game came down to."
There has been one common story line lately. Effort fills gaps. West said, "You've got to play 40 minutes, take care of the ball every possession like it's your last."
