The Yellow Jackets celebrated senior night on Tuesday, just before the immediate future of the program led the way to a victory.
Junior Ben Lammers was fantastic, scoring seven of his game-high 20 points during a key stretch late and freshman Josh Okogie had two of the biggest second-half baskets and the game-clinching defensive play as Tech kept its NCAA Tournament hopes alive with a 61-52 win.
This was my first time seeing Lammers in person since he became a starter and one of the country's most-improved players and he didn't disappoint. The 6-10 center showed a variety of impressive moves around the basket and a solid mid-range jumper, along with his usual excellent defense (he leads the Atlantic Coast Conference & is second nationally in blocked shots). Lammers' three-point play on an up-and-under move at the 4:10 mark put Tech up 51-47, and he later added the last of his points on a dunk that gave the Yellow Jackets a 58-52 cushion with just over a minute left.
Okogie, a freshman from nearby Shiloh High School, had just five points through the first 34 minutes of the game, but came alive late. His three-point play on a great drive and finish at the rim made it 54-50, and after Michael Young pulled Pittsburgh to within two with a lay-in at the 2:57 mark, which turned out to be the Panthers' last points of the night, Okogie hit a pretty, pull-up jumper over Young and the Yellow Jackets led 56-52 with two minutes to go.
A desperate Pittsburgh tried to cut a seven-point deficit to five with about 30 seconds left, but Okogie took a charge that effectively wrapped up Tech's eighth conference win.
Young, who came into the night as the ACC's leading scorer at 20.2 points, led the Panthers with 16. Young picked up eight straight Pittsburgh points during a 2 1/2-minute stretch that saw the visitors grab a slim, 44-43 lead at the 6:30 mark. It was a 47-46 Pittsburgh lead on a three-point play by Jamel Artis off a nice give-and-go with Sheldon Jeter. Quinton Stephens' wild runner with just under five minutes to go gave Tech the lead for the rest of the night.
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