It’s Jack to the Rescue for the Yellow Jackets

Jarrett Jack walked toward the opposite end of the court, struggling to catch his breath. The Georgia Tech guard remembered his two missed free throws in overtime, along with a critical turnover that allowed Wake Forest to tie the score in regulation.

He was determined to put an end to a long, grueling night and get the 22nd-ranked Yellow Jackets back on the right track.

Jack came through, making two free throws with 4.4 seconds left to give Georgia Tech a 102-101 overtime victory over the fifth-ranked Demon Deacons on Thursday night. The Yellow Jackets ended a three-game losing streak in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“I told myself that I had to come through for my team,” said Jack, who scored 23 points. “The mark of a great team is being able to put the past behind you.”

The Demon Deacons got the last shot, but star guard Chris Paul missed at the buzzer. He also had a chance to win it at the end of regulation, but that attempt fell off the rim too.

Georgia Tech (12-5 overall, 3-3 in the ACC), built a 17-point lead in the first half, but Wake Forest had a chance to win at the end of regulation as well as the overtime period.

Paul, who had eight points, missed both chances for the Demon Deacons (16-3, 4-2). He drove into the lane each time, only to have his shots fall off the rim.

“We take pride in stopping great players,” said Will Bynum, who scored a career-high 30 points for the Yellow Jackets and spent time guarding Paul. “He’s a great player, so we try to play him as physically as possible. Don’t let him get into rhythm. Be there in his face every time.”

Eric Williams, who was unstoppable much of the game on the inside, led Wake Forest with 27 points.

Paul missed a desperation shot as the buzzer sounded. But official Tony Greene signaled that the Demon Deacons had called a timeout, forcing a look at the television replay to determine how much time was left.

The clock was reset to 2.8 seconds, and Paul got one more chance. Jack fell down trying to keep up with the Demon Deacon star, but it didn’t matter. In all, Paul made two of 11 shots.