Alvarado, Devoe pace Georgia Tech’s 73-57 win over Pitt

ATLANTA (AP) — Jose Alvarado scored 23 points, Michael Devoe added 13 and Georgia Tech won its third straight game with a 73-57 victory over Pittsburgh on Wednesday night.

Two days after withdrawing an appeal of an NCAA postseason ban, the Yellow Jackets (16-14, 10-9 Atlantic Coast Conference) got some measure of satisfaction in earning their most wins in league play since 1995-96.

Eric Hamilton finished with 12 points to pace Pittsburgh (15-16, 6-14).

Xavier Johnson connected from 3 and Hamilton hit two free throws to help Pitt pull within four early in the second half, but the Jackets, fueled by Evan Cole’s and Jordan Usher’s dunks, went on a 15-4 run to go up 47-32 on Alvarado’s 3.

Alvarado scored on consecutive possessions and Devoe followed with a corner 3-pointer to make it 59-43 with 7:47 remaining. Devoe hit another corner 3 that made it a 19-point lead that essentially finished off the Panthers, who dropped to 1-9 in league road games.

Georgia Tech, which led throughout, has won six in a row at home in league play to finish 6-4. The Jackets, who began the day in a five-way tie for fifth place in the ACC, have won five of six overall and eight of 11.

They took their biggest lead in the first half at 18 on Alvarado’s layup at the 3:41 mark, but Pitt got 3s from Ryan Murphy, Gerald Drumgoole and Johnson to pull within nine at intermission.

Devoe hit a pair of free throws made it 20-9 midway through the for Georgia Tech’s first double-digit lead.

Pitt has dropped seven straight since forcing 22 turnovers in a 74-63 win over Georgia Tech on Feb. 8. Jordan Champagnie, trying to become the first freshman to lead the Panthers in scoring and rebounding since Charles Smith in 1985-86, scored a season-high 30 in that game, but finished with 11 points and didn’t score a field goal until the outcome was all but decided.

The Jackets can finish in fifth place by beating Clemson in two nights and getting a loss from Syracuse.

BIG PICTURE

Pitt: The Panthers struggled badly through much of the first half against Georgia Tech’s 1-3-1 zone, a bad prescription for a team that began the game shooting 40.5% from the field, its lowest mark since 1968-69, and 29.2% on 3s, the lowest mark in program history. Pitt finished the game 31% from the field, caused mostly by Au’Diese Toney going 3 for 14.

Georgia Tech: After ranking near the bottom of the ACC in shooting in their first three years under coach Josh Pastner, the Jackets are second in field-goal percentage in ACC games and sixth in 3-point accuracy.

BANNED

The NCAA ruled in September that major recruiting violations were committed by one of coach Josh Pastner’s former assistants, Darryl LaBarrie, and former friend Ron Bell. Pastner was not directly named in the NCAA’s findings and was largely cleared in the school’s investigation. Georgia Tech dropped its appeal Monday and announced it will not attempt to play in the ACC tournament.

CELEBRATED

Seniors James Banks and Shembari Phillips, playing their last home games, were honored before the game. Banks had four blocks. The victory assured the Jackets of a .500 finish in the ACC, a mark last reached when the 2006-07 team went 8-8.

UP NEXT

Pitt: ACC tournament next week in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Georgia Tech: Ends the season Friday at Clemson.