Jalen Quinn scored 31 points to lead Drake to an 84-74 victory over Georgia Tech in the consolation game of the Emerald Coast Classic on Saturday in Niceville, Fla.
Okku Federiko added 20 points and Jaehshon Thomas scored 10 for the Bulldogs (5-3), who bounced back from a 71-62 loss to LSU in the first round Friday.
Akai Fleming scored 15 points, Baye Ndongo had 14 and Kam Craft and Lamar Washington added 11 each to lead the Yellow Jackets (5-3), who lost to DePaul 75-61 on Friday.
Georgia Tech hurt itself by making just 7 of 18 free throws while the Bulldogs made 20 of 27.
Drake started the second half with a 6-3 run that extended its lead to 49-43. Georgia Tech got within four points three times before Quinn made a jumper and Federiko added a layup to push the lead to eight points.
A three-point play by Payton Marshall trimmed the lead to five, but Thomas and Quinn scored five points each to help the Bulldogs extend the lead to 70-56.
Ndongo’s layup ended a three-minute scoring drought for the Yellow Jackets, Craft followed with a 3-pointer and Mouhamed Sylla added layup to get Georgia Tech within 70-63.
Drake rebuilt the lead to 11 before the Yellow Jackets got within six with 1:05 left, but got no closer.
Federiko scored 10 of Drake’s first 12 points as the Bulldogs took a five-point lead. Ndongo made a jumper for Georgia Tech before Andrew Alia’s 3-pointer gave Drake a 15-9 lead.
The Bulldogs led by six points three more times before two free throws by Washington and a 3-pointer by Fleming pulled the Yellow Jackets within one point. Georgia Tech got within one a second time, then Federiko made a layup and Wilguens Exacte Jr. added a 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs a 32-26 lead.
Craft made a 3-pointer in the middle of a 7-0 run that gave the Yellow Jackets their first lead at 33-32. Quinn scored the final four points of the half to give Drake a 43-40 halftime lead.
–Field Level Media
