Georgia Tech needed one free throw with one second left to avoid a frustrating home loss.
Victor Valdes made it, and the Yellow Jackets escaped UNC Asheville, 75-74. The finish preserved Georgia Tech’s unbeaten start, but it also gave the team an early reminder that a close game can turn on a single possession.
UNC Asheville put Georgia Tech under pressure well before the final seconds. The Bulldogs built a 26-15 first-half lead, forcing the Yellow Jackets to chase the game. Georgia Tech answered after the break with 50 points in the second half, but it never fully shook its opponent.
The late sequence captured the game’s back-and-forth feel. Courtland Muldrew’s 3-pointer put Georgia Tech in front, 65-63, with 3:14 remaining. Khayri Dunn answered from deep to give UNC Asheville the lead again. The teams traded chances from there before Valdes earned the deciding free throw.
For the first time since 1946-47 and third time in GT history, our first-year head coach starts us off 4-0❕Show some love for @CoachScottCross 🫡#StingEm 🐝 pic.twitter.com/cT9EWjkcIb
— Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball (@GTMBB) November 14, 2026
Tylis Jordan led Georgia Tech with 17 points. For the Yellow Jackets, the comeback is a positive result, but the narrow margin is useful information too. They had to raise their scoring after halftime and find a stop-and-score finish to get past a mid-major opponent.
That is the kind of early-season game a team can learn from without treating it as a crisis. Georgia Tech is still unbeaten, and it showed enough resilience to recover from a rough first half. The next step is making sure opponents do not get comfortable building a lead in the first place.
What's Next?
Georgia Tech gets a chance to settle in before its biggest early test. The Yellow Jackets host Norfolk State on Tuesday, Nov. 17, then welcome rival Georgia on Friday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m. CT on ESPNU. After needing a last-second free throw to escape UNC Asheville, Georgia Tech will want a cleaner performance against Norfolk State before the rivalry game arrives.
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