Lawal and Favors have double-doubles in No. 22 Georgia Tech’s 65-53 win over Ark.-Pine Bluff

No. 22 Georgia Tech beats Ark.-Pine Bluff 65-53

ATLANTA — Gani Lawal had 15 points and 15 rebounds and freshman Derrick Favors added 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead No. 22 Georgia Tech to a 65-53 victory over winless Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Wednesday night.

Freshman Mfon Udofia added eight key points and five assists for the Yellow Jackets (8-1), who won their seventh straight.

Tavaris Washington and Lebaron Weathers each had 13 points for Pine Bluff (0-8), which has played all its games on the road.

The Golden Lions were down 48-43 after a 3-pointer by Dominic Moore with 9:41 remaining. Tech then broke it open with a 14-3 run over a 4:18 span that made it 62-46. The final three points were a three-point play by Lawal. Udofia seven points and Favors added six in the run.

The lead was the largest of the game for Tech, which shot 38 percent (23 of 60) from the field, including 6 of 17 (35 percent) from 3-point range, and committed 14 turnovers. Pine Bluff shot 29 percent (20 of 68) and was 4 of 16 on 3s.

Tech led 35-27 at halftime behind eight points from Favors and seven from Glen Rice Jr..

Savalace Townsend, Pine Bluff’s leading scorer with a 13.7 average, had only four points on 1-of-10 shooting.

The Yellow Jackets had an 11-point lead twice in the first half, the last at 30-19 on a basket by Brad Shehan with 4:41 left.

Tech upped its lead to 44-31 on a basket by Brian Oliver 4:16 into the second half before Pine Bluff went on an 8-0 run to get within five points on a basket by Townsend with 12:29 to play.