Kelly scores 27 points, sparks late rally to push Georgia Tech past Howard 88-85

ATLANTA (AP) — Miles Kelly scored nine of his 27 points inside the final three minutes as Georgia Tech rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to beat Howard 88-85 on Thursday night.

Kelly's 3-pointer with 2:43 left gave Georgia Tech (2-0) its first lead, 78-76, since the 12:51 mark of the first half. Marcus Dockery missed a 3 for Howard on the ensuing possession. Kelly answered with a jumper and then added four free throws as the Yellow Jackets pushed the lead to as many as six points down the stretch.

Kelly was 9 of 24 from the floor and made 8 of 13 free throws. Tyzhaun Claude added 19 points and Kowacie Reeves Jr. had 15. The trio combined for 19 of Tech's 43 rebounds.

Shy Odom scored 22 points to lead Howard (1-1). Joshua Strong, who finished with 18 points, made a 3-pointer for the final margin for Howard, which led 47-43 with 16:55 remaining. Bryce Harris chipped in 17 points for the Bison.

The Yellow Jackets shot 44% (34 of 77) and were just 4-of-18 shooting (22%) from long rang and missed 11 free throws (16 of 27).

Georgia Tech is 34-0 against Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference teams.

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