Miles Kelly scored 25 points and Dallan Coleman came off the bench to score 17, including 13 in the final 14 minutes, as host Georgia Tech defeated Georgia Southern 84-62 on Monday night in Atlanta.

The nonconference matchup was the season opener for each team.

The Yellow Jackets, who were playing their first game under new coach Damon Stoudamire, hit five straight 3-pointers in a stretch that started just over halfway through the second half. The burst extended their five-point lead to 12 with just under six minutes to play. Kelly hit two of the long-range shots among his four for the game.

Tyzhaun Claude added 10 points and 10 rebounds for Georgia Tech, which overcame a poor-shooting first half to put away the Eagles.

Jamar Franklin led Georgia Southern with 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Tyren Moore added 10 points and Carlos Curry chipped in nine. The Eagles were also cold in the first half and improved slightly thereafter, but they couldn't keep up with when the Yellow Jackets caught fire.

Georgia Tech shot 45 percent for the game, including 13 of 29 from long range, and had 15 offensive rebounds among 37 rebounds overall. Georgia Southern hit 40.4 percent of its shots but was just 6 of 22 on 3-pointers.

Georgia Tech eked out a 32-31 halftime lead despite shooting just 33.3 percent from the field and turning the ball over nine times. Georgia Southern wasn't much better: 33.3 percent and seven turnovers.

While the Yellow Jackets were struggling early, making only 1 of 8 shots to start the game, the Eagles built an early six-point lead, thanks largely to 3-pointers by Curry and Moore.

Georgia Tech built its own six-point late in the half with a 7-0 run, triggered by a trey from Kowacie Reeves.

It's the second head coaching job for Stoudamire, who guided Pacific from 2016 to 2021. He played 13 seasons in the NBA and averaged 13.4 points per game.

--Field Level Media