Houston Cougars vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Box Score on Dec 23, 2019

Quentin Grimes scored 23 of his 26 points in the first half to propel Houston to a 70-59 win Monday over Georgia Tech in a semifinal game of the Diamond Head Classic at Honolulu.

The Cougars (9-3) advance to play No. 21 Washington (10-2) for the championship on Wednesday after the Huskies beat Hawaii 72-61 in the second semifinal. Georgia Tech (5-6) will oppose the Rainbow Warriors (8-4) in the third-place game on Wednesday.

Fabian White Jr. finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Cougars, and Caleb Mills had 12 points.

Georgia Tech's Moses Wright had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Michael Devoe added 17 points, and Jordan Usher scored 10 points.

Houston, which has not trailed yet in the tournament against Portland and Georgia Tech, held the Yellow Jackets to only three made field goals in the last 10:47 of the game. The Yellow Jackets shot 37 percent from the field overall and were 3 of 15 from beyond the arc.

After Georgia Tech cut the deficit to 56-51 with 4:23 left in regulation, Houston responded with seven unanswered points to open a 12-point lead that proved to be insurmountable.

Georgia Tech stayed afloat making 10 of 12 shots from the free-throw line in the second half. The Yellow Jackets were 8 of 26 (30.8 percent) from the field after halftime, including 1 of 8 from 3-point range.

Grimes' scoring output in the first half on 10-of-11 shooting from the field lifted Houston to a 43-32 halftime lead. He also made both of his 3-point attempts. His teammates were 9 of 24 in the half and 1 of 6 from beyond the arc.

Georgia Tech remained close behind 15 points by Wright in the first half. He was 6 of 10 from the field in the first half while the other Yellow Jackets were 6 of 18.

After Georgia Tech cut the gap to 50-44 with 10:47 remaining in regulation, the Yellow Jackets did not score again until 4:22 later on a Devoe 3-pointer. In the meantime, Houston was able to only make two shots. The Cougars led 54-47 with 6:25 left.

--Field Level Media