ATLANTA — It took a lot to overshadow a rare Atlantic Coast Conference matchup of brothers, both of whom had a double-double.
Iman Shumpert found a way.
The freshman hit a pull-up jumper with one second remaining to lift Georgia Tech to its first ACC win, a 76-74 upset of No. 6 Wake Forest on Saturday.
Shumpert had only five points before tying the game on a basket with 20 seconds remaining and then faking a drive to the basket before stopping to hit his winning shot.
“I took what they gave me,” the 6-foot-5 Shumpert said. “I knew I could shoot over whoever they put on me. I’m taller than their guards.”
Shumpert made his last shot over Jeff Teague, who is 6-2.
“He had a good shot,” Teague said. “I actually touched his elbow. I thought he was going to drive all the way to the basket. He made a good move.”
Wake Forest (17-2, 4-2) committed two turnovers in the final 35 seconds and lost to the ACC’s last-place team only three days after beating top-ranked Duke.
Wake Forest players insisted they did not experience a letdown after the win over Duke.
“It didn’t have anything to do with the Duke game,” said James Johnson, who had 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Georgia Tech senior Alade Aminu had 10 points, 13 rebounds and a career-high six blocks while younger brother Al-Farouq Aminu led Wake Forest with 17 points, 11 rebounds and five steals.
The last-second drama stole the spotlight from only the second matchup of brothers on opposing teams in ACC history. On Jan. 3, 1969, Wake Forest’s Jerry Montgomery faced his brother Roger of Maryland in a game won by the Demon Deacons.
“Until we play them again, at least Alade can talk a little junk now,” Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt said. “He has trash-talking rights now.”
The younger Aminu turned down offers from Georgia Tech and North Carolina to sign with Wake Forest. He posted his eighth double-double of his freshman season.
“I tried to shake his hand after the game, but he was too low,” said Alade Aminu, who said seeing his brother’s disappointment only slightly dimmed his euphoria.
Gani Lawal had 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Yellow Jackets (10-10, 1-6), who ended a five-game losing streak and became the last ACC team to pick up their first conference win.
“There are no upsets in this league,” Wake Forest coach Dino Gaudio said. “I don’t care where you are playing, this is the best league in the country.”
