With the game on the line, Donaldson scored seven straight Miami points, making two free throws with 2:38 left, a pull-up jumper with 1:23 remaining, and a 3-pointer with 39 seconds left.
Malik Reneau scored 18 points, and Shelton Henderson added 17 points with three steals for the Hurricanes (14-2, 3-0 ACC). Miami also got 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds from Ernest Udeh Jr.
Donaldson made 8 of 13 shots from the floor, went 3 of 6 on 3-pointers and 8 of 9 at the free-throw line.
Miami tied its ACC win total from last season, when the Hurricanes finished 3-17. Overall, Miami went 7-24 last season but is vastly improved under new head coach Jai Lucas and an entirely new roster.
Georgia Tech (10-7, 1-3), which never had a lead, lost its second straight game.
The Yellow Jackets were led by Lamar Washington, who had 21 points, a game-high 12 assists and three steals. Kowacie Reeves Jr. added a team-high 23 points, and Baye Ndongo provided 16 points and seven rebounds before fouling out with 3:20 remaining.
Yellow Jackets center Mouhamed Sylla — who missed the previous two games — returned to the lineup but played just two minutes.
Georgia Tech outscored Miami’s bench, 18-9, but the Yellow Jackets got off to a poor start as Miami led 9-0 and 15-2 early in the game. The Hurricanes led 47-33 at halftime.
In the second half, Georgia Tech cut its deficit to 77-72 on a baseline jumper by Reeves with 4:13 remaining, forcing Miami to call timeout. But the Yellow Jackets couldn’t get any closer.
Miami shot 51.7% from the floor, was 10-for-25 (40%) on 3-pointers and 21-for-32 on free throws. Georgia Tech shot 45.6% from the floor, 6-for-14 (42.9%) on 3-pointers and 23-for-27 on free throws.
The Hurricanes had a 34-28 edge on points in the paint. Miami also led 10-8 in fast-break points.
