THE FLATS – Georgia Tech battled back from a 20-point second-half deficit to close within five in the waning minutes, but Syracuse held off the rally to defeat the Yellow Jackets, 82-72, on Tuesday night at McCamish Pavilion.
Baye Ndongo led Georgia Tech (10-6, 1-2 ACC) with 20 points and nine rebounds.
Syracuse (10-5, 1-1 ACC) closed the first half with a 12-4 run to open up a 14-point halftime lead (44-30), then began the second half with a 10-4 spurt to stretch the advantage to 20 at 54-34.
The Yellow Jackets began to chip away at the lead at the 10-minute mark of the second half and used a 16-3 run to cut an 18-point deficit all the way down to five at 72-67 on a layup by Ndongo with 3:26 to go in the ballgame.
However, the Orange scored the first four points after a timeout to essentially seal the victory.
Georgia Tech’s second-half surge was fueled by intensity on both ends of the court, as the Jackets scored 15 fast-break points and 11 points off turnovers, after being scoreless in both categories before halftime.
In addition to Ndongo’s 20 points, Kowacie Reeves Jr. had 11 and Jaeden Mustaf had 10 to round out three scorers in double figures for Tech, which lost for just the second time in its last seven games overall, as well as only the second time in 12 home games this season.
Georgia Tech travels to Miami (Fla.) on Saturday for a noon tipoff. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
Baye Ndongo led Georgia Tech with 20 points and nine rebounds on Tuesday night (Danny Karnik photo).
Postgame Notes
Kowacie Reeves, Jr. was honored during a pregame ceremony for his 1,000 career points. He scored 11 in Tuesday’s game (Danny Karnik photo).
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL
Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball team is in its third year under head coach Damon Stoudamire. Tech has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, won four ACC Championships (1985, 1990, 1993, 2021), played in the NCAA Tournament 17 times and played in two Final Fours (1990, 2004). Connect with Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball on social media by liking their Facebook Page, or following on X (@GTMBB) and Instagram. For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
Season tickets for men’s basketball can be reserved here.