THE FLATS – Four Georgia Tech guards scored at least 15 points, but Florida State’s rebounding advantage proved to be the difference in the Yellow Jackets’ 80-71 loss to the Seminoles on Saturday afternoon at McCamish Pavilion.
Florida State outrebounded Georgia Tech, 44-34, which led to an 18-4 edge in second-chance points and a 38-14 advantage in points scored in the paint. The Seminoles also had a 17-2 edge in fast-break points.
That was enough to overcome a stellar day from the Yellow Jackets’ backcourt foursome of Kowacie Reeves Jr. (17 points), Jaeden Mustaf (16), Akai Fleming and Kam Craft (15 apiece), who combined to score 63 of Tech’s 71 points. Mustaf and Craft were just two points shy of their respective season highs.
Georgia Tech fell into an early 16-point hole, but battled back with a 12-1 run over the final four minutes of the first half to cut the deficit to 41-36 at halftime. The Yellow Jackets pulled within two points early in the second period, but a drought of 8 minutes and 37 seconds without a field goal allowed FSU to extend its lead back to double-digits.
Mustaf turned in one of the best all-around performances of his collegiate career, dishing out a game- and career-high eight assists and pulling down a team-best seven rebounds to go along with his 16 points.
Robert McCray V led Florida State with 20 points.
Georgia Tech will celebrate Senior Night when it hosts its final home game of the regular season on Wednesday night versus Cal. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
Sophomore Jaeden Mustaf had one of the best individual performances of his young career with 16 points, eight assists and seven rebounds against FSU (Danny Karnik photo).
Postgame Notes
- Georgia Tech dipped to 11-18 overall and 2-14 in Atlantic Coast Conference play with the loss.
- For the 17th time this season, four Yellow Jackets finished in double-figures – Kowacie Reeves Jr. (17), Jaeden Mustaf (16), Kam Craft (15) and Akai Fleming (15).
- It was the first game this season Georgia Tech had four players with at least 15 points. The last time Georgia Tech recorded the feat was Dec. 18, 2024 with four Jackets posting 15-plus against UMBC.
- Florida State dominated on the glass, winning the rebounding battle, 44-34, leading to an edge in both second chance points and paint points.
- Georgia Tech committed only nine turnovers in the outing, marking the eighth time this season with less than 10 in a game. Florida State recorded 10.
- With Baye Ndongo limited to 16 minutes of playing time to foul trouble, Georgia Tech was outscored in the paint, 38-14.
- Kowacie Reeves Jr. led Georgia Tech offensively for the 12th time this season, finishing with 17 points after scoring only five in the first half. The redshirt-senior led all scorers with 12 second-half points, scoring half at the free throw line, converting 6-of-8 in the final 20 minutes.
- Jaeden Mustaf just missed a triple-double with 16 points, eight assists (career-high) and seven rebounds. Mustaf has now scored in double-figures 11 times this season, including the last four-straight. He has posted 10-plus points against 10 ACC opponents to date.
- Mustaf led the Jackets in rebounding with seven and assists (8). Ndongo was second on the glass, securing six.
- Kam Craft, who scored nine points in the second half, finished with 15 points on the day, fueled by five three-pointers. Craft led the Jackets from long distance, matching his season-high set at Georgia on Nov. 14. Craft has now hit at least three three-pointers in 10 games this season.
- Akai Fleming continued his strong freshman season, adding 15 points to the scoreboard, shooting 50.0 percent (5-10) from the field. Fleming has reached double-figures 15 times this season and owns seven games with 15 or more.
Kam Craft’s 15 points were two shy of his high as a Yellow Jacket (Danny Karnik photo).
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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.
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