THE FLATS – Junior center Baye Ndongo delivered his best offensive night of the season to lead Georgia Tech men’s basketball (4-1) to its fourth-straight victory inside McCamish Pavilion on Tuesday evening. Ndongo finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds as the Yellow Jackets overcame an 11-point first half deficit to defeat the visiting Georgia Southern Eagles, 68-66.
Three Jackets finished in double-digits, led by Ndongo’s 20-point night. Freshman center Mouhamed Sylla recorded his fourth double-double of the season, becoming the first Tech freshman with four double-doubles in his first four home games, finishing with 12 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Freshman guard Akai Fleming delivered 10 points off the bench as well, his third 10+ scoring night in five career games.
The Tech defense continues to be a strong point, holding the Eagles to a season-low 66 points after they came in averaging 93.75 points per game. The interior defense from Tech’s big men was vital in the defensive effort, holding Southern to 11-for-30 (36.6%) shooting from inside the arc, including a stunning 2-for-11 (18.2%) in the second half.
Tech utilized its physicality and toughness to out-rebound Southern 46-37 for the night, earning multiple trips to the line with their work down low, out-scoring the Eagles 20-8 at the charity stripe and 34-22 in the paint.
The Eagles came out shooting in the opening half, knocking down five early threes to jump in front, 23-12. The Jackets defense ratched up the intensity from there, holding Georgia Southern to 1-of-9 shooting and forcing a pair of turnovers to fuel a 15-2 run over the next 5:30 of game action and take the lead back, 27-25. Both sides traded buckets for the remainder of the half with Southern holding a one-point advantage at the break, 37-26. Ndongo led all scorers with 11 points at half, fueled by 5-of-6 shooting from the charity stripe.
Georgia Southern cut the lead to just one point with under 2:30 to play, only for Sylla to drain his first-career three pointer, putting the Jackets in front by four. Sophomore guard Jaeden Mustaf delivered clutch minutes down the stretch, playing quality defense and slithering his way to a layup with 1:19 left in the game to give GT a 67-63 lead, before a strong defensive effort from senior guard Lamar Washington poked the ball loose to eliminate a last-ditch effort to tie the game and hand Tech its fourth-straight victory at home.
Georgia Tech concludes its in-state swing with a Sunday afternoon tilt against West Georgia. Tip is slated for 2 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.
Baye Ndongo scored 20 points for the 10th time in his Georgia Tech career (Photo by Danny Karnik)
Postgame Notes
TEAM NOTES
- Georgia Tech improved to 4-1 on the season and 4-0 at home with the win. The 4-0 start at home marks the first in the Damon Stoudamire era and first since the 2018-19 season when the Yellow Jackets opened 5-0 at home.
- Georgia Tech met its second straight in-state opponent on Tuesday night and continues the streak on Sunday, welcoming West Georgia.
- The Yellow Jackets converted 20-of-30 attempts at the free throw line, both season highs for the Jackets. It is only the third time in the Damon Stoudamire era the Yellow Jackets have connected on 20-plus from the charity stripe.
- Georgia Southern hit half its field goals from three-point range, going 12-for-37 from beyond the arc. The 12 made triples are a season-high for an opponent in 2025-26.
- The last time an opponent made 10-plus three-pointers on 30-plus attempts was Clemson on Feb. 4, 2025 in triple overtime. The last opponent in regulation to reach that feat was Miami on Feb. 24, 2024 when the Hurricanes were 13-for-36. Georgia Tech won both games.
- Baye Ndongo (20 points, 10 rebounds) and Mouhamed Sylla (12 points, 11 rebounds) both finished with double-doubles. The last time a pair of Yellow Jackets posted double-doubles in the same game occurred in the 2025 ACC Tournament against Virginia on March 12, 2025.
- For the third time this season, Georgia Tech won the rebounding battle. The Yellow Jackets out-rebounded Georgia Southern, 46-37, paced by Sylla and Ndongo who combined for 21 rebounds on the night.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
- Junior Baye Ndongo (Mboro, Senegal) logged his 49th career game in double-figures and 10th with 20 or more points, finishing with a game-high 20.
- With 10 rebounds, Ndongo recorded his 20th career double-double.
- It marked Ndongo’s fifth game with 20 points and 10 rebounds in his career. Ndongo also dished out a team-high four assists.
- Freshman Mouhamed Sylla (Louga, Senegal) posted his fourth double-double in five career games behind 12 points and 11 rebounds. He becomes the first Yellow Jacket to record four-straight double-doubles in his first four home games.
- Sylla is averaging a double-double on the season at 11.8 points and 11.0 rebounds. He is one of two freshmen in the Atlantic Coast Conference averaging a double-double on the young season.
- Freshman Akai Fleming (Marietta, Ga.) recorded his third game in double figures, adding 10 points off the bench. It is his third double-figure performance in the last four games and five games overall.
- Redshirt-senior Kowacie Reeves Jr. (Macon, Ga.) had his streak of double-figure games snapped at four, contributing nine points on the night.
- Sophomore Jaeden Mustaf (Bowie, Md.) added eight points and four assists to the scoreboard in his five-straight start. Mustaf led the Yellow Jackets at the free throw line, converting 6-of-8 attempts.
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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.
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